Tel Aviv University is establishing a venture fund, focused on early stage startups, named TAU Ventures. This is the first time that a model of this sort is being established in Israel and it is similar to those in the most prestigious universities in the US, such as MIT, Berkeley, Stanford, etc.
The fund will operate different incubation programmes, together with strategic partners, in various technological fields.
Joseph Klafter, President of Tel Aviv University, commented: “Tel Aviv University is the most innovative and entrepreneurial university in Israel and I am proud that we have evolved to the next essential step. This is a new model in Israel and sets the university in line with the leading universities in the world. As a university which gathers the leading students and alumni in Israel, TAU Ventures will enable the entrepreneurs among them to execute their revolutionary ideas.”
Nimrod Cohen, Managing Partner of the fund, said: “The advantage of the fund will be identifying unique opportunities in early stages. TAU Ventures will also be able to offer added value to the entrepreneurs among the students and our alumni of TAU via variety of resources surrounding the university. The fund will enjoy the wide spectrum of knowledge and support of the industry given the important position TAU holds.”
Eyal Agmoni, Head of Chartered Group, said: “We made this investment out of strong belief in the Israeli high-tech industry in general and a deep understanding that the main part of entrepreneurial in Israel generates around Tel Aviv University.”
“As a person deeply enthusiastic about higher education and the future of Israel, I am proud to be a part of a fund which will operate under TAUs umbrella,” said Bahzad Kianmahd, Co-founder and lead investor from Los Angeles, CA, who is also Chairman and CEO of Maxim Commercial Capital. “The fund will have many possibilities for dealing with complex C in the world and it will open doors for the younger generation in Israel.”
