ICI

Gili Elkin is a co-founder and Managing Partner at ICI Fund, focused on applying AI technology to critical industries through Israeli-founded companies. She previously served as Managing Director at SynTech Bioenergy in Colorado, worked as an Israeli lawyer at Naschitz Brandes on corporate law, provided tax consulting to US VC firms at Ernst & Young, and founded and led wordprom.com. She holds an LLB and BA in Law and Business from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and an MBA from Stanford University's Graduate School of Business.

Tim Jones is a Partner at ICI Fund, where he supports fund operations and works with portfolio companies, and also serves as COO of Innospere Ventures. He is active as an investor and mentor in the Colorado venture startup ecosystem. Earlier in his career he held project management, M&A, and quality roles at General Electric's Energy and Oil & Gas divisions, and began his career as a submarine officer in the US Navy. He holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Rochester, an MS in Mechanical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and an MBA from the University of Rochester.

Yaron Wolfsthal is a technologist with expertise in cybersecurity and AI. He founded and led IBM's Cybersecurity Center of Excellence in Israel and served as IBM Ventures' delegate for the company's M&A and partnerships in Israel. He works in sourcing, evaluating, and closing investments, and is an Adjunct Professor in Software and Information Systems Engineering at Ben-Gurion University, with over 100 publications.

Aviv Nizri is a Principal at ICI Fund with a background in early-stage company scaling, having led growth and fundraising at Kando, an ICI Fund portfolio company. He works at the intersection of business, technology, and sustainability, and now focuses on supporting founders building AI-powered solutions.

Mark Zitter is a Venture Partner at ICI Fund who helps portfolio company founders grow in the US market. He founded Zitter Health Insights, a healthcare market research and data firm he sold in 2019, and was founding CEO of Vital Decisions, a telephone counseling company for seriously ill patients that he sold in 2012. He advises startups and growth companies through Riverside Partners, StartFast Ventures, and Stanford BioDesign's policy fellowship, and is currently leading a philanthropic effort to expand generative AI use among nonprofits.

Omer Granot is a Venture Partner at ICI Fund, where he sources and engages early-stage founders, supports the firm's investment process, and works with portfolio companies on product, strategy, and go-to-market. A former IDF Lieutenant Colonel, he commanded the Havatzalot program, a selective talent pipeline for technology and innovation leaders. In the private sector he has focused on building and scaling AI-driven products and advising startups on product strategy and early-stage company building.

Ari Goldfarb is the Portfolio Growth Partner and an EIR at ICI Fund, where he helps screen companies for investment and supports portfolio company CEOs. He is co-founder and CEO of KANDO, a wastewater monitoring company, and has over 15 years of experience in wastewater management and treatment technologies. His prior roles include VP at DHVMED, VP Environmental Technologies at Israel's Ministry of Environment, and Process Manager and CTO at the Jerusalem Wastewater Treatment Plant. He holds a B.Sc. in Biology and Environment from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Dr. Bernard (Ben) Guiot is a neurosurgeon based in Jacksonville, Florida, who specializes in complex surgical treatment of the spine. He earned his MD and completed his neurological surgery residency at the University of Ottawa School of Medicine, followed by fellowship training at McGill University in adult deformity and at the University of Florida in reconstructive spinal surgery. He is board certified by the American Board of Neurological Surgery and a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons (Canada), and has held academic and clinical roles at the University of Florida, the University of South Florida, and South Denver Neurosurgery.

Bob Lembke serves as an Advisor at ICI Fund and is President of the United Water & Sanitation District. He also owns 70 Ranch and is Managing Principal at The Bromley Companies. He holds an LLM in Taxation and a JD from the University of Denver, Sturm College of Law, and a BS in Business from the University of Colorado, Boulder, Leeds School of Business.

Brad Hawkins is an entrepreneur who has owned and operated several businesses, including an investment management company, a financial coaching company, an LED light manufacturing company based in Hong Kong, an oxygen delivery company in Colorado's Vail Valley, a software development company, event and wedding venues, and a software-based cybersecurity company. He has invested in and advised companies internationally and served on the boards of various companies and nonprofits. He holds a theology degree from CFNI in Dallas, Texas, and a degree in Business Administration and Finance from Colorado Christian University, and has authored five books and ten online financial courses.

Carl Stern is an advisor at ICI Fund and the former president, CEO, and chairman of The Boston Consulting Group, where he spent 37 years. He later served as vice chairman of the Investment Banking Division at Goldman Sachs and founded Carl W. Stern Associates LLC after retiring, advising on corporate strategy, organization design, and leadership succession. He holds a BA in economics from Harvard and an MBA from Stanford.

David Jacques Farahi is a private investor with a background in the hospitality and gaming industries, serving as an Industry Advisor to ICI Fund. He previously spent 2012 to 2021 as Chief Operating Officer of Monarch Casino & Resort and served four terms as President of the Colorado Gaming Association. He holds a BA in Economics and International Studies from Northwestern University and an MBA from Columbia Business School, and completed a leadership program at Harvard Business School.

