Amir Gal-Or
Encyclopedia
Amir Gal-Or is an Israeli businessman. He is head of the Infinity Group and Infinity I-China.
Gal-Or served as a pilot in the Israeli Air Force
Israeli Air Force
The Israeli Air Force is the air force of the State of Israel and the aerial arm of the Israel Defense Forces. It was founded on May 28, 1948, shortly after the Israeli Declaration of Independence...
.
Biography
Amir Gal-or was born on on September 5, 1962 in HaifaHaifa
Haifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 268,000. Another 300,000 people live in towns directly adjacent to the city including the cities of the Krayot, as well as, Tirat Carmel, Daliyat al-Karmel and Nesher...
, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. His parents, Leah and Benjamin, are professors at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology. Gal-Or’s mother specializes in chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
and materials; his father specializes in machinery. Gal-Or attended the Hebrew Reali School
Hebrew Reali School
The Hebrew Reali School of Haifa , located in Haifa, Israel, is one of the country's oldest private schools.-History:...
in Haifa, where he graduated from the Science-Physics Department. Gal-Or served as a combat pilot in the Israeli Air Force
Israeli Air Force
The Israeli Air Force is the air force of the State of Israel and the aerial arm of the Israel Defense Forces. It was founded on May 28, 1948, shortly after the Israeli Declaration of Independence...
(IDF/AF) for 24 years, flying the F-4 Phantom, F-16 and A-4 Skyhawk
A-4 Skyhawk
The Douglas A-4 Skyhawk is a carrier-capable ground-attack aircraft designed for the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps. The delta winged, single-engined Skyhawk was designed and produced by Douglas Aircraft Company, and later McDonnell Douglas. It was originally designated the A4D...
. Gal-Or was also a member of the IDF/AF aerobatic team. On October 16, 1986, Gal-Or flew in the same formation with Israeli MIA navigator/weapon systems officer (WSO) Ron Arad
Ron Arad (pilot)
Lieutenant Colonel Ron Arad , was an Israeli Air Force weapon systems officer who is officially classified as missing in action since October 1986, but is widely presumed dead...
, who went missing that day. Amir Gal-Or is retired from active reserve duty and now serves as an instructor in the military flying school. Gal-Or has four children.
Professional career
University of Haifa
The University of Haifa is a university in Haifa, Israel.The University of Haifa was founded in 1963 by Haifa mayor Abba Hushi, to operate under the academic auspices of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem....
and, together with his mother, established two materials companies: TAN, developing high grade refrectory ceramic
Ceramic
A ceramic is an inorganic, nonmetallic solid prepared by the action of heat and subsequent cooling. Ceramic materials may have a crystalline or partly crystalline structure, or may be amorphous...
oxides, and a venture with the largest Israeli fuels company: Paz Oil Company. Eventually, the latter venture integrated with Paz in exchange for royalties, and TAN was sold.
Gal-Or earned a BSc
BSC
BSC is a three-letter abbreviation that may refer to:Science and technology* Bachelor of Science , an undergraduate degree* Base Station Controller, part of a mobile phone network; see: Base Station subsystem...
in economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
and business management from the University of Haifa
University of Haifa
The University of Haifa is a university in Haifa, Israel.The University of Haifa was founded in 1963 by Haifa mayor Abba Hushi, to operate under the academic auspices of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem....
and an MBA from Tel Aviv University
Tel Aviv University
Tel Aviv University is a public university located in Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv, Israel. With nearly 30,000 students, TAU is Israel's largest university.-History:...
. Later he graduated from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
’s program in venture capital and private equity
Private equity
Private equity, in finance, is an asset class consisting of equity securities in operating companies that are not publicly traded on a stock exchange....
investments.
In 1994, Gal-Or was nominated as a manager of Mati Ra'anana - business development center in the town of Ra'anana.
Mati Ra'anana is a public organization (NPO) jointly established by the JDC
American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee
The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee is a worldwide Jewish relief organization headquartered in New York. It was established in 1914 and is active in more than 70 countries....
, the Ministry of Absorption, the Israel Small and Medium Enterprise Authority (ISMEA), ESRA organization, and the Ra'anana Municipality.
Mati Ra'anana provides professional consulting services, business plan formulation, professional business training, on-going consulting and mentoring, and assistance in obtaining the necessary funding to realize the goals set in the business plan assistance to small and medium sized businesses, and technological StartUps.
Gal-Or founded a special forum for StartUp ventures within Mati Ra'anana.
