Yozma executives sit on the Boards of Directors of virtually all of the Group's portfolio companies. Furthermore, the Group plays an active role in assisting its portfolio companies in: 1) identifying and recruiting senior managers, board members and technology experts; 2) formulating business strategies; 3) raising additional capital from private and public markets 4) attracting marquee strategic and financial investors.
 
 
Through The Groups extensive network of contacts and relationships in the US and Europe, Yozma was able to help its portfolio companies grow and attract leading international corporations. The Yozma management team was actively involved in the selection of many of the international investors/partners to its portfolio companies.
 
 
 
 
 
   
The Yozma Group screens on an ongoing basis a sizeable amount of investment opportunities. The Group believes it has access to deal sources unavailable to other Israeli venture funds. This distinct advantage is reflected in numerous portfolio companies in which Yozma is the first and/or the only Israeli venture capital investor. Sources contributing to the proprietary deal flow and the unique standing of Yozma in Israel include:
   
Brand Awareness of Yozma as the Creator
of the Israeli Venture Capital Market
  The Group's contribution to the creation of a professionally managed venture capital industry in Israel has generated a strong brand recognition for Yozma as a top-tier, value-added, and dominant player. As a result of Yozma's activities in the past decade, there is a substantial network of angel investors, industry-insiders, lawyers, consultants, government agencies, press, and academia that recognize Yozma's unique standing in Israel.
   
Formal and Informal Links to Israel's Leading Technological Academic Institutions
  Over the past decade the Yozma Group has developed close working relationships with several of the leading academic institutions in Israel. Some of the most promising companies in the portfolio of Yozma have come directly from these institutions. Yozma's partnership with the academic institutions in Israel started when Mr. Erlich established the Generic Technology program in order to foster cooperation between technology companies in the private sector and research institutions and universities worldwide. Yozma has a Director on the Board of Directors of Hadassit (The Hebrew University's Hadassah Medical Center commercialization company), and has contributed significantly to the Board of the Technion Research and Development Co. Ltd., a subsidiary of the Technion Institute of Technology - Israel's leading technological and scientific academic institute. Examples of portfolio companies that came to Yozma through this channel include: Paragon Communications and Predix .
   
Working Relationships with Top-Tier International Venture Funds
  A key part of Yozma's strategy to maintain its competitive edge is to strengthen its network of peer venture funds in the US and Europe. The Group is then able to augment its internal capability to assess potential investments and add significant value to its portfolio companies post investment. In particular, the network of peer funds supports portfolio companies in their effort to establish presence outside Israel. Some of the venture funds with which Yozma is developing working relationships are: Draper Fisher Jurvetson, Morgan Stanely private equity, OrbiMed, Sequoia Capital, Skypoint Capital, Intel Venture and Infineon Venture. Yozma maintains direct person-to-person contact, and open-channel communications with its network.
   
Office of Chief Scientist
  Prior to founding Yozma in 1993, Mr. Yigal Erlich was the Chief Scientist of the state of Israel between 1984 to 1992. In this capacity, Mr. Erlich and Mr. Boaz Goldcsmidt who worked with him, supervised investments in hundreds of startup companies, overseeing the allocation of more than $750 million towards technology companies. As a result, the core Yozma team gained a reputation for excellence nationwide and became intimately familiar with most of the key players in the local industry. This is one of the factors that helped create a brand name recognition for Yozma in Israel and a superior deal flow.
   
A Network of Technology Incubators
  The Yozma Group has developed tight links with a wide network of more than twenty technology incubators spread throughout Israel. The close working relationships with the incubators is a natural continuation of the active role Yozma's senior members took in establishing the Israeli program of Industrial and Technology Incubators which employed over 1,500 scientists in 300 projects nationwide. As a result, the Group has been able to scan the incubators on an ongoing basis and cherry-pick promising business opportunities.
 
 

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