Zohar Zizebel, one of Israel’s most prominent tech entrepreneurs and a prominent figure in the local industry, has passed away at the age of 74.
Zohar Zezebel, together with his brother Yehuda, controls RAD Data Communications, founded in 1981, which owns about twenty companies that are leaders in the development, production and marketing of network and telecommunication solutions. One such company is wireless broadband solutions company Ceragon Networks. network traffic control solutions company Radcom, founded by Zisapel in 1991; security solutions company Radware; and Silicom Connectivity Solutions.
Zizebel was born in Tel Aviv to parents from Poland. He obtained a B.Sc. and msc. in Electrical Engineering from the Technion and an MBA from Tel Aviv University.
In an interview with “Globes” in 2019, Zisapel talked about the investment model that he and his brother developed, in which RAD helped startups with sales and marketing. “It was a model that suited Judea and me,” he said, “because we weren’t in a position to build empires.” “Today, startups don’t understand what I’m talking about when you offer to help them with logistics, so I’m very flattered by the fact that they want me because they think I can still contribute.”
In the same interview, Zisapel, who has always been looking for new and interesting areas to invest in and has the ability to pinpoint where the real potential is, said, “Artificial intelligence, for example, interests me. I’m not sure if it’s the right field yet, but Since I studied at the Technion, I was amazed by artificial intelligence. Then 50 years ago, it was not serious; AI was very stupid. A few years ago, the breakthrough came, and a situation arose in which for the first time AI can do things, it can replace people and natural intelligence.”
Zisapel also commented in the interview on the ethical issues raised by artificial intelligence which have since become a topic of public interest. “Every time there is a new technology, the question arises,” he said. “Movies show us the computer likes and dislikes, but that doesn’t really exist. However, there are still risks. In AI and in building a machine that makes decisions. An AI machine can be built for a specific purpose and also work remotely.”
The Zisapel brothers created the RAD Foundation, which promotes technology education and excellence among poor teens and donates computers to schools. They also founded the RAD Biomed incubator, which invests in early-stage companies to develop digital medicine equipment and solutions.
Active to the end
Omer Kilaf, founder of Innoviz, in which Zisapel invested and of which he was president, told “Globes”: “We spoke only a few days ago, the man was active until the last moment, it’s amazing.” “Having put all his weight behind the company, there wasn’t an investor who didn’t want to be a part of it. He gave so much of his wisdom along the way, and he was my mentor. I consulted him about absolutely everything I had the chance to do. He was insanely smart, and on the one hand Others are very humble, respectful and always willing to hear other opinions.”
Kilaf, who served in the IDF’s 81st Technology Unit, in which Zisabel also served, said, “He was the youngest chief in the unit ever, and he left an indelible mark on it. It was not for nothing that he won the Israel Defense Award.”
Of Zisapel’s philanthropy and efforts to further develop the local tech industry, Kilaff said, “There are few people who have reached the position he’s reached and it was very important to benefit from it. It was important to him to help the community and the country, it was very important that he Advances in the State of Israel.
“We were deeply saddened at the news of Zohar Zezebel’s death,” Assaf Rappaport, Waynon Kostica, Roy Resnick and Amy Lutowak, founders of cloud security companies Adallom and Wiz, said in a statement. “He was the first to believe in us on Adallom, and thanks to him, we were finally able to From the founding of Wiz. He changed our lives for the better not only thanks to his faith in us and his technological knowledge, but mainly because of the tremendous generosity he showed in every field, his endless warmth and support, the ability to give good advice at any time. He will be missed by the State of Israel, Israeli Tech, and every one us personally.”
Published by Globes, Israel business news – en.globes.co.il – on May 21, 2023.
© Copyright Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd., 2023.