Team

Joshua Levinberg

Co-Founder and General Partner

Co-founder and General Partner at JAL Ventures, Joshua is a seasoned entrepreneur, investor and M&A executor. Together with his brother Amiram, Joshua founded Gilat Satellite Networks in 1988. Serving as Executive VP for Corporate BD and Strategy, he helped lead the company to a 9 digit IPO on the NASDAQ after just five years and a single fundraising round. As an executive, Joshua continued to steward Gilat on its journey to becoming one of the world’s top 3 satellite communication companies. In 2000, Joshua shifted gears to plant the seed for another successful venture, GVT, a Gilat spin-off, bringing connectivity to remote areas in developing countries. GVT was sold to Vivendi for $4 Bn and then to Telefonica for $9 Bn dollars.  This was followed by his co-founding Satlynx, later acquired by GE.  Joshua has a BSc in Electronics and Electrical Engineering from Tel Aviv University.

What Joshua brings to the table: 

Deep and varied experience in building companies from scratch, selling to blue-chip corporations, and managing exits. Joshua helps a new generation of entrepreneurs, gain lessons from his failures and successes, on the way to building their world-class tech companies.

Amiram Levinberg

Co-Founder and General Partner

As one of the original founders of JAL Ventures and its General Partner, Amiram has actively invested in an array of Israeli technology start-ups as well as mature businesses and sits on the board of numerous companies. 

Together with his brother Joshua, Amiram founded Gilat Satellite Networks in 1988 and served as COO, CEO and then Chairman of the company (until 2014). As Gilat’s COO, he was responsible for managing the company’s sizeable worldwide R&D groups and executing deals with enterprises in North America and Europe.  Amiram has an accomplished grasp of new technologies and patents, and adopts a proven philosophy when it comes to helping JAL’s portfolio companies maximize the strategic value of their IP portfolio.  He performed his military service in the IDF’s R&D unit and holds an MSc in Digital Communications and a BSc in Electrical Engineering from the Haifa Technion.

What Amiram brings to the table:

Amiram brings rich experience, as an entrepreneur, inventor, executive and investor. He has a keen understanding of financials and fundraising, and the rare ability to deep-dive and grasp the value, holes and opportunities in complicated technologies. 

Tal Shaked

General Partner

As General Partner at JAL Ventures, Tal has spearheaded numerous JAL investments including Feedvisor, HiTechZone, Soomla (acquired by IronSource), Nanorep (acquired by LogMeIn) and Kasamba (acquired by LPSN). He draws on over 25 years in the global high-tech industry, both on the R&D and commercial side, to advise JAL’s portfolio companies on all aspects of their scale-up activities. Tal began his career as a software engineer in Eldat, a startup providing wireless pricing & automation solutions for the retail industry, before moving into a sales and marketing roles. He joined Gilat in 1999 and served as Director of Business Development in Europe and later as AVP of Corporate Ventures. In 2002, he was involved in the founding of Satlynx (acquired by GE) and served as VP Business Development in Luxemburg. Upon returning to Israel, he joined forces with Joshua and Amiram Levinberg to invest in Israeli hi-tech startups – initially through syndication deals, and eventually forming JAL Ventures Fund in 2016. Tal served as an intelligence officer in a special combat unit in the IDF and holds a B.Sc. in Computer Science and a Master’s degree in Economics (both Magna Cum Laude) from Tel Aviv University. 

What Tal brings to the table:

Tal brings an “all in” attitude, doing whatever it takes to help founders build successful companies through thick and thin.

Yair Elbaz

General Partner

As General Partner at JAL Ventures and an active PE and VC investor, Yair is instrumental in all aspects of the fund’s investment activities. Joining Joshua, Amiram and Tal in 2016, he played a pivotal role in driving critical mass for JAL’s initial $60M fund (JAL 1). Yair currently sits on the boards of Ametrine, Novidea and Voom, and advises JAL’s other portfolio companies on everything from fundraising to executing large transactions.  Yair’s formative years were spent as a senior consultant and team leader at McKinsey & Company in Geneva and Tel Aviv, where he acquired extensive experience of the corporate landscape, managing risk for banks in the UK, Israel and Africa, and consulting for telcos and pharma companies.  He was also a research contributor to McKinsey’s global thinktank. A Swiss-trained lawyer, Yair holds an MBA from Insead and BA and Master of Law from Geneva University.

What Yair brings to the table:

Strong working relationships with founders and an intimate knowledge of European corporate culture which he uses to help our portfolio companies close deals with large enterprises.