David Kamien is an Entrepreneur Advisor at ICI Fund, helping portfolio company founders expand their businesses in the US. He is the CEO and founder of Mind-Alliance Systems, a consulting and software development firm serving law firms and corporate legal departments, with a focus on semantic data management and AI applied to marketing, business development, and competitive intelligence. His background spans over 25 years across consulting, legal, and security fields, including prior work as a research analyst at Israeli law firms and government bodies, a management consultant at International Venture Associates, and a designer of intelligence and crisis-preparedness software; he also authored and edited The McGraw-Hill Homeland Security Handbook.

Doug Schneider is an Executive Advisor at ICI and a former healthcare technology executive. He served as CEO of Connecture from 2012 to 2016, during which the company grew from $18M to $95M in revenue and became publicly traded in 2014, and previously spent 15 years at Thomson Reuters' healthcare analytics business as Executive Vice President of Innovation and Products. He began his career as an IT consultant at Arthur Andersen & Co and holds an MBA from Stanford University and a BS in Systems Analysis from Miami University (Ohio).

Dr. Marilyn Carol is a retired OB/Gyn who ran her own private practice and worked within a corporate HMO. She is now engaged with several nonprofits and has an interest in financial management. She earned an MBA from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management and an MD, with studies at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University of Buffalo and Tulane University School of Medicine.

Gary Jay Kushner is an Industry Advisor at ICI Fund and retired Senior Counsel at Hogan and Lovells, with more than 40 years working in the food industry. His legal work involved regulatory compliance, product development, labeling, advertising, inspection, and representing food corporations and trade associations in enforcement proceedings before government agencies and courts. He analyzed food-related legislation and regulations from bodies including the USDA and FDA.

Michael Tarnoff is an advisor to ICI Fund and a public pension trustee. He was Executive Vice President and CFO of the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago for 36 years until retiring in 2015, where he created its Investment Program and Tax-Exempt Bond Program. He holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and serves on several nonprofit and for-profit boards.

Nestor Guzman is a stockbroker and commercial real estate entrepreneur who serves as an advisor to ICI Fund and CEO of Second City. He is a member of AIPAC's National Council and has served on the boards of several organizations, including the Jewish Community Relations Council. He studied at Cornell University.

Ofer Bavly is a former Israeli diplomat who joined the Israeli Foreign Service in 1991, serving at Israel's embassies in Madrid and Rome, as policy advisor to two Israeli Foreign Ministers (2005-2006), and as Consul General of Israel to Florida and Puerto Rico (2007-2011). He holds dual B.A. degrees in International Relations and Middle Eastern Studies from Hebrew University and previously served as a Captain in the IDF Military Intelligence Branch. He serves as a Diplomatic Advisor to ICI Fund and as Director General of the Israel office of the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago.

Pat Meyers is an advisor at ICI Fund and earned degrees from the University of Colorado (Denver) and UC Hastings School of Law, having earlier served in the U.S. Navy Submarine Service. His career includes legal and executive roles at Quiznos and Consumer Capital Partners (including its Smashburger venture), followed by public service as Chief of Staff to Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper and later Executive Director of Colorado's Office of Economic Development and International Trade. He currently operates his family office.

Paul Levitan is an investor, consultant and advisor to private equity firms and entrepreneurial companies, with a focus on the food sector. He previously served as President and CEO of Galaxy Desserts, leading it from startup through its sale to French bakery Brioche Pasquier, and earlier worked as a consultant at Bain & Co. He holds a BA in Middle Eastern Studies from Wesleyan University and an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Robert (Bob) Weaver is an advisor at ICI Fund with a background in both technology and law. His prior roles include VP for Advanced Technologies at Fidelity Comtech, CTO at ionSky, an IT position at Net Infrastructure, professor at Drexel University, and staff attorney at the Federal Trade Commission. He holds a PhD in Computer Science from the University of Colorado, Boulder, a Master's in Economics from Cleveland State University, and a JD from Case Western Reserve University School of Law.

Ty Sagalow has worked in the insurance industry for over 45 years. He spent 25 years at AIG in roles including Chief Underwriting Officer, General Counsel, Chief Operating Officer, and Chief Innovation Officer across various subsidiaries, and later served as Chief Innovation Officer at Zurich Insurance of America and Tower Group. In 2015 he became a founding member and Chief Insurance Officer of the insurtech Lemonade (and CEO of Lemonade Insurance Company), and he now leads Innovation Insurance Group as founder and CEO while working as an expert witness in insurance disputes. He is an attorney with a degree from Georgetown University and an LLM from New York University Law School.

Warren Andres has 42 years of experience in commercial construction and serves as president of ANDRES Construction Services in Dallas, Texas, which builds multifamily, hospitality, senior living, private institutional, and office projects across Dallas, Austin, and Houston. He is also president of TXBLDR Assurance, a captive insurance company supporting construction projects. He acts as an industry advisor to the firm.

Yvonne Forest serves as an Industry Advisor to ICI Fund and as Director of Houston Water, where she oversees the operation and maintenance of the City of Houston's regional water and wastewater utility systems, including regulatory compliance, infrastructure planning, and operations support. She manages a staff of over 1,700 and a combined capital and operations budget exceeding $657 million. Before entering public service, she worked as an engineer in the private sector for 15 years on environmental regulatory compliance, and she holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of South Carolina.