Israel Investment Fund Group

Hiri Etessami was born in Tehran, Iran, immigrated to the United States in 1978, attended Georgetown University, and earned a dentistry degree from the University of Southern California, completing its Advanced Endodontics Specialty program in 1991. He has founded and led several technology companies and is involved in biotechnology and real estate ventures, and has served as an Associate Clinical Professor at the USC and UCLA schools of dentistry. He continues to practice endodontics and dental implantology in Los Angeles.

Jonah Etessami leads investment sourcing, evaluation, portfolio management, and investor relations at IIFG. Before joining the firm, he worked at Fusion LA, Quid/Troy Capital Partners, and Insomnia Capital, building experience in deal sourcing, due diligence, and financial analysis. He graduated from USC's Marshall School of Business.

Noah Etessami is Vice President of Investments at IIFG. He previously worked at Navigate Ventures, an early-growth enterprise SaaS fund, and served as a student analyst at USC's Marshall Venture Fund. He holds a BS in Business Administration from USC's Marshall School of Business and is an MBA candidate at UCLA Anderson School of Management.

Amir Davidovich joined Sphera in 2020 as a Research Analyst, covering sectors including energy, retail, and payments, and has more than six years of analysis and research experience in Israeli and global markets. Before Sphera, he was a Senior Advisor in the Transactions Advisory Services department at Ernst & Young. He holds a BSc in Statistics and Accounting from Tel Aviv University and is a Certified Public Accountant.

Andrei Iancu is an intellectual property lawyer at Irell & Manella and previously served as U.S. Undersecretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Before his government role he was Managing Partner of Irell & Manella, focusing on IP litigation, and he has taught patent law at UCLA. He holds a J.D., an M.S. in mechanical engineering, and a B.S. in aerospace engineering, all from UCLA, and worked as an engineer at Hughes Aircraft Company earlier in his career.

Arye Tesler is a former Brigadier General in the armored corps of the Israel Defense Forces, where he served for 28 years in roles including Battalion Commander, Brigade Commander in the 188 Brigade, Deputy Division Commander in the Golan Heights, and Division Commander in the Northern Command. He holds a B.S. in electronic and computer engineering and an M.A. in computer science, and during his military service oversaw the creation and management of technological defense and homeland security systems. After leaving the IDF he worked in the private sector on large command and control systems and remains active in the IDF reserves.

Dr. Jeremy Jacobs, originally from London, England, heads the geriatrics department at Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem. He completed his undergraduate and medical education at the University of London and University College Hospital Medical School, and served in the Israel Defence Forces, including in Advanced Combat Trauma Life Support, where he remains a reserve captain. He works in the geriatric and medical fields and belongs to several professional organizations.

Robert Adler is a physician who serves as Associate Pediatrician-in-Chief at Children's Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA), a role in which he supports the Pediatrician-in-Chief on clinical, administrative, financial, and educational matters. He is also Vice Chair for Clinical and Finance in the Department of Pediatrics and Professor of Pediatrics at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, and has held the position of division head of General Pediatrics and acting head of several other divisions over a career at CHLA spanning five decades. He is listed as an Advisor to the firm.

Hillel Fuld is an entrepreneur, journalist, vlogger, and startup advisor with over a decade of marketing experience working with Israeli and Silicon Valley startups. He collaborates with global brands including Google, Oracle, Microsoft, and Huawei in a marketing capacity, and covers the Israeli tech scene for publications such as Entrepreneur, Inc, TechCrunch, Mashable, and Business Insider. He also mentors startups through accelerators including Google Launchpad, Microsoft Ventures, Techstars, and The Junction.

Jerad Schempp is an attorney and business affairs executive with a background spanning operations, management, finance, and private equity, including leadership roles in entertainment, SaaS, and eCommerce. He co-founded and ran multiple internet startups, most recently the help desk software provider HostedSupport, where he served as COO and later CEO. He currently manages business and legal affairs with a focus on real estate development, investment, and finance, and holds a JD/MBA from Syracuse University and a BS in Business Administration from the University of South Dakota.

Moshe Shoham heads the Robotics Lab and is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology. He founded the medical robotics company Mazor Robotics, which was acquired by Medtronic for $1.7B in 2018, and invented the Mazor Robotics Renaissance Guidance System for spine surgery. His work includes micro robotics projects such as the Microbot ViRob, and he holds 50 patents and awards including the Thomas A. Edison Patent Award and election to the USA National Academy of Engineering.

Shuli Moalem-Refaeli is a former Member of the Israeli Knesset, serving in the Habayit Hayehudi (Jewish Home) Party from 2013 to 2019 and chairing the party from 2015 to 2019, where she worked on economic affairs, women's rights, public health, and other initiatives. Before politics, she served in the Israel Defense Forces, earned a BA in Nursing and an MA in Industrial Engineering and Management from Ben Gurion University, and held roles as head nurse and risk management head at Soroka University Medical Center. She is an author and is involved in Holocaust remembrance and education.