Israel Venture Network

Empowering Young Ethopian Women

When immigrants arrived from Ethiopia to Israel over the past two decades, many did not know what to expect.  The differences in culture, language and customs led to a difficult path for many immigrants, changing their tears of joy at arriving 'home' to tears of frustration and misunderstanding. 

The IsraCorps Action Center, co-founded by IVN and the Rashi Foundation, developed a special program within the National Service Framework to work together with girls of Ethiopian origin to improve their grades and complete their high school studies (implemented by the Tafnit program), while volunteering in their community.  This combination of learning and social action provides them with the tools they need to succeed in Israeli society; a second chance.  Girls graduate the program with improved self-confidence, a clearer picture of their future, social awareness and leadership skills.

Bat-El, who immigrated at the age of 9, is now entering her second year in the IsraCorps program in the development town of Kiryat Gat and she describes it as a life-changing experience: "The IsraCorps program is very intense... the combination of volunteer work, studies and training leaves me very little free time..  However, I am completing my studies in order to improve my future.  I am grateful for the opportunity given to me."

Yubi Tsuma, now an IsraCorps Coordinator of the academic preparatory program for girls of Ethiopian origin and of the IsraCorps adult leadership group in the Kiryat Moshe neighborhood of Rehovot, was born in Ethiopia, and is currently a resident of Gedera. Yubi is Bat-El's instructor and has great belief in the IsraCorps program and its graduates: "After 2 years of instruction in this program, I envision these girls as agents that will transform the face of Ethiopian society, as they are trained to get involved in their surroundings. I truly believe that these empowered girls will be able to influence their environment including siblings, friends and family."

Sharon Ben-Shachar, Director of  Leumi Tomorrow- the Centennial Fund for Endowing Israel's Future Generations:
"In addition to financial activity, Bank Leumi actively partners with initiatives for the community with the belief that we have a social and moral duty to advance the society we operate within....

Spotlight on New IVN Members

Yanki Margalit
Chairman, CEO & Founder of Aladdin
Yanki Margalit is the founder, chairman and chief executive officer of Aladdin Knowledge Systems, Ltd. In 1984, he designed and developed several products in the areas of artificial intelligence and software security, founding Aladdin to market them. Yanki then introduced HASP, a system offering software protection without inconveniencing legitimate users. In 1993, Yanki took Aladdin public on the NASDAQ stock exchange, and in 1996 he brought about the merger of Aladdin with FAST Software Security in Germany. Aladdin acquired eSafe Technologies in 1998 and Preview Systems in 2001. 
A strong proponent of community activism, Yanki has shaped Aladdin into a company with longstanding involvement in a number of philanthropic and charity organizations. These include: IVN, Idealist.org; Latet; MEET; New Israel Fund and College for All.

Kobi Rozengarten
General Partner, Jerusalem Venture Partners

Kobi Rozengarten is general partner with JVP - a leading Israeli venture capital fund. From 1997 to January 2007, Kobi served as COO and later as President of Saifun Semiconductors, where he was responsible for forming and executing the business strategy of the company and developing the organization from a start-up to a leading IP company.
Prior to joining Saifun, from 1994 to 1997, he served as Managing Director of Micro-Swiss, a subsidiary of Kulicke and Soffa Industries, a leading supplier of equipment for the semiconductor industry. From 1987 to 1994, Kobi held several senior management positions at Kulicke and Soffa Industries, including Director of Operations and Vice President of Business Development. From 1983 to 1987, Kobi worked at Elbit Computer Ltd., an Israeli defense electronics supplier, as Manager of Finance Planning and Control.

For more information about becoming an IVN member please click here  or contact atara@ivn.org.il for Israel members or joni@israelventurenetwork.org for US members.

Funding Opportunities

IVN is seeking funders for a number of meaningful social investment opportunities including:

• Supplemental matriculation studies for high school youth affected by the recent teacher strike that lasted for 65 days.  IVN is seeking funding to  provide additional tutoring that will make up for the study time missed during this crucial period.  Students from low-income communities where IVN operates often cannot afford the luxury of private tutors.  Grades received on the matriculation exams determine whether or not pupils can continue on to higher education. 
• Basic school supplies for children in Sderot.  The municipality of Sderot recently turned to IVN for help in providing basic school supplies for children whose lives are affected by daily Kassam rocket attacks. 
• Seed funding for IsraCorps US.  IsraCorps aims to narrow social and educational gaps by educating Israeli volunteers in and from the periphery and by increasing volunteers' effectiveness via targeted training, placement and guidance.  IsraCorps US will serve as a framework for US teens and young adults to volunteer alongside their peers in Israel's periphery. 
• Sponsorship of a Social Entrepreneur Fellowship. Social Entrepreneurs (SEs) are society's change agents dedicated to developing and implementing innovative solutions to Israel's most pressing social problems. IVN's program provides SE Fellows with a monthly stipend, oversight and mentoring from members of the IVN network, and educational opportunities to bolster skills.  The next set of SE Fellows will be announced in Q1 2008!

For further information on how to support IVN, please contact: 

US Office

Joni Block, Director, at joni@israelventurenetwork.org

      540 Cowper St.,Suite 200

Palo Alto, CA 94301

Tel. (650) 325-4200

Fax (650) 649-1974

Israel Office

Atara Dzikowski, Director of Development & Marketing, at atara@ivn.org.il

PO Box 5064

Kadima 60920

Cel. 052-534-5343

Tel. 09-891-2117

Fax.09-891-2118

         

Save The Date - Events in New York, Israel & Silicon Valley

February 4, 2008 - Mentors Day, Israel
February 11, 2008 - Members Event, New York City
March  2008 -  Members Event, Israel
May 12, 2008 - Annual Membership Meeting, Silicon Valley

Get Involved

IVN is inviting hi-tech and finance executives to share their wealth of experience in various IVN programs:

-   Mentor business consultants as part of IVN's Economic Reconstruction Initiative (IERI)

-   Mentor social entrepreneurs as part of the Social Entrepreneur Fellowship Program

-   Guide school principals as part of the Educational Initiative

IVN is seeking to assist businesses that are participating in IVN's Economic Reconstruction Initiative (IERI) with business networking:

-          a company manufacturing organic cosmetic products is now expanding to the international market and is seeking global marketing and networking advice.

     -             a company specializing in cleaning chemicals is seeking a salesperson with experience in European sales.  The company is also seeking companies that specialize in export of chemical products for joint cooperation.

IVN is also seeking to help place Ethiopian immigrants who were recently trained in IT in hi-tech companies located in Israel's Center or South.

For more information on any of these opportunities, please contact Anat Samet at anats@ivn.org.il.

Visit IVN Projects

We welcome our members to come and visit our projects onsite. If you are planning a trip to Israel, we would be happy to coordinate a short visit to one of IVN's projects.

For more information, please contact Anat Samet at anats@ivn.org.il .