Team

Yuval Cohen is the Founding and Managing Partner of Fortissimo. Prior to founding Fortissimo, Yuval was a General Partner at Jerusalem Venture Partners (JVP). Prior to joining JVP, Yuval held managerial positions at several companies in Silicon Valley, including DSP Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: DSPG), VDOnet Corporation and Intel Capital at Intel Corporation (Nasdaq: INTC). Yuval received an MBA from Harvard Business School and a B.Sc. in Industrial Engineering from Tel Aviv University.

Shmoulik Barashi has been a partner at Fortissimo since inception. Prior to joining Fortissimo, Shmoulik was a senior partner at BDO Ziv Haft, one of the largest accounting firms in Israel. At BDO, Shmoulik specialized in corporate finance, initial public offerings, due diligence evaluations, deal structuring, business consultancy, auditing and tax (both international and local), and valuation analysis. Prior to BDO, Shmoulik co-founded an accounting and consulting firm, which later merged with BDO Ziv Haft. Shmoulik received an MBA from the Hebrew University, a Master of Laws (LLM) from Bar Ilan University and a B.A. in economics and accounting from the Hebrew University.

Dana Levy Rahamim is our Director of Finance. Prior to joining Fortissimo in 2014, Dana worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC Israel), an international auditing and business advisory firm, where she was a senior manager of several major engagements (high-tech and oil and gas companies) for nine years. Dana, a CPA, received a B.A. with honors in Business Management and Accounting and an MBA (specialty in finance) from the College of Management in Israel.

Eli Blatt has been a partner at Fortissimo since inception. Prior to joining Fortissimo, Eli was the CFO and Vice President of Finance & Operations of Noosh, Inc., Director of Operations at CheckPoint Software Technologies (Nasdaq: CHKP). Prior to joining CheckPoint, Eli was Operations Controller at Madge Networks (sold to Avaya) and also held senior finance and operations positions at Intel Corporation (Nasdaq: INTC) and Israel Chemicals. Eli received an MBA from Indiana University and a B.Sc. in Industrial Engineering from Tel Aviv University.

Marc Lesnick has been a partner at Fortissimo since inception. Prior to joining Fortissimo, Marc was the Managing Director of Jerusalem Global and then part of the founding team of a spin-off of Jerusalem Global. Prior to moving to Israel and joining Jerusalem Global, Marc served as a senior corporate attorney at the New York offices of Weil, Gotshal & Manges, where he led several Israeli related transactions and represented leading financial institutions. Marc received a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania and a B.A. from Yeshiva University.

Shimrit Erez is our Director of Operations. Prior to joining Fortissimo in 2006, Shimrit worked with the former Prime Minister of Israel, Ehud Barak, as the senior assistant and office manager from 2001 to 2006. Prior thereto, Shimrit worked in the Prime Minister’s office. Shimrit received a B.S.W. in Social Work from the Hebrew University and a Masters in Political Science (with honors, specialty in political communication) from Tel Aviv University.

Yochai Hacohen has been a partner at Fortissimo since inception. Prior to joining Fortissimo, Yochai had more than 10 years of professional and executive experience in the fields of sales, marketing, business development and management for leading high-tech companies. Yochai held various managerial positions with Israeli technology companies, including RadView (Nasdaq: RDVWF), Magal Security Systems Ltd. (Nasdaq: MAGS), and Nice Systems Ltd. (Nasdaq: NICE). Yochai received an MBA and a B.Sc. from Tel Aviv University.

Yoav Hineman has been a partner at Fortissimo since 2008. Yoav has 20 years of combined experience in private equity and investment banking. Prior to joining Fortissimo, Yoav spent three years with Magnolia Capital, the Israeli arm of Thomas Weisel Partners. Prior to joining Magnolia, Yoav was as a software analyst at SG Cowen & Co and worked on SoundView Technology Group’s investment banking team in San Francisco. Yoav earned his B.S. in Business Administration from U.C. Berkeley Haas School of Business (Phi Beta Kappa).

