One of the most famous dreams of Israel's first Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion, was to "make the desert bloom." It's a dream that Gemini founding Partner and Chairman Ed Mlavsky has figuratively realized in his contribution to Israel's civilian high-tech industry, for which he is seen as one of the founding fathers. As Gemini Venture Partner Orna Berry points out, the sector barely existed when he arrived in Israel in 1979.
"Ed found a desolate wilderness and made it flourish," Orna says.
Ed tells the story in his just-published autobiography, "Milk and Honey and High-Tech". His influence can be split into two parts: his spell from 1979-1992 as the first Executive Director of theIsrael-US Binational Industrial Research & Development (BIRD) Foundation, which provides funding for joint projects carried out by US and Israeli companies, and his activities since 1993 as a venture capitalist after he established Gemini.
In his book, Ed holds the reader with entertaining anecdotes involving high-powered executives, world-class scientists and one of Hollywood's greatest actors; along the way he provides valuable insights into how to conduct business relationships and close deals.
“Milk and Honey and High-Tech” is available from Weill Publishers.
To buy a copy, please click here.
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