An ecosystem that brings HealthTech
to life

Leadership Team

ALIVE is managed by an accomplished team of former directors of Israel’s largest hospitals and medical centers, successful investors and serial entrepreneurs who have initiated and lead dozens of investments that resulted in notable M&As and IPOs.

Management

Prof. Rafael Beyar

Co-Founder, Managing General Partner

Former Director and CEO of
Rambam Health Care Campus,
Serial Medtech Entrepreneur

Prof Beyar, former Director and CEO of Rambam Health Care Campus (2006-2019). He is a Professor of Medicine and Biomedical Engineering at the Technion.
He received an MD from Tel Aviv University, DSc in Biomedical Engineering from the Technion, and MPH from the Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University.
He served as Dean of the Rappaport Faculty of Medicine (1999-2004), establishing the Johns Hopkins Technion-Collaboration Program.
Prof. Beyar led the hospital through an unprecedented development of the Rambam Comprehensive West campus, combining education, research, and innovation. This included the 2,000-bed Fortified Underground Emergency Hospital, the Children’s Hospital and the Oncology Center. He also initiated the planning and construction of the Heart Hospital and Helmsley Health Discovery Tower, a hybrid for clinical, academic, and industrial collaborations.
Beyar also established the Tech-transfer company- Rambam MedTech, and spearheaded the hospital's role for establishment of the MindUp Incubator on Digital Health. Among his national posts, Beyar was chair of the Israeli Basket committee (2010-2014) and serves as the Chair of the Steering committee for the Israeli Organ Transplant Center.
Beyar is a practicing interventional cardiologist, innovative researcher, inventor, and entrepreneur, co-authored more than 300 publications and 15 books, is the recipient of numerous awards such as the Johns Hopkins Society of Scholars Award (2005) and an Honorary Doctorate from University of Haifa (2018).
Beyar co-founded InStent (1989) sold to Medtronic (1996) and founded NaviCath (Later Corindus), a Technion Incubator Company (2002) who developed the world’s first robotic coronary intervention, sold to Siemens Healthineers (2019). He founded and co-chairs with Prof Chaim Lotan the world leading meeting on Innovation in Cardiovascular Interventions meeting (ICI) since 1996.

Magenta, Vessi Medical

Michel Habib

Co-Founder, Managing General Partner

Senior Venture Capitalist investing in MedTech & Biotech,
Former CEO at Hadasit Bio Holdings LTD

Portfolio board roles: Innovalve, Beyeonics Vision, Beyeonics Surgical, Wisdo

Michel is a seasoned Venture Capitalist and senior executive investing in MedTech & Biotech, expert in value building throughout the whole spectrum of tech companies development, with a track record of successful exits of over 1.5 $Bn.

Former advisor to CBG Ltd, a multi Billion, London based, family office.

Former CEO of Hadasit Bio-Holdings (HDST), member of the BOD of Epitomee (Strategic deal with Nestle Health Science (TASE IPO, EPIT), former member of the BOD of Enlivex (Nasdaq, ENLV), Kahr Medical, Minovia, Omnix, Eximore, Meditate (Acquired by Olympus $309M), Xenia Ventures and VLX Incubator, served as Chairman of Cellcure (Nasdaq, LCTX) (Acquired by Roche Genentech $670M) and led investment in Adicet Bio (Nasdaq ACET).

Former Managing General Partner at MaC LP VC Funds, with over $100M under management, with significant exits (Lumenis, MST, Endochoice, Peptron).

Former Elron's BD Director, managing the Medical Devices sector (Medingo, Given Imaging). Established and managed the Israel investment banking activity of ING Barings, served as VP Investment Banking at Cukierman & Co.

During the 90's served as Israel’s Economic Consul in Boston, and as Commercial Attaché to South Korea. As Officer (Academic Reserve, Captain Res.) in the IDF Navy, managed development of advanced Naval systems for the Navy's elite unit.

Mr. Habib holds a BsC in Aeronautical Engineering from the Technion. He is a graduate from Israel's foreign service economic cadet school, member of the Technion Alumni "100 Club” and graduate from the Global Executive Program on Negotiation (PON) at Harvard Law School.

Michel is a graduate and member of the 8400 Health Network.

Innovalve, Beyeonics Vision & Surgical, Wisdo

Prof. Ari Shamiss

Co-Founder, Managing General Partner

Former CEO of Assuta Medical Centers and former Director of Sheba General Hospital

Former CEO of Assuta Medical Centers, the largest private for profit hospital network in Israel with NIS 2Bn in revenues.
Former Director of Sheba General Hospital at Tel Hashomer for 10 years (Ranked among the 10 best hospitals in the world).

M.D from the Technion and MPA from Harvard University. He is certified in Internal Medicine, Hypertension and Healthcare Management and he is a Professor in Tel Aviv University on these disciplines with more than 60 published scientific papers.

