Arison Investments, Teva, Len Abramson, and Professor Ben-Ad Goldwasser today announced the setting up of a joint company for investing in the area of medical technology and biotechnology. The company, Biomedical Investments, will focus on investment in Israeli start-up companies. Its capital will be $20 million.
The company will be managed by Goldwasser, who recently served as director of the urological surgery department at Shiva Hospital. Over the last five years, Goldwesser has been involved in setting up several start-up companies in the medical field, among them Medinol.
Len Abramson is a partner in the Arison consortium which recently won the tender for purchasing the controlling interest in Bank Hapoalim. Abramson founded and managed the health insurance company US Healthcare, and is currently a shareholder and director of Athena - the largest health insurance company in the USA.
Arison Investments, controlled by Ted Arison, owns the controlling interest in Bank Hapoalim, Shikun u’Binui, and also investments in some 35 high tech companies, most of them at the start-up stage.
The investors say that the special feature of the new partnership is specialisation in the areas of medical technology and biotechnology They also said that aid granted to start-up companies will amount to more than financial support, given the partners’ background in these fields.