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Nice to Meet You

We’re the Team behind Yazamut 360°

Prof. Carmel Sofer

Founder and Chairman

A seasoned venture capitalist, entrepreneur, and strategic consultant in Israel’s high-tech industry, Prof. Carmel Sofer is also chairman of the Yazamut 360° Center for Entrepreneurship 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, leadership of Yazamut 360°, 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.

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Prof. Carmel Sofer

Dana Gavish

Founder and General Manager

A former marketing and venture manager for global high-tech companies, Dana Gavish is founder of the Yazamut 360° Center for Entrepreneurship and vice president of entrepreneurship at BGN, BGU’s tech-transfer company.

Previously the vice president of marketing for Yissum, the tech-transfer company of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Gavish has extensive experience in the commercialization of academic research. She also spent seven years in journalism, as a producer at Associated Press, Fox News, and Israel’s Channel 2.

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Dana Gavish

Gadi Bahat

Head of Academic Programs 

A entrepreneur and venture capitalist with more than 25 years’ experience in Israel’s high-tech industry, Gadi Bahat is the head of academic programs for the Yazamut 360° Center for Entrepreneurship and CEO of Bahat Ventures, a startup consultancy whose clients include EMC, Radware, Sky Vision, Opgal, Theta Ray, and more.

His previous roles include co-founder and COO of the business security-solutions company Four Dimensions, CEO and board member of the customer-experience management company Olista, and EMEA Group president of Comverse.

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Gadi Bahat

Michele Michaeli

LEADERS program manager
Michal brings more than 20 years of international experience in marketing, strategy, business development, branding, and communications. Over the years, she has led product launches, market expansion, and global brand building across technology, beauty, and medical aesthetics.
She combines strategic thinking with creativity and hands-on experience turning ideas into opportunities for growth.
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Michele Michaeli Transparent

Galina Semenov

Chief Financial Officer

Galina is the economist and Chief Financial Officer of the Yazamut 360 Center. She holds a bachelor's degree in economics and a master's degree in business administration. Previously, she worked as an economist and budget and project manager at BGN Technologies, Ben-Gurion University's technology transfer company, with funding from the Israel Innovation Authority. Since the outbreak of the war, she has become an entrepreneur, establishing community initiatives to boost the mental resilience of children affected by the security situation during the war.

During her activities, she won two calls for proposals and established a group of volunteers from Be'er Sheva residents. Galina believes that people have come to this world to contribute to a better world in every way possible, whether at work or in their free time.

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Galina Semenov

Danielle Aviran

Head of Students Think Innovation

An innovation and entrepreneurship professional with more than a decade of local and international experience in business development, strategic partnerships, and program management. She has led innovation programs, accelerators, and strategic initiatives from concept to execution, while building partnerships across industry, academia, the public sector, and the innovation ecosystem.

Her work also spans regional cooperation in the MENA region, with expertise in Israel’s innovation ecosystem, impact-driven innovation, and innovation diplomacy.

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Danielle Aviran

Tal Yosef Smolyakov

Head of Students Think Innovation

Tal is a Business Administration graduate with more than five years of experience in operations, procurement, and financial planning.

His experience includes working with large-scale budgets, building structured processes, and using data to support better decision-making. He brings a strong mix of analytical thinking, operational discipline, and a practical approach to solving complex challenges.

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Tal Smolikov

Roni Pollak

Head of Communities

Roni is an Industrial Engineering and Management student at Ben-Gurion University, with experience in community engagement, marketing, and communications within the student ecosystem.

Through her work with the Student Union, she has taken part in events, campaigns, and collaborations across campus, gaining hands-on experience in connecting people, creating content, and driving student initiatives. She brings a strong understanding of the student community, along with creativity and a hands-on approach.

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Roni Pollak Transparent

Dr. Buzi Raviv

Head of BGU Studio

Buzi Raviv combines academic expertise with creativity to drive innovation in higher education. With a background that spans lab work to entrepreneurship, Buzi is dedicated to fostering creative thinking and transformative processes in their field.

Buzi holds a PhD in desert plants molecular biology, and the Negev Champion of Hummus. But he is most known as the founder and director of BGU Studio, the innovative internet radio station of BGU. Nowadays, Buzi leads the program BGU Stream, aiming to develop entrepreneurship skills by practicing content creation and media channels management.

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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.

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Yael Goldstein

Daniel Weil

CEO, Oazis Program

Daniel Weil is an entrepreneur and expert in practical entrepreneurship education. As CEO of the Oazis Program at Ben-Gurion University, he developed an entrepreneurship course for postdoctoral researchers and was involved in the founding and management of several startups, gaining substantial experience in the tech ecosystem.

Previously, he led "Machshava Tova," a non-profit enhancing digital literacy, and TOM, a global open-source initiative for disability solutions. Daniel has received several awards, including the Ashalim Award and the Jerusalem Mayor's Badge.

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Daniel Weil

Assaf Levi

Executive director of Negev Plus program

Asaf, originally from Kibbutz Ruhama, was born and raised in the Negev all his life and is very connected to the place. He served in an elite combat unit in the IDF and served as a team commander in the regular and reserve ranks.

In addition, he participated in the fourth cohort of the Negev Plus program, during the second year of studying for a B.A in economics and opened a store on Amazon with a private label.
Assaf began his career in management during a long-term activity in the Scout at the same time as leading community settlement processes.

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Assaf Levi

Gonen Leser

Marketing Manager

Gonen holds a bachelor's degree in psychology and philosophy and another BFA degree in film and television. His Thesis film,"Shmita", won a grant from Teddy Productions and Ananey at the South Film Festival pitching competition in 2018. A year later, his film won the award for outstanding television pilot at the same festival. In addition, the film reached the finals of the international Lift-Off Film Festival.

Gonen has experience in marketing, writing, research, creative work, and managing social media for individuals and organizations.

In parallel to his work at the center, Gonen is a master's student in clinical psychology and is writing his thesis in the Human-Situation Lab of Dr. Noga Sverdlik.

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Mia Vorobenko

Digital and Social Media Storyteller

Mia is a marketing and content professional with experience in messaging, branding, campaigns, and digital content. She specializes in turning complex ideas into clear, engaging, and accessible communication, from strategy and concept development through writing, editing, and execution.

Her work combines marketing thinking, a strong understanding of audiences, and AI-powered tools to create more effective content and workflows.

Mia Vorobenko Transparent