Place to grow

Avishai began his career as a founding partner of AluTech, a kibbutz company that develops and manufactures computerized control systems for the agricultural industry ecosystems in Israel and abroad. In addition, Avishai oversaw the investment in and management of an incubator company for medical devices.

Further on, Avishai served in an intelligence capacity at The Prime Minister’s Office, where he led projects involving national security in Israel and abroad, and where, by combining cutting-edge technologies, he overcame inconceivable challenges.

Avishai has amassed experience in product development, from the concept through to production. As a serial entrepreneur, he founded several companies in the agricultural, food, and consumption industries and has extensive experience in the establishment, recruitment, and early-stage development of start-up companies.
Throughout his career, Avishai has been soul-bound to social action, and has led numerous groups on the Masa Israel program, as well as command and leadership training programs for the security and prison services.

On retirement from his service, Avishai initiated and established the Netter Innovation Center to promote entrepreneurship and innovation in agrifood, climate, and sustainability while creating an impact on society and the environment.

Doron’s affiliation with agriculture began at his Kibbutz birthplace, where he fulfilled diverse kibbutz duties.

His professional career started off in various positions in radio and television. Thereafter, Doron worked as a business strategy and management consultant in ESG spheres at BDO Israel, where he spent several years advising large Israeli companies on business, social, and environmental issues, among them banks, communication companies, and infrastructure companies.

Thereafter, he founded and directed the Israeli Ag-Tech community, GrowingIL, backed by the Israel Innovation Institute. During this time, he initiated and led a range of ventures to benefit players in the Israeli ecosystem – start-ups, investors, companies and industry, farmers, the academia and government, as well as various global entities.

Doron was appointed COO of the Israel Innovation Institute, which also operates communities in other fields, such as climate-tech, desert-tech, aquaculture, smart transportation, and digital health. In this capacity, he doubled the institute’s activity and extended it to new fields. To date, he serves as a member of the institute’s board.

Doron joined the Netter Center as its leader in innovation, content, and forging partnerships with different players in the ecosystem.

Opher became acquainted with the high-tech industry in the 1990s as a doctor of physics, managing teams of developers for medical imaging devices at Elscint Ltd. and Marconi Medical.

He transitioned to education in the early 2000s, when he was a fellow at the Mandel School for Educational Leadership in Jerusalem. Opher spent two decades in education in a teacher training program he initiated, as part of the National Task Force for the Advancement of Education in Israel (the Dovrat Committee). He was founder and principal of schools for youth at risk and students with learning difficulties, and chief scientist of the Beit Ekstein organization, which provides educational services, housing, and employment to the disabled.

Opher also served on the management committee of the marine ecology non-profit organization, EcoOcean; he volunteered in the archeological restoration of an ancient ship; he was a research fellow and student supervisor at Haifa University; and he served as an advisor to school principals. Moreover, Opher is an accomplished carpenter.

At Netter Center, he serves as activity director of the center’s campus, which runs a variety of entrepreneurship training programs in agriculture, food, and sustainability.

As a college student in the Jezreel Valley, Nitzan was the producer of the TV newscast, Hadashot HaTzafon, and also produced Israel’s largest television and communications festival in Israel, Shover Masach. Surrounded by nature and fields of agriculture, the first seeds were sown which would crystalize her bond with agriculture and the environment.

After graduating, Nitzan worked at a strategic consulting company for the agricultural sector. She was partner manager, and cultivated connections with farmers and other parties of interest, both in Israel and abroad, for business development and to extend knowledge to Israeli farmers.

Later, she ventured into marketing and advertising, where she began as partner manager for a global company. Moving on, she created a team for buying quality results-based media, and finally, she served as project and operations manager at a marketing and advertising company that provided smart advertising to international audiences.

While in the marketing industry, Nitzan began engaging in the world of body-soul development. As a yoga instructor and passionate practitioner of close communication, her desire for valuable and impactful activity led her to the Netter Center, where she serves as the operation manager and ecosystems manager for the support and promotion of start-ups, companies, and ventures in the agrifood, climate, and sustainability industries.

Dr. Itzhak Shalev holds a Ph.D. in Fiber and Polymer Science from North Carolina State University. He has served as Head of the Department of Industrial Chemistry and as Dean of Student Affairs at Shenkar College, as Chairman of the Israel Textile Association, and as Visiting Associate Professor at the College of Textiles at  NCSU. Dr. Shalev is currently Managing Director of Zzakey Technologies Ltd., an R&D support company.

Dr. Shalev is a consultant to the Israeli Ministries of Health and Defense, the Israel Electric Company, Israel Chemical Industries, Teva Pharmaceuticals, Israel Rail, Stratasys, and numerous other large and small industrial firms and startups in Israel and abroad. He has over 40 years of experience in industrial chemicals, formulations, and the fiber and polymer-based industries and has published over 80 technical papers and patents.

Dr. Shalev is currently active in industrial R&D in the fields of high-performance polymers, chemical processing, formulation development, nonwovens, functional textiles, raw material natural alternatives, fire and NBC protection, and medical device technology.

