Investment giant SoftBank has appointed former Mossad head Yossi Cohen as its director of Israel operations, Globes reported on Friday.

The SoftBank Group, a Japanese firm that runs the largest venture capital fund in the world and is considered the world’s leading technology fund, is preparing to open an office in Israel, one of the world’s technology hotspots.

Although Cohen has no experience in investment, he is a well-known and respected personality in Israel and can use his connections and influence to connect Softbank’s investment team with leading Israeli companies.

“We’re very interested in expanding our presence in Israel,” SoftBank Vision Fund managing partner Yanni Pipilis told Globes. “We have a firm belief in the ecosystem that exists in the country, because we are investors in technology and AI, and Israel has amazing entrepreneurs and founders in this technology space. We’ve recently completed multiple investments in Israel and see many other compelling opportunities.

“When we met Mr. Cohen, we immediately got excited about the opportunity to work together. He is very well connected in the Israeli industry at large, he is someone that entrepreneurs and founders can recognize and can be a central focal point for us. Clearly, his relationship across Israeli industry and the ability to traverse international relations are effective to be able to essentially help connect these entrepreneurs globally with the AI ecosystem.

“When we invest in a company, we seek to introduce them to SoftBank’s network of more than 200 companies, helping them expand to new geographies, like Asia, Japan, and the Middle East. Mr. Cohen’s experience in dealing internationally is a huge asset.”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)