Erel Margalit is the Founder and Executive Chairman of JVP and Margalit Startup City, and one of the chief architects of Israel’s Start-Up Nation and the New York AI and Cyber ecosystem. A visionary entrepreneur and former Member of the Israeli Parliament, Erel has spent the past three decades leveraging innovation to drive both economic growth and social transformation.
Thirty years ago, Erel founded JVP, a leading Israeli-New York venture firm with centers of excellence across Israel and New York, with activities in Europe. He has orchestrated and led 12 IPOs on NASDAQ and more than 30 of Israel’s and New York’s and Europe’s largest tech exits. JVP uniquely combines venture capital with a private equity approach, holding significant stakes in leading companies such as CyberArk ($20B), Qlik ($2.5B), and Cogent ($3.5B) in the past, and Earnix, ControlUp, Nanit, Thetaray, Coro, and others presently.
As part of his public-private mission, Erel spearheaded the creation of seven regional innovation centers throughout Israel, integrating economic development, education, and community initiatives. These hubs provide real opportunities for diverse communities across the country—Jews and Arabs, secular and religious alike.
JVP also partnered with the City of New York to create leading Cyber-AI Center for scale-up companies in the city.
In addition to its activity in Israel, North America, and Europe, JVP is expanding its presence in the GCC region, promoting regional alliances through innovation and economic collaboration.