Steve Skinner has been an Operating Partner with Fortissimo since 2021. Previously Steve worked at McKinsey & Co. where he was a Partner and leader of the Firm’s airline and sales & marketing practices. He then led Peppers & Rogers Group as CEO, resulting in a successful sale to Carlson Companies. Following that Steve served in several private equity operating roles at the Board and CXO level with Cerberus Capital Management and other PE firms. Steve earned an BME from the Georgia Institute of Technology (Summa Cum Laude) and an MBA from the Harvard Business School.

Esti Gado is our Controller. Prior to joining Fortissimo in 2018, Esti worked at EY Israel (formerly known as Kost, Forer, Gabbay & Kasierer), an international auditing and business advisory firm, where she was a senior audit member in high-tech assurance services. Esti, a CPA, received a B.A. with honors in Business Management and Accounting (specialty in capital markets) from the College of Management Academic Studies in Israel and a M.A. in Law from Bar-Ilan University.

Uri Nayer, CFO and partner, has been at Fortissimo since inception. Prior to joining Fortissimo, Uri worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC Israel), where he was the engagement manager of several major venture capital funds and high-tech companies. Uri also served as the assistant to the Bank’s controller at Bank Polska Kasa Opieki Tel Aviv (Bank Pekao) Ltd., formerly a subsidiary of one of the largest banks in Poland. Uri, a CPA and an Attorney at Law, received a double major in law and accounting and an MBA (with honors, specialty in finance) from Tel Aviv University.

Uri Zahavi is a partner at Fortissimo. Prior to joining Fortissimo in 2015, Uri was an investment professional at Apax Partners, where he worked on a number of transactions and portfolio companies. Prior to Apax Partners, Uri was an investment banker with Goldman Sachs and William Blair in London, where he specialized in advising consumer and retail companies on mergers and acquisitions and capital raising. Uri received an MBA from London Business School and a B.A. in Business Administration and Entrepreneurship from the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzlyia.

Itamar Ophel is a partner at Fortissimo. Prior to joining Fortissimo in 2015, Itamar worked as an investment banking analyst at J.P. Morgan, where he focused on the Israeli market and was involved in a number of transactions, including M&A activities, equity offerings and debt issuances. Itamar received an M.A. in Financial Economics (Cum Laude) and B.Sc. in Mathematics and Economics from the Hebrew University.

Prior to joining Fortissimo in 2019, Oren worked as a senior investment banking analyst at EY, where he focused on mergers and acquisitions and capital raising. Prior to EY, Oren worked at Meitar law firm, where he specialized in M&A, capital raising and corporate legal consultation. Oren, a CPA and an Attorney at Law, holds a double major in Law and Accounting from the Hebrew University.

Prior to joining Fortissimo in 2020, Noni was a senior consultant at Strategy& / PwC, where he worked on multiple strategy and restructuring projects, focusing on the Financial Services industry. Prior to Strategy&, Noni worked for TASC Consulting & Capital, supporting leading companies in Israel in developing their long-term strategic and financial plans. Noni received an MBA from INSEAD and a BA in Accountancy & Business management from IDC, Herzliya.

Prior to joining Fortissimo in 2022, Reut had worked as an Associate at Firstime Ventures, where she was part of all fund investments aspects. Reut has also performed her legal internship within the fund. Reut, a certified Lawyer, received an L.L.B, Bachelor of Laws, and a B.A in Accounting and Business Management with highest honors from Reichman University.

Prior to joining Fortissimo in 2022, Gilad held several roles in the tech industry, where he worked with management to outline their corporate and M&A strategy. Prior, Gilad was a senior consultant at PwC, where he worked on multiple financial and strategic projects, focusing on corporate finance, companies’ valuations, and business consultancy. Gilad, a CPA, received an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth (with Honors) and a BA in Economics and Accounting from Ben Gurion University (Cum Laude).

Keren Levy Pasmenik is a bookkeeper at Fortissimo. Prior to joining Fortissimo in 2021, Keren served as a bookkeeper for 15 years at Ofran worldwide car rental company.

Keren received an accounting degree from the College of Management.

Tamara is a bookkeeper and a Payroll Controller at Fortissimo. Prior to joining Fortissimo in 2022, Tamara served as a bookkeeper at several global companies and has over 10 years of experience.

Tamara received an accounting degree from the Heshev College.