Leading VC JVP Expands, Welcoming New Partners to Grow Its International Activities

JERUSALEM and NEW YORK, March 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- JVP, a leading international VC Fund ranked among the six best in the world (Preqin) and known for building multi-billion-dollar companies, is growing its operations in Israel and around the world, and expanding its investments in companies in advanced and growth stages. The VC has announced that it is further strengthening its management team with new partners: Shai Schiller, Shimrit Kenig, Julia Kagan and Alex Dikman, as well as venture partners, Sara Thomas and Daniel Cohen.

The appointment of these new partners takes place in the midst of considerable expansion in JVP's activities over the last two years, including raising a large early-stage fund and a significant growth fund, alongside leading fundraising rounds for its portfolio companies, collectively amounting to almost $900M in the last year alone. In addition, JVP completed 2020 with 14 new investments in companies that promise to be game changers in the interface between technology and the global market.  

JVP's model focused on building large companies from seed to growth that expand their business activities around the world, following previously successful IPO's over the last few years: CyberArk ($4.7 billion valuation); QLIK Technologies ($4 billion valuation); Cogent ($3 billion dollar valuation) and more.  In all of these companies, JVP was the largest shareholder, and continuing in that fashion with companies Earnix, ControlUp, Quali, Nanit and others.

"We are proud to welcome Shai Schiller to our ranks, one of the most impressive senior executives in Israeli high-tech. I am also excited to advance new partners who worked at JVP in the last few years – Shimrit Kenig, Julia Kagan, Alex Dikman and our venture partners Sara Thomas and Daniel Cohen," said Erel N. Margalit, Founder and Executive Chairman of JVP. "All our new Partners come with unparalleled capabilities in their fields, rich experience, business vision, expertise in building international companies, and connections to the global market. These skills connect to JVP's strategy to expand its activities in Israel and the world, leading new investments and building large companies that will lead the international high tech scene in the years to come. In addition, each of the new partners are involved in our social and non-profit activities across Israel – starting from Kiryat Shemona in the North, through Haifa, Jerusalem, Abu Gosh, Beer Sheva, along with activities with activities with New York's 4 leading universities. The new partners, like the existing ones, integrate women and men in equal measure into senior positions and creates a diversity of skills and ideas."

Shai Schiller, a leading entrepreneur and senior executive in the Israeli high-tech industry, joins JVP as a new General Partner in the Fund, focusing on late-stage investments. Shai brings with him extensive experience in the world of investment, venture capital, and building global companies in a variety of fields, especially cyber, intelligence, telecom, mobile, and enterprise software. Shai led companies from early stage through to either IPO's or Mergers and Acquisitions in the US, Asia, Europe, and Israel. At the start of his career, Shai was one of the senior executives of Comverse and later served as CEO of Geo Interactive (Emblaze), Axismobile, and WebintPro. Shai also served as a Managing Partner at Concord Ventures, as a Founding Partner at Capital Nature Ventures, and a partner in another private investment firm. He was recently appointed as a board member for Vdoo, one of the leading cybersecurity firms in the world. 

Shimrit Kenig, the Vice President for Investor Relations, and who managed JVP's operations in the last two years, has been promoted to Partner and Chief Operating Officer (COO). Shimrit brings with her over a decade of vast experience in management of business legal matters, with an expertise in leading complex deals, high value transactions and risk management. Shimrit previously served as head of the legal and regulatory department at Schestowitz, a leading international expert in importing, marketing and branding. Shimrit was an associate at Fisher-Behar-Chen & Associates (FBC).

Julia Kagan until recently served as a Principal has been promoted to Partner. Over the last few years, Julia focused on discovering and guiding new investments. She is a Board Member of portfolio companies Opora and Scadafence, as well as supporting investments in other companies such as Nanit and ControlUp. Julia served six years in the IDF as the head of tech development team, and helped establish Lockheed Martin's division in Israel.

Alex Dikman until recently served as a Principal in JVP's International Cyber Center in New York, and has been promoted to Partner. Alex focuses on the development and growth of Israeli companies as they expand into the U.S. market. He is a Board Member of the Fund's portfolio companies Leadspace, Akeyless, Anyclip, Coronet, and Copilot, and supports the business development of other companies in their transition to New York. Alex has extensive experience in the world of entrepreneurship and the tech industry, including experience in the international division of Amazon.

Sara Thomas, one of the leading figures helping with the formation of executive teams in some of the world's leading tech companies like Oracle, Salesforce, and Finastra, and others. She joins JVP as a venture partner in London and New York. In recent years, Sara worked closely with JVP and its leading portfolio companies including CyberArk, Qliktech, Earnix and others. Sara works with investors and executives in the global tech community, and she is essential to the process of building international market leaders.

Daniel Cohen, an expert in the fields of FoodFech, AgTech and Digital Health, joins JVP as a venture partner. In the past 17 years, he has advised hundreds of companies in these industries, including investments of hundreds of millions of dollars. He brings with him rich experience and a proven track record in managing investments in the banking industry and venture capital such as Fosun Pharma, Omens Capital, and others. Daniel is a Board Member of various JVP portfolio companies.

JVP is led by Erel Margalit, Founder and Executive Chairman and includes group of partners: Yoav Tzruya, Fiona Darmon, Gadi Porat, Shai Schiller, Rinat Remler, Shimrit Kenig, Julia Kagan, Alex Dikman, Sara Thomas, Michal Drayman, and Daniel Cohen. 

About JVP:

JVP was founded in 1993 by Dr. Erel Margalit, is an internationally renowned VC fund. Among the pioneering firms of the Israeli VC industry, JVP has been instrumental in building some of the world's largest companies to emerge, facilitating numerous IPOs on NASDAQ, as well as many large industry sales. Over the past decade JVP has spearheaded the creation of international Centers of Excellence, including the AI and Media center in Jerusalem, the Cyber Center in Beer Sheva, the Foodtech and Agritech Center in the Galilee, the International Cyber and FinTech center in NYC, in partnership with NYC/EDC and the leading universities of the city. Recently JVP is opening a newly emerging center in the UAE that will be a new chapter for Israeli technologies to engage with the region. For more information on JVP, visit jvpvc.com, or follow us on Twitter: @JerusalemVenturePartners.

Contact:

Pnina Ben-Ami 
VP Marketing, JVP  
[email protected] 
Tel: +972 2 640 9076

SOURCE Jerusalem Venture Partners (JVP)