Founder and president - Uri Ben Ari

Position: Founder and President of Athena Fund
Uri Ben-Ari is a social entrepreneur, expert in technology and innovation, and a leader in educational transformation in Israel.
During his career, Uri played a key role in senior management teams for two successful IPOs of leading Israeli companies on NASDAQ:
1999: Internet Gold
2004: Ness Technologies

Over the past decades, Uri has been involved in more than ten mergers and acquisitions of companies across Europe, the USA, Israel, and India.
Expertise in Smart Cities (SMART CITY):
Uri is a recognized expert in smart cities. In recent years, he has been spearheading the transformation of cities into smart cities using methodologies he developed, combined with models from leading universities and research institutes in Europe.

Additional Roles:
Uri served as Chairman, Board Member, and Strategic Advisor for global business development in several technology companies offering solutions in enterprise IT, internet, and mobile communication. He was also an investor and shareholder in some of these companies. In addition, Uri was engaged in mergers and acquisitions of private companies.

After over 30 years of senior-level experience in international technology firms, Uri has chosen to dedicate his time and energy to improving Israel’s education system by empowering teachers – the key to student success.
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Personal Vision:
Uri believes that advancing Israeli students into the 21st century requires strengthening the status of teachers and providing them with advanced technological and pedagogical tools. This vision led him to establish the Athena Fund, which has become a leader in innovative educational initiatives.