OUR TEAM
Shir Zilberstein - Maternity Cover GM
Shir serves as the General Manager of 50:50 Startups, bringing a wealth of experience in executive leadership, team management, and project coordination within diverse non-governmental organizations. Shir is passionate about leveraging innovation to foster social connectivity, enable social mobility, and build communities, all while addressing global challenges. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Government from Raichman University and an MBA from IESE Business School in Spain. Her educational background, coupled with her practical experience, positions her as a dynamic leader at the helm of 50:50 Startups, contributing to its mission of fostering collaboration and innovation in the Israeli-Palestinian entrepreneurial landscape.
Marwan Meqbil
Marwan is the Director of 50:50 Startups. He has over a decade's experience liaising between the tech sector and non-governmental organizations as a Project Manager. He also has extensive experience in the Palestinian innovation ecosystem across multiple sectors, including four years as Program Coordinator for the Palestinian Internship Program (PIP), matching Palestinian professionals with high-tech internships at Israeli companies. Marwan also has experience working in the conflict resolution arena with the Center For Emerging Futures (CEF) NGO. He holds a bachelor's degree in Information Technology from Palestine Polytechnic University and is currently pursuing a master's degree in Entrepreneurial