Yossi Vardi

One of Israel's pioneering entrepreneurs, Yossi Vardi has co-founded, led, funded, and helped build more than seventy high-tech, energy, natural resources, and clean-technology companies. His ventures have seen considerable success, with many, including Tekem, Alon Energy, Granite Hacarmel, Answers.com, Scopus, International Laser Technologies, ePals, Brightcove, and Tucows, going public. Additionally, several of his companies have been acquired by major corporations such as Gteko by Microsoft, Tivella by Cisco, Airlink by Sierra Wireless, Foxytunes by Yahoo!, StarNet by IAC, and Gift Project by eBay.

As the founding investor of Mirabilis Ltd., Vardi was integral in pioneering instant messaging through the creation of ICQ, an early internet success that was later acquired by AOL. His involvement in the government and public sector is extensive; he served as Director General of the Ministry of Development and the Ministry of Energy and was Chairman of the Israel National Oil Company and Israel Chemicals. He has also been actively involved in peace talks with Egypt, the Palestinians, Jordan, and Syria.

Vardi's contributions have been recognized with several prestigious awards, including an Honorary Doctorate from the Technion, Israel’s Institute of Technology; the Prime Minister’s Award for Life Achievements in the field of high-tech; and Best Internet Personality by TechCrunch Europe. He remains a significant figure in academia and philanthropy, serving on the Board of Trustees of the Technion and previously as Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the Jerusalem Foundation. His advisory roles have included positions with the World Bank, the United Nations Development Program, and CEOs of major corporations such as Amazon, AOL, and Allied-Signal. His engagement extends to global platforms, having been a member of the World Economic Forum and Co-Chairman of the EU-Israel business dialogue.