Ziv Aviram

Ziv Aviram
Name	Ziv Aviram
Birth date	1958
Birth place	Haifa, Israel
Occupation	Businessman, entrepreneur, investor
Known for	Co-founder of Mobileye, Co-founder of OrCam Technologies

Ziv Aviram is an Israeli entrepreneur and investor known for co-founding two prominent technology companies. He played a leading role in establishing a major player in advanced driver-assistance systems and later co-founded an assistive technology firm, while also participating in multiple startup ecosystems and philanthropic initiatives. His career spans collaborations with multinational corporations, venture capital groups, and academic institutions.

Early life and education

Aviram was born in Haifa and grew up during a period marked by developments in Israeli industry and technology, with formative influences from institutions such as the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, Tel Aviv University, and Hebrew University of Jerusalem. His early exposure to Israeli defense industry firms like Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Israel Aerospace Industries paralleled contemporaries from companies such as Elbit Systems, Intel Israel, and IBM Haifa Research Laboratory. Aviram pursued studies that connected him to networks including Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and the Open University of Israel, and his cohort included alumni who later joined organizations like Motorola Solutions, Cisco Systems, and Microsoft Israel.

Business career

Aviram's executive trajectory moved through Israeli corporate environments and global technology firms, interacting with entities such as Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Strauss Group, and Bezeq. He held senior management roles that required collaboration with advisory groups, private equity firms like Apax Partners and Permira, and strategic investors such as Temasek Holdings, SoftBank Group, and Goldman Sachs. During this period he engaged with multinational partners including General Electric, Siemens, Amazon, and Google, and negotiated commercial relationships akin to those between Facebook and WhatsApp, Apple and Beats Electronics, and Samsung and Harman International. His managerial style and strategic decisions invited comparisons to executives from Nokia, Ericsson, and Qualcomm.

Mobileye and OrCam

Aviram co-founded a company focused on vision-based driver assistance that later became synonymous with autonomous vehicle sensor technology, joining forces with technologists and entrepreneurs whose work paralleled research at MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Stanford Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, and Carnegie Mellon Robotics Institute. That company secured partnerships with automakers such as BMW, Volkswagen Group, General Motors, Ford Motor Company, Toyota, and Volvo, and suppliers including Bosch, Continental AG, and Delphi Technologies. The firm attracted investment from venture capital firms like Benchmark, Sequoia Capital, Accel Partners, and Kleiner Perkins, culminating in a high-profile initial public offering that drew comparisons to listings by Tesla, Uber, and Nvidia. After a divestment event involving Intel Corporation, Aviram and collaborators launched an assistive technology venture that developed wearable devices to aid people with visual impairments, echoing innovations by Philips, Siemens Healthineers, and Roche Diagnostics. That assistive company formed alliances and pilot programs with institutions such as Hadassah Medical Center, Sheba Medical Center, King's College London, and Massachusetts General Hospital, while drawing technological inspiration from projects at Harvard Medical School, Johns Hopkins University, and University College London.

Other ventures and investments

Beyond his flagship companies, Aviram invested in and advised startups across sectors including mobility, healthcare, and consumer electronics, engaging with incubators and accelerators like Yozma Program, Techstars, Y Combinator, and MassChallenge. He served on boards and advisory councils associated with VC firms such as Pitango Venture Capital, Viola Ventures, and OurCrowd, and collaborated with corporate venture arms like Intel Capital, Samsung NEXT, and Google Ventures. His portfolio included ventures connected to companies such as Mobileye contemporaries, Israeli unicorns like Waze and Wix, and global players including Spotify, Airbnb, Palantir Technologies, and Stripe. Aviram participated in conferences and forums alongside speakers from the World Economic Forum, Milken Institute, and TED, and interacted with policy and innovation organizations including OECD, European Commission, and Israel Innovation Authority.

Philanthropy and public activities

Aviram engaged in philanthropic initiatives supporting medical research, accessibility, and education, working with organizations such as the Israel Cancer Research Fund, Weizmann Institute of Science, Technion Foundation, and Tel Aviv University Foundation. He supported nonprofits and NGOs like Yad Sarah, Magen David Adom, UNICEF, and World Vision, and collaborated with foundations including Gates Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, and the European Investment Bank on social innovation projects. His public activities included participation in advisory roles for municipal and national programs in Israel, contributions to panels alongside representatives from the Ministry of Economy and Industry, Ministry of Health, and Ministry of Transportation, and speaking engagements at universities and think tanks such as Brookings Institution, Chatham House, and the Aspen Institute.

Personal life and recognitions

Aviram's personal affiliations have connected him to cultural and civic institutions like the Israel Museum, Tel Aviv Museum of Art, and Habima Theatre, and he has been recognized by business and technology publications alongside awards and honors comparable to those given by Forbes, Fortune, The Economist, and Bloomberg. He received accolades reflecting entrepreneurial achievement that place him in company with recipients of the Israel Prize, European Inventor Award, and honorary degrees from academic institutions such as Bar-Ilan University and University of Haifa. He maintains residences in Israel and participates in international advisory boards and alumni networks linked to institutions including Harvard Business School, INSEAD, and London Business School.

Category:Israeli businesspeople