Israeli serial entrepreneur Ran Poliakine passed away on Friday January 12 from a medical condition, at the age of 56. He was laid to rest on January 15 in Nes Harim. Poliakine was the founder of wireless charging company Powermat, and during the last decade, he focused on the healthcare and impact sectors. He was the founder and executive chairman of Nanox Imaging, which is traded on Nasdaq at a market cap of $309 Million.
Poliakine founded Powermat in 2007. The company invented wireless charging on surfaces. Poliakine was the CEO of the company from it's inception until 2014. At its peak, the company was valued at $1.3 billion, and had annual revenue of $200 million, thanks in part to a distribution deal with Starbucks. In the last few years the company has seen some difficulties, but it is still considered the pioneer of the wireless charging market.
After 2012, Poliakine founded many biomedical and impact endeavors. He wrote some of the technological patents the companies were based on, although his background is in design and his degree is from the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design. Nanox developed a digital X-Ray system. In addition he founded Illumigyn, for diagnosis of cervical cancer, and Wellsense, which developed a sheet for hospital beds threaded with sensors that detect pressure wounds. Both are privately-held companies at the revenue stage.
Poliakine founded a technological incubator at Neve Ilan, where he founded companies like Qinflow, for warming the temperature of blood infusions given in the field, Tap Systems, which developed a virtual keyboard comprising a wearable strap that reads the wearer’s tapping on any surface and translates it into words, and Years of Water, which developed a water purification and desalination device that does not need outside energy. He was also active in robotics, through investment vehicle SixAI.
In an interview with "Globes" in 2020, Poliakine said, "My group of companies attempts to find solutions for painful global problems, in the area of medicine among others. We believe that the right utilization of technology can change the world, cure cancer, curb violence and connect people."
A farewell letter
Although his illness progressed quickly and Poliakine and his family understood the gravity of the situation only a short time before his death, he did have enough time to write a farewell letter to his friends and coworkers.
"There is a saying", he wrote, "that youth is wasted on the young. If only we knew as children what we finally learn in later years - that life is precious, that life is fleeting, and that all that matters at the end of the day is what we do in our lives for the betterment of those we love and the greater world.
"In my 56 years on this earth (less the 25 years it took me to figure things out) I've devoted my professional energies in the advancement of technologies to help improve the world. Together with the talented human beings that I was fortunate enough to surround myself with over the years (I love each and every one of you) we faced seemingly impossible challenges that we were able to overcome.
"Just as everything has a beginning, so too there is an end. Unfortunately, my professional successes were not matched by the serious health challenges that arose. With the love and support of my family and friends I was able to put up a great fight, but ultimately this was the one challenge I could not overcome.
"What I would like to impart upon you, as my final thought, is that while we had so many successes, it's the smiles, the high-fives, the hugs and kisses we enjoyed together, having crossed the finishing line TOGETHER, it's all about the people.
"People make the memories. Treasure those around you. Don't allow objects or meaningless things to blind you - and create new and meaningful memories every day".
Always an entrepreneur
Poliakine’s sister Ruth Poliakine Baruchi, said: "As my mother always says, Ran was an entrepreneur from the very beginning. From a very young age, he created and made a difference. We are four siblings. Ran was a prominent figure in our family, someone you could always count on for help, generous and kind, always there for everyone - our parents, siblings, friends and colleagues all over the world. He touched many people's lives.
"For me he was my big brother (9 years older). He taught me so much - as a girl when he would take me to paint houses with him, and at the beginning of my professional career when he gave me a chance to enter the world of entrepreneurship beside him, to learn from him and then continue on my own path. I love you Ranchuk."
Poliakine left a wife and five children.
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on January 22, 2024.
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