Former Alphabet and Google chairperson Eric Schmidt, is set to visit Israel later this week. His Innovation Endeavors has been in the process of raising a $300 million venture capital fund since it merged with the Marker LLC fund. Sources familiar with the fund told "Globes" that it was close to completing its financing round for this amount or close to it and that Schmidt was going to visit Israel.
During his visit, Schmidt is likely to participate in a closed event with leaders in Israel organized by Innovation Endeavors. 14 leading personalities are expected to take part in the meeting, including Israel Innovation Authority CEO Aharon Aharon, Prof. Dan Ariely, Microsoft Israel CEO Assaf Rappaport, entrepreneur and businessperson Benny Landa, and Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) executive director Amos Yadlin. The event is scheduled for May 19 on the eve of the Shavuot holiday.
Schmidt's most recent reported private visit to Israel was in 2014, during which he held a closed meeting with leading figures, similar to the meeting scheduled during his current visit.
Schmidt was CEO of Google in 2001-2011, after which he became chairperson of the company and of Alphabet. He has been a director in Apple and a Princeton University trustee. In December 2017, he announced his resignation as chairperson of Alphabet after six years in the job, following the exposure of his extramarital affair and a number of unpalatable comments by him about privacy. He is still a technical advisor at Alphabet and led the merger between Innovation Endeavor and Marker.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on May 13, 2018
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