Prof. Shamiss was the Surgeon General for the Israel Air Force (Col. Ret.) and the Director of its Aeromedical Institute and he is a graduate in excellence of the US Navy Aerospace Medical Institute.
Involved in numerous global business projects and healthcare technology and innovation consultancy including healthcare policy and management services, Digital Health, costing systems, Healthcare Information Technology, medical technologies, Hospital Infrastructure and Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness.

Oncohost, Navina

Dudi Klein

Co-Founder, Managing Partner

Former Head of Ventures and Innovation,
Assuta Medical Centers, Serial Entrepreneur

Former Head of Ventures and Innovation Division, Assuta Medical Centers.
Entrepreneur with over 20 years experience. Leadership positions in Business Development, Management, Fund Raising and Marketing. Major (res.) in the Intelligence Unit.

During his service in the IDF Dudi was awarded twice for excellence awards by the Head of the Military Intelligence Directorate
Roles held within private and public companies spanning Technology & Healthcare Sectors, analyzing Big Data, Computer Vision (an interdisciplinary field that deals with gaining high-level understanding from digital images or videos), Video Processing, Mobile Technologies and Telecom with BioGaming, Verint (VRNT), VideoCells, Cellcom (CEL).

In 2014, Dudi won 1st prize at the MEDICA Innovation Award for his company BioGaming.
Founder of and sits as, an Advisor to, and Board Member of Start-ups.
Mr. Klein holds a BSc in Computer Science and MBA from Bar-Ilan University.

Medisafe, Cynerio, Append Medical

Heli Yunick, Adv.

Associate & Investor Relations Manager

Former Business Development and International Affairs Specialist at Israel Securities Authority (ISA)

Heli has a professional background in capital markets and international affairs, having worked at the Israel Securities Authority (ISA) in recent years. Heli participated in various key projects in the Israeli capital market to promote its global expansion, streamline cross-border investment and cultivate relationships with foreign entities and regulators. She also represented the ISA at the International Organization of Securities Commissions’ committee, focusing on collaboration in enforcement and information exchange.

As part of her military service, Heli served as the head of LIBI’s Fund office.

Heli holds an LL.B (Dean’s list) and BA in Economics from Tel-Aviv University. She also completed UCLA’s Law Foreign Legal Study and Exchange Program.

Heli is a certified lawyer by the Israeli Bar Association.

Marina Braverman

Executive Assistant and Operations Manager

Marina is an experienced Executive Assistant and Operations Manager.

Marina is an experienced Executive Assistant and Operations Manager.

She holds a strong background in managing, coordinating and executing complex projects and daily operations.

Her background is from the Hospitality industry where she worked in multiple roles of management and team leading.

In addition to having served 5 years in the Israeli Navy (Captain), Marina has a Bachelor's degree in Hotel & Tourism Management from Ben-Gurion University Of The Negev.

Venture Partners & Advisors

Zeev Zehavi

Senior Advisor

Former Vice President Venture Investments at JJDC

Since joining Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JJDC, Inc. (JJDC) in 1999 as Vice President Venture Investments, Zeev has held multiple positions within the organization. From 2007-2015, Zeev served as the JJDC European representative out of Belgium, covering investments across Europe and Israel for all Johnson & Johnson sectors including Pharmaceuticals, Medical Devices and Consumer.

Working closely with Med Tech and Janssen R&D leadership, Zeev has built an innovative portfolio that has resulted in numerous onboardings creating growth engines for J&J and successful exits delivering strong returns for the JJDC and the sector portfolios.

Notable transactions include: Genmab (Darzalex), OrthoTaxy (Velys), Mazor, OrthoSpin, Movetis and FutuRX, an Israeli incubator for early stage Biotech opportunities.

Prior to joining JJDC, Zeev spent over 10 years with Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Ltd., including a five-year assignment as President of the bulk chemical business in North America. He returned to Israel as President of Clal Pharmaceutical Industries (CPI) for four years, leading private equity investments in companies within areas of Generic R&D, Drug delivery, Chiral chemistry, and a large Public Commercial US entity.

Zeev has retired from JJDC in December of 2022 and serves as a consultant to Alive Israel HealTech Fund and as Independent Industry expert board member in several companies in the field of Life Sciences. Zeev holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and a Master of Business Administration degree in Marketing and Finance from Tel Aviv University.

Aileen Helsel, Ph.D.

Director of Carilion Clinic Innovation

Expert in biomedical research. Leads the health system's efforts to develop and license Carilion inventions and grow the region's entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Dr. Aileen Helsel directs Carilion Innovation, established in 2019. In the Interim Director role since April 1, 2022, Dr. Helsel leads the health system's efforts to develop and license Carilion inventions and grow the region's entrepreneurial ecosystem. She is also furthering Carilion's decade-plus partnerships with the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC and Virginia Tech's main campus in Blacksburg.

Dr. Helsel helps guide inventors through the entire commercialization process, from advising during intake and assessment to developing an intellectual property (IP) strategy and determining the best path to the market. Dr. Helsel is proud to serve Carilion’s mission by helping employees improve patient care through innovative solutions.

