Avigdor Willenz
{{Short description|Israeli entrepreneur}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Avigdor Willenz
| native_name = אביגדור וילנץ
| birth_date = {{Birth-date and age|1957}}
| birth_place = Rehovot, Israel
| nationality = Israeli
| occupation = Entrepreneur, venture capitalist, philanthropist
| known_for = Founder of Galileo Technologies, Habana Labs
| education = Technion – Israel Institute of Technology (Electrical Engineering)
| boards = {{flatlist|
- Habana Labs (former)
- Lightbits Labs
}}
}}
Avigdor Willenz ({{Langx|he|אביגדור וילנץ}}; born in 1957, Rehovot, Israel) is an Israeli entrepreneur in the electronics field, venture capitalist, billionaire, and philanthropist.{{Cite web|url=https://www.tech12.co.il/index-technology_first/Article-f436ff2e4e52e71026.htm|title=12 על 12: הדמויות המשפיעות בענף השבבים|website=tech12|date=2022-01-04|access-date=2022-03-21}}{{Cite web |last=Feldman |first=Amy |date=2022-08-16 |title=With Data Centers Expanding, Semiconductor Startup Astera Labs Is On Track For $100 Million In Revenue This Year |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/amyfeldman/2022/08/16/with-data-centers-expanding-semiconductor-startup-astera-labs-is-on-track-for-100-million-in-revenue-this-year/?sh=624b91063a10 |access-date=2024-04-18 |website=forbes.com}}{{Cite book |last1=Aharoni |first1=Śarah |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rFGvAAAAIAAJ&q=%22Avigdor+Willenz%22 |title=Industry & Economy in Israel |last2=Aharoni |first2=Meʼir |date=2005 |publisher=Miksam Limited |isbn=978-965-90901-1-2 |language=en}}
Early life and education
Avigdor Willenz was born in 1957 in Rehovot. He studied at Hebrew University High School and then dropped out. After a pre-military service year in Kibbutz Raim, he served in the IDF as an officer in the Armored Corps during the First Lebanon War, as a tank platoon deputy commander in the 362nd Battalion, among other roles in the Sultan Yacoub battle. Willenz is a graduate of the Technion in Electrical Engineering.
Career
He began his professional career in the early 1980s at Elbit, where he worked on developing computer infrastructures for the Lavi and F-16 combat aircraft. In 1988, he moved to the United States for residence, during which he specialized in developing half-conductor devices, resigned from Elbit, and joined Integrated Device Technology (IDT).{{Cite news |last=גלעד |first=אסף |date=2023-04-14 |title=מיליארדר השבבים שעזב לבקתה באלפים שובר שתיקה |url=https://www.globes.co.il/news/article.aspx?did=1001443606 |access-date=2024-04-18 |work=Globes}} At IDT, Willenz met Manuel Alba, who became his partner in companies he later founded. After three and a half years in the United States, he returned to Israel.{{Cite news |last=יבלונקו |first=יסמין |date=2019-12-18 |title=הכירו את היזם שמכר את הבאנה לאבס לאינטל ב-2 מיליארד דולר |url=https://www.globes.co.il/news/article.aspx?did=1001311422 |access-date=2024-04-18 |work=Globes}}
In 1993, he founded Galileo Technologies, which develops VLSI components.{{Cite book |last=Pryce-Jones |first=Jessica |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0ZUi678LkSUC&q=%22Avigdor+Willenz%22 |title=Happiness at Work: Maximizing Your Psychological Capital for Success |date=2011-09-20 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |isbn=978-1-119-96574-9 |language=en}} In 1997, Willenz took Galileo public on NASDAQ, and in October 2000, he led its sale to the American company Marvell Technology, which paid $2.7 billion for 25% of Galileo's shares.{{Cite web |date=2000-10-17 |title=Marvell to acquire LAN-chip supplier Galileo for $2.7 billion in stock |url=https://www.eetimes.com/marvell-to-acquire-lan-chip-supplier-galileo-for-2-7-billion-in-stock/ |access-date=2024-04-18 |website=EE Times}}
He invested in several startups, including "Liva Semiconductor", which was sold to Cisco Systems in 2016 for $320 million.{{Cite news |last=ציפורי |first=טלי |date=2016-03-02 |title=סיסקו רוכשת את ליבה סמיקונדוקטור ב-350-400 מיליון דולר במזומן |url=https://www.globes.co.il/news/article.aspx?did=1001107519 |access-date=2024-04-18 |work=Globes}}
In July 2011, he was listed among the founding investors in Annapurna Labs,{{Cite news |last=לן |first=שלומית |date=2012-03-29 |title=נמאס לו לגדל זיתים: הסטארט-אפ החדש של אביגדור וילנץ |url=https://www.globes.co.il/news/article.aspx?did=1000737017 |access-date=2024-04-18 |work=Globes}} responsible for developing server chips for Amazon AWS. Annapurna Labs was sold in 2015 to the American company Amazon for about $370 million.{{Cite web |date=2015-01-22 |title=Amazon to buy Israeli start-up Annapurna Labs |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSKBN0KV0SG/ |access-date=2024-04-18 |website=reuters.com}}
In 2016, he was the president and the first investor in Lightbits Labs.{{Cite web |last=בליזובסקי |first=אבי |date=2019-05-02 |title=לייטביטס הישראלית הציגה ב-Dell Technology World - |url=https://www.pc.co.il/general/289972/ |access-date=2024-04-18 |website=אנשים ומחשבים - פורטל חדשות היי-טק, מיחשוב, טלקום, טכנולוגיות |language=he-IL}} That same year, together with David Dehan and Ran Halutz, he founded Habana Labs, which develops processors for artificial intelligence applications.{{Cite news |date=2023-04-17 |title=Avigdor Willenz breaks his silence |url=https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-avigdor-willenz-breaks-his-silence-1001444049 |access-date=2024-04-18 |work=Globes |language=en}} He was also the first investor in the company and served as its chairman of the board. In December 2019, the company was sold to the American company Intel for $2 billion.{{Cite news |date=2019-12-16 |title=Avigdor Willenz has done it again |url=https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-avigdor-willenz-has-done-it-again-1001311277 |access-date=2024-04-18 |work=Globes |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2019-12-16 |title=Habana Labs - Israel Electronics News |url=https://techtime.news/tag/habana-labs/ |access-date=2024-04-18 |website=Techtime News |language=en-US}} Following this deal, Forbes Israel estimated his wealth at $2.7 billion.{{Cite web |date=2020-02-08 |title=בזכות האקזיט הרביעי: אביגדור וילנץ זינק למקום ה-66 בדירוג העשירים - פורבס ישראל |url=https://www.forbes.co.il/news/new.aspx?Pn6VQ=L&0r9VQ=EKFLE |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200208022149/https://www.forbes.co.il/news/new.aspx?Pn6VQ=L&0r9VQ=EKFLE |archive-date=2020-02-08 |access-date=2024-04-18 |website=forbes.co.il}}
He was philanthropists of organizations such as Breaking the Silence, B'Tselem, Adalah, and Rabbis for Human Rights. As an environmental activist, he contributed to the Society for the Protection of Nature and the Jewish National Fund, an organization dedicated to preserving open spaces in Israel.
Private life
References
External links
- [https://www.globes.co.il/news/article.aspx?did=1001311422 "The chip billionaire who left for a cabin in the Alps breaks his silence: 'The state is committing suicide'"], Globes
- [https://www.globes.co.il/news/article.aspx?did=1001443606 "The state is abusing those who pay taxes: the chip billionaire who left for a cabin in the Alps breaks his silence"], Globes
- [https://www.eetimes.com/marvell-to-acquire-lan-chip-supplier-galileo-for-2-7-billion-in-stock/ "Marvell to acquire LAN-chip supplier Galileo for $2.7 billion in stock"], EE Times
- [https://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-4715724,00.html "The CEO who stayed in the bunker"], Ynet
{{DEFAULTSORT:Willenz Avigdor}}
Category:Israeli philanthropists
Category:Technion – Israel Institute of Technology alumni
Category:Israeli company founders
Category:Israeli chief executives
Category:Israeli corporate directors