The Students Behind Cactus Capital
Meet the team building real investment experience while backing ambitious founders.
Trusted to Lead
At Cactus Capital, students are entrusted with real responsibility from day one.
They source investment opportunities, evaluate startups, conduct due diligence, and participate in real investment decisions, gaining hands-on venture capital experience while working alongside experienced investors and industry leaders.
The fund is chaired by Prof. Carmel Sofer, whose leadership helps bridge academic excellence with professional investment practice.
This unique model is preparing the next generation of investors by giving them the opportunity to lead before they graduate.
Prof. Carmel Sofer
Chairman
A seasoned venture capitalist, entrepreneur, and strategic consultant in Israel’s high-tech industry, Prof. Carmel Sofer is also chairman of Cactus Capital and an associate professor in BGU’s Departments of Cognition and Brain Science and Industrial Engineering and Management.
Previously a general partner in Gemini Israel Ventures, one of Israel’s first early- and seed-stage investors in the information-technology space, Sofer also served as president of Comverse Europe and founder and CEO of Starhome Mach, which merged with Telarix to become the global monetization-solution company Tomia.
Alongside his research and startup-advisory activities, Sofer is a member of the board of Roni’s Neighbors, an Israeli nonprofit that empowers neighborhood-based communities to eradicate loneliness among their elderly members and create a more resilient society.
Yael Goldstein
CEO of Cactus Capital
Yael Goldstein is the CEO of Cactus Capital, Israel’s first student run venture capital fund at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, and a student in Industrial Engineering and Management.
She began as an analyst in the fund’s training program, later led portfolio and operations, and now heads the fund’s investment and community activity.
Yael combines analytical thinking with hands on leadership and is focused on expanding access to entrepreneurship and venture capital for students.
Yuval Bonana
Head of Capital Academy
Yuval Bonana is an Electrical Engineering student at Ben-Gurion University and leads Cactus Academy, the analyst training program of Cactus Capital.
He is responsible for designing the fund's venture capital curriculum, recruiting and selecting new analysts, and connecting students with leading figures from Israel's startup and investment ecosystem.
Passionate about expanding access to venture capital, Yuval is committed to creating opportunities for students to become investors, founders, and future industry leaders.
Noam Tzuri
Deal Flow Manager
Noam Tzuri is a PhD student in Biotechnology at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and the Deal Flow Manager at Cactus Capital.
After beginning her journey at Cactus as an analyst, she now leads the sourcing and evaluation of promising startups, helping student founders take their first steps toward building impactful ventures.
Passionate about innovation and entrepreneurship, Noam enjoys working closely with founders and discovering bold ideas with the potential to make a real difference.