In 1998 Gal-Or switched over to venture capital, and joined Infinity. In 2002 the Office of the Chief Scientist (OCS) of Israel began a program to privatize the technology incubators. Under the umbrella of Infinity, Gal-Or founded Maayan Ventures, a publicly traded company, where he serves as chairman. Maayan,headquartered in the southern Israeli town of Beer Sheva, is a working partner of the Israeli government for seed investments and manages more than 60 investment holdings. Infinity also has control of the technology incubators in Dimona
Dimona
Dimona is an Israeli city in the Negev desert, to the south of Beersheba and west of the Dead Sea above the Arava valley in the Southern District of Israel. Its population at the end of 2007 was 33,600.-History:...
and Sde Boker
Sde Boker
Sde Boker is a kibbutz in the Negev desert of southern Israel. Best known as the retirement home of Israel's first Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion, it falls under the jurisdiction of Ramat HaNegev Regional Council.-History:...
and is in the process of purchasing a share of one in Ofakim, also in the south of Israel. Each incubator has a specialization; Infinity provides the incubators with services and support.
Mr. Gal-Or is a member of the World Economic Forum
World Economic Forum
The World Economic Forum is a Swiss non-profit foundation, based in Cologny, Geneva, best known for its annual meeting in Davos, a mountain resort in Graubünden, in the eastern Alps region of Switzerland....
and has been invited to speak at equity capital forums and conferences pertaining to business in China.
Infinity Group
The Infinity Group is backed by Israel’s IDBIsrael Discount Bank
Israel Discount Bank Ltd. , I.D.B., is one of Israel's three largest banks, with 260 branches, and assets of 171 billion NIS .-History:...
Holding Corp (IDBH. TA) and China Development Bank
China Development Bank
The China Development Bank is a financial institution in the People's Republic of China under the direct jurisdiction of the State Council. It is the only bank in China whose governor is a full minister...
. Infinity Group manages more than $700 million through nine funds, seven of which are in China and a portfolio
Portfolio (finance)
Portfolio is a financial term denoting a collection of investments held by an investment company, hedge fund, financial institution or individual.-Definition:The term portfolio refers to any collection of financial assets such as stocks, bonds and cash...
of 45 companies.
Infinity is headquartered in Tel Aviv with offices in Beijing, Suzhou, Harbin, Shijiazhuang, Changzhou, Ningbo and Tianjin, Shanghai, Hong Kong, and New York. Since 1993, Infinity has made more than 100 investments. Infinity’s funds since 1993 have included the $23 million Nitzanim Fund of 1993, the $90 million Infinity I in 1999, the $64 million Infinity II in 2002, and the $75 million Infinity IDB in 2002.
In 2004, the firm partnered with China-Singapore Suzhou Industrial Park Ventures Company Ltd., or CSVC, to establish a $15 million Infinity-CSVC fund. In 2006, the firm established the $300 million Infinity I-China fund, the successor to the Infinity-CSVC fund and its second Israel-China fund.
Infinity-CSVC
The Infinity-CSVC China Fund was founded in 2004. It received the first license issued to a foreign-managed onshore RMB denominated fund. The number on the certificate reads 00001.Infinity I-China
In March 2010, Infinity I-China launched six new joint venture private equity funds throughout China in the cities of Beijing, Suzhou, Harbin, Shijiazhuang, Changzhou, Ningbo and Tianjin. The funds will range from 200 million renminbi up to a planned 500 million renminbi. The funds will invest in high-technology companies in life sciences, information technology and clean energy and technology.Infinity Joint Venture Funds
In 2010, Infinity established 10 joint venture funds with 10 city governments in China.The funds range in size from 200 million RMB to 500 million RMB. The funds support local Chinese businesses through the influx of technology and knowledge, mainly from Israel, though also from the US and Europe.
Infinity IP Bank
In September 2010, Infinity Group established the Infinity IP (intellectual property) Bank. The IP Bank is headquartered in Suzhou, China.The IP Bank acquires intellectual property from Israel, and from other countries, for use by Chinese companies. The IP Bank also supports those Chinese companies with financing and management services.
External links
- CNBC Asia’s Cash Flow,Gal-Or discusses trends in the stock market and the strategic plans of the Infinity I-China Fund July 9, 2008
- Finance.QQ.com Infinity Equity managing partner Mr. Amir Gal-Or speaks to QQ.com at the World Economic Forum in Tianjin, China about the activities of the I-China Fund, the status of the stock market and trends for the future. September 27, 2008.
- Online.wsj.com, Infinity Targets $513 Million For China Funds With A Foreign Twist, March 9, 2010, by Jonathan Shieber
- Video.sina.com.cn
- Finance.qq.com interview from WEF - the full text
- Finance.qq.com interview from WEF - the video
- To Infinity and beyond - article at economist.com
- WSJ's Peter Stein interviews Amir Gal-Or of Infinity Group who explains how his company created an 'I.P. bank' to bring intellectual property developed in Israel to China