Roi’s career took root in the place where he was born and grew up – the kibbutz, which fostered his love for agriculture, the landscape, and nature.

He embarked on his path as a young agronomist and gradually advanced to the management of large volumes of field crops, vegetable crops, and orchards. Over the past 15 years, Roi has held the position of C.E.O., with several farms and agricultural organizations in the south of Israel under his management, where he has demonstrated proven success in growth and profitability.

With his vast experience amassed in both management and applied work in the fields, whether in experimentation or assimilating technology for agriculture, Roi engages in consultation, the establishment and management of agricultural initiatives, as well as professional mentoring to help advance young managers in agriculture.

Roi is also a partner in several technological ventures.

As Chief Agronomist at the Netter Center for Entrepreneurship, Roi promotes connection to the land, fields, and crops. He is responsible for connecting the various technological ventures with the farmers in the field, attending to the needs of the entrepreneurs, matching the product with the requirements on the ground, and of course overseeing the entire range of assistance for the entrepreneurs who need it.

Roi holds a bachelor’s degree in soil and water sciences from Hebrew University, a master’s degree in business administration, and an additional master’s degree in law.

Roi is married to Naomi and they have four children.

Zion began his career in the late 1980s with the founding of Rotem, a company engaged in the development of control systems for hen houses, greenhouses, irrigation, and barns.

He later acquired the company and created a new management strategy which led to its growth, and expanded business connections with leading international agricultural companies. In 2015, the company was sold to the Swedish corporation, Munters.

Through his desire to share the vast knowledge he had amassed, and to assist young companies, Zion became a joint founder of the Tel Aviv business hub, Ayeka. There he served as a mentor to companies that operated on the premises, helping them forge business connections and locate investors, among other activities. Zion managed the complex until its sale in 2020.

Zion has established several ventures in agriculture, environmental protection, and alternative energy. He also invests in, and accompanies social initiatives covering various fields such as medicine, transportation, fin-tech, and advanced irrigation solutions.

Zion incorporates his social activism in a variety of social projects, and initiates connections between the industry and academia with the cooperation of the Volcani Institute of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, and through connecting with universities around the world.

Ariel’s career took root at UMS, a leading export marketing company for Israeli agricultural produce.

Over time, Ariel has woven a wide network of business connections throughout the world and he enjoys ongoing relations with breeding companies, agricultural businesses, marketing networks, and international logistics companies. Over recent years, Ariel’s main role was business development and investments, and served as VP of the company. He currently sits on the UMS management board.

As part of his innovation activity at the company, he was a key player in the successful acquisition of Phytech, an Ag-Tech leader in the world of precision agriculture in Israel and abroad.

Out of a deep desire to apply his abilities in creating a conscious business impact in the agricultural domain, Ariel mentors, consults in business development to several start-ups in agrifood-tech and climate-tech, as well as a variety of projects involving green energy, sustainable agriculture, and food security.

He is highly proficient in all supply chain processes, agricultural mechanization, packaging and logistics, international shipping, regulation, marketing and sales, sales promotion and strategy, branding, and creative processes. Ariel possesses an in-depth understanding of consumerism, agri-economics, multicultural and international relations, technology, and innovation.

Arbel serves as a board member of the Netter Center and is the representative for the Mashkei HaNegev organization.

Mashkei HaNegev is a central cooperative association owned by 52 kibbutzes from the Negev and Arava (Dead Sea Basin) regions, that works towards the promotion and development of economic activity of its members residing in the southern periphery of Israel, and focuses on agricultural crops, sorting, packaging and marketing agricultural produce, industry, and renewable energies, among other areas.

In his position of VP of business development at Mashkei HaNegev, Arbel directs the innovation division and is a founder member of the Netter Center.

Arbel has a wealth of experience in funding, investment management, and supporting small and medium-sized businesses, amassed from his role in the capital market as deputy director of the investment fund at Keren Makefet and subsequently in various positions, including fund manager for small and medium-sized businesses at the Ministry of Economy and Industry, fund manager under state guarantee, and key partner in establishing PE funds for medium-sized businesses.

Liron is the chairman of the Netter Center and the representative of its partner organization, Mishkei HaDarom, an innovative and leading economic organization in agriculture, real estate, and credit solutions. The organization combines the economic activity of 59 kibbutzes and moshavs with the purpose of promoting cooperation in the rural sector through investments and business initiatives.

As the director of the holding company at Mishkei HaDarom, Liron manages the organization’s innovation infrastructure, which includes, together with the Netter Center, Flora, the venture capital fund for investments in agrifood-tech start-ups and Mishkei TzabarTech – a testing arena for advanced agriculture. Additionally, he is a partner in regional agricultural enterprises and national holdings.

Liron holds vast experience in start-up and global business development. His path in high-tech began as director of the start-up and investor divisions at Microsoft Israel. He then became director of the European business development division, and went on to the company’s headquarters in Seattle where he managed Microsoft’s global strategic partnership division. Back in Israel, Liron served as business director at Microsoft Israel’s development center, following which he facilitated the business development of start-ups for Amazon, from the advanced capital-funding stages raising capital to IPO.