Dr. Helsel has a strong background in biomedical research. After spending years at the bench, she switched gears and took a position as a licensing associate for Washington State University (WSU), where she managed the life sciences IP portfolio. Her WSU portfolio consisted of diverse technologies, including gene therapies, veterinary diagnostics and therapeutics. As licensing manager at Carilion, Dr. Helsel’s keen ability to find creative solutions supports inventors in breaking through barriers standing between innovative ideas, implementation and bringing them to market.

Dr. Helsel received her Ph.D. in molecular bioscience from WSU, focusing on reproductive biology and stem cell biology, and her B.S. in molecular biology and biochemistry from the University of Idaho.

Iris C. Beck

Member, Investment Committee

Former executive VP, Marketing and Communications at Teva Pharmaceuticals

Iris C. Beck recently concluded 7 years as Executive Vice President, Marketing and Communications at Teva pharmaceutical.
She led Teva's new brand development and the deployment in multiple touchpoints, across more than 40 markets enhancing Teva's business leadership position. She played a critical role in delivering Teva's restructuring plan, critical to the business sustainability.

Prior to Teva, she assumed the role of McCann Erickson Israel CEO, Orange CMO and Managing Director Lever, Unilever/Strauss.
Iris was a seed fund investor and investment committee member at TheTIme Incubator in the digital space, supported by the Israeli Government Innovation Authority, one of the leading incubators in Israel, managing also a post seed/early stage $60m fund.

Throughout her career, business transformation in dynamic markets driven by technological disruption became a way of life, delivering results became her motto. She strongly believes that leadership and heart mobilizes people in good times to great places and safely through challenging times.

Iris Holds a Bachelor’s degree in economy from Haifa University and an MBA from Bar Ilan University. She is married with 4 amazing children.

Dr. Michal Guindy

Venture Partner Assuta

Head of Ventures & Innovation, Head of Radiology and Pathology, Assuta Medical Centers

Head of Ventures & Innovation, Head of Radiology and Pathology, Assuta Medical Centers.
Dr. Michal Guindy, MD, MPA, received her MD from Ben-Gurion University Medical School in Beer Sheva, Israel. Dr. Guindy specialized in radiology and is a practicing breast imaging radiologist. In 2001, she earned an MPA from the Harvard Kennedy School of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

As part of Dr. Guindy’s role at Assuta Medical Centers, she has led numerous research initiatives in the field of radiology, pathology, AI and ML. Additionally, she has collaborated on research initiatives with a number of leading life science organizations, including Medtronic, NEC and IBM Watson-Health as well as a number of startups.

Dr. Guindy is currently a principal investigator in the MyPeBS trial, an international, EU-funded clinical study evaluating a new breast cancer screening strategy set to recruit 85,000 participants.

Prior to her time at Assuta, Dr. Guindy held several managerial positions at Maccabi Healthcare Services (HMO). She developed and led the Risk Management & Patient Safety Department. She was also head of Central Services, responsible for radiology telemedicine services, the laboratories division including the pathology lab, the pharmacy and call center. During Dr. Guindy’s time at Maccabi Healthcare Services, she also served as the medical director of the Central District, which provides medical care to over 250,000 residents.

Dr. Guindy currently serves as chairperson of Patho-Lab Diagnostics, the leading provider of clinical laboratory services for histopathology and cytopathology in Israel.

Her academic participation includes research with a number of academic institutions, including MIT, the Technion, Tel-Aviv University, and Ben-Gurion University. Dr. Guindy has initiated and implemented the Patient Safety Program (otherwise known as the WHO Initiative) at the Sackler Medical School, of Tel Aviv University. In addition, Dr. Guindy is a senior faculty member at the Medical School of Ben-Gurion University.

Toni Cohen

Venture Partner Maccabi

CEO of Maccabi Dent

CEO of Maccabi Dent – One of the worlds largest dental companies with 3,400 staff members and 58 nationwide clinics extending services to 750,000 patients annually, constantly embracing new innovative technologies, through developing partnerships with start-up companies.

Toni has two decades of strategically formulating and implementing digital systems and digital transformations in the health care sector and insurance sector, successfully growing the customer base and overall operations. In that
capacity, Toni spearheaded the digital transformation of Maccabi Healthcare services and made it the leading HMO in Israel in growth and branding. Also, Toni led the customer experience reform of the rehabilitation department of the Ministry of Defense, voluntarily. Currently, as the CEO of Maccabi Dent she is leading the development of the biggest application in the world for dental service.

Toni has repeatedly established organizational structures, processes and methods to support the vision and business goals by leveraging her matchless experience in customer relationship management, customer experience, digital and innovation.

Toni lectures frequently to varied audiences. She graduated the Directors Course (IDC Herzliya) and a graduate of the Wexner Senior Leadership Programs (Harvard University), holds a post-graduate degree, MA in Labor Studies (Tel Aviv University; graduated with honors), and a BA in Business & Human Resources Management (Ben-Gurion University; graduated with honors).

She is a passionate business innovator, digitally driven, multidisciplinary and an entrepreneur at heart.

Portfolio board roles: