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Eric Benhamou

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Eric Benhamou

Benhamou Global Ventures, chairman and CEO
Palo Alto, Calif.

Born in Algeria and brought up in France and Israel, Benhamou immigrated to the U.S., where he co-founded Bridge Communications, an early network computing pioneer, in 1981. Six years later, it merged with 3Com (COMS). In 2002, Benhamou launched Israel Venture Network, tapping about 150 high-tech entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, and others from Israel and the U.S. to use social entrepreneurship to strengthen public education and entrepreneurial leadership across Israel. To date, IVN has granted more than $60 million in funding.

"I wanted to take a more entrepreneurial approach to philanthropy. Many of our members started with little or nothing and managed to accomplish successful businesses mostly through hard work and innovation and luck…In doing so, [they] formed the belief that by taking a calculated risk and applying very good practices and [keeping] management focused, you can accomplish great things…We have seen radical improvements in literacy, math, computer skills, and English as a second language, and a rise in overall graduation rates in Israel. We also spearheaded an institutional legacy that is now sponsored by the Ministry of Education in Israel. It is a central resource for schools around the country, providing training, coaching, mentorship, computer resources, and peer network support to help principals at public schools perform better."