Efi Arazi

Efi Arazi

Efi Arazi was an Israeli inventor, entrepreneur, and businessman best known as the founder of Scitex Corporation, a pioneering company in digital imaging and printing technologies. He played a central role in Israel's high-tech emergence, interacting with figures and institutions across the United States, Europe, and Israel in fields spanning computer science, electronics, and publishing.

Early life and education

Arazi was born in 1937 in British Mandate for Palestine and grew up during the formation of the State of Israel. He studied at the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology where he trained in engineering and later pursued graduate studies at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and worked with research groups associated with Project MAC, Lincoln Laboratory, and the MIT Media Lab environment. During his formative years he was influenced by engineers and scientists linked to Bell Labs, IBM, Hewlett-Packard, General Electric, and the research cultures of Stanford University and Harvard University.

Career

Arazi began his career working with industrial partners and defense-linked firms, gaining experience in electronics and information processing with ties to RCA, Philips, Siemens, and Thomson SA. In the late 1960s and early 1970s he moved into applied research and entrepreneurship, interacting with executives from Xerox, Kodak, Agfa-Gevaert, Canon, and Eastman Kodak Company. He founded a company that evolved into Scitex with investment and collaboration from Israeli institutions including the Israel Defense Forces procurement networks and partnerships with Bank Leumi and Bank Hapoalim for financing. Over decades Arazi engaged with corporate boards and research consortia involving Intel, Motorola, Bellcore, AT&T Laboratories, and Nokia.

Scitex and technological innovations

Under Arazi’s leadership, Scitex became a global player in prepress, digital imaging, and computer-to-plate technologies, competing and cooperating with companies such as Xerox PARC, Kodak Polychrome Graphics, Heidelberg Druckmaschinen, and Mitsubishi Electric. Scitex developed systems used by publishers and broadcasters alongside clients like The New York Times, Time Inc., Condé Nast, BBC, and The Washington Post. The company’s innovations intersected with research from Bell Labs Research, MIT Lincoln Laboratory, Cambridge University Computer Laboratory, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, and Fraunhofer Society. Scitex machines integrated components from suppliers such as Texas Instruments, Western Digital, Seagate Technology, and Intel Corporation, while software architectures drew on concepts popularized by UNIX, Microsoft, Adobe Systems, and the X Window System ecosystem. Arazi steered acquisitions and alliances with firms like Scitex Digital Printing, Latent Image Corporation, ICL, and later interactions leading toward mergers involving Dainippon Screen and Creo Inc..

Other business ventures and leadership roles

Beyond Scitex, Arazi invested in and advised startups and institutions in Israel and abroad, engaging with entities such as Microsoft Research, Cisco Systems, Dell Technologies, Amazon Web Services, and venture capital firms connected to Sequoia Capital, Kleiner Perkins, Index Ventures, and Battery Ventures. He served on boards and advisory councils alongside leaders from Tel Aviv University, Weizmann Institute of Science, Technion, and policy forums linked to OECD, World Bank, and United Nations innovation initiatives. Arazi’s network included contacts at media conglomerates like News Corporation, Bertelsmann, Vivendi, and Comcast, and he collaborated with entrepreneurs associated with Google, Facebook, Apple Inc., Oracle Corporation, and SAP SE in shaping Israel’s tech ecosystem. He also participated in philanthropic and academic governance tied to The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, and cultural institutions such as Tel Aviv Museum of Art.

Awards, recognition, and legacy

Arazi received national and international honors recognizing his impact on technology and industry, cited by organizations including IEEE, ACM, The Israel Export Institute, and national ministries such as Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labour (Israel). His legacy influenced generations of entrepreneurs and engineers associated with Israeli high-tech successes like Check Point Software Technologies, Mobileye, Wix.com, Amdocs, and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries. Institutions and museums that document computing history, including the Computer History Museum, Science Museum, London, Israel Museum, and regional innovation centers, reference Scitex’s role in digital media evolution. Arazi’s career is studied alongside contemporaries from Silicon Valley and international industrialists such as Thomas Watson Jr., Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and Robert Noyce for transforming imaging and publishing into digital industries.

Category:1937 births Category:2013 deaths Category:Israeli inventors Category:Israeli businesspeople