David Sikorsky

Venture Partner

An experienced entrepreneur and PE investor, David plays a central role in JAL’s investment decision-making and fundraising activities.  Based in Geneva, David is also responsible for managing investor relations with JAL’s Swiss and European investor base.  In the early part of his career, David served as sell-side research associate at Morgan Stanley’s New York office covering the Technical Software industry, then after a brief stint in wealth management, joined a boutique corporate finance firm where he participated in several private equity deals. In 2003, David stepped onto the entrepreneurial roller coaster, where in the role of Co-Managing Director, he helped take a young banking software startup to a substantial exit; a deal that opened a new chapter as a private investor in European and Israeli startups.  David holds a BA in Economics & French Literature from Brown University.

What David brings to the table:
Keen analytical skills, financial acumen, and a proven track record of identifying high-potential investment opportunities and fostering strong relationships in the Swiss and European investor community.

Jasmin Kelman

CFO

As Director of Finance & Operations, Jasmin is responsible for the entire envelope of JAL’s fundraising and investment efforts, covering legal, finance, and operations, as well as involvement in the finance aspects of the due-diligence process. In parallel, she handles the Fund’s ongoing investor relations, management and financial reporting, and profile- building initiatives within Israel’s VC ecosystem. Jasmin’s 10-year background in management and organizational consulting holds her in good stead in this broad-based role. Previously, she was a senior associate at TASC, Israel’s largest strategic consulting firm, Head of the Compensation team at PwC Israel, and a senior manager in PwC’s Post- Merger Integration department. Jasmin holds an MBA from Tel Aviv University (Finance and Marketing).

What Jasmin brings to the table:
Jasmin’s buttoned-down executive style, calm demeanour, and holistic view of the business, ensures every aspect of JAL’s investment activity runs seamlessly without ruffling any feathers.

Miriam Bashan

Senior Associate

Miriam is a Senior Associate representing the digital-native generation at JAL. Her work brings together her two great loves: research and networking, which accounts for her very active role in Israel’s VC community and the high quality deal flow that ensues. Prior to joining JAL, Miriam worked in the investment team at Elron Ventures, where she focused on investments in early-stage tech startups. Miriam has a strong professional and academic research background; she was a data analyst and project director at Signal Analytics, research assistant at boutique consulting firm Delphi, wrote her thesis on Research & Decision Making in the EU’s Horizon program, and did her military service in the prestigious 8200 Unit.

What Miriam brings to the table:
Natural networking skills, an uncanny memory for niche information and the ability to connect the dots, which serve her well in scouting for and evaluating attractive investments.

Nir Gilbert

Associate

Nir, an Associate at JAL Ventures, brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the team. Prior to joining JAL, he worked as a product manager at Atera, where he successfully led the development of several key functionalities of the Atera product. Before Atera, Nir served as an officer in the Israeli Air Force, where he held a number of leadership roles and held the position of commander.

Nir boasts impressive skills, including exceptional social and networking abilities, a remarkable memory for unique pieces of information, and a talent for seeing the bigger picture and diving into the details. He is well-versed in the startup industry and has strong operational skills.

With a BA in Information Systems Management from Ben Gurion University and an MBA from Reichman University (IDC), Nir brings a unique perspective to the team and excels in identifying patterns and relationships.

Yaara Zemach

VP HR

• More than 20 years of experience in leading HR strategy in technology companies.
• Experienced in all HR expertise: organizational and leadership development, recruiting, training etc., including corporate structure, business strategy and organizational change. 
• B.A degree in occupational therapy and MBA (organizational behaviour), Tel Aviv University 

Rotem Schaham

EiR

An experienced leader in the intersection of tech, management, and investments, Rotem supports JAL portfolio companies and the fund’s investment decisions. The first part of Rotem’s career was in the global tech industry, spending approx. 15 years in software development and management roles. After a pause for academical research, he joined McKinsey & Company as an associate partner where he served clients on topics of digitalization, AI/ML and Cybersecurity. In his last role in McKinsey Rotem led the firm’s global Alliances and Acquisitions group for Cybersecurity and Risk, where he led several acquisitions and investments. Since leaving McKinsey Rotem has been an entrepreneur and an advisor to start-ups on topics of strategy, growth, go to market, product market fit, product marketing and business development. Rotem served in unit 8200 and holds a B.Sc. (Magna Cum Laude) in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from Tel Aviv university and an MA and PhD in Psychology (Summa Cum Laude) from Bar-Ilan university

What Rotem brings to the table:

Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with a deep tech understanding, helping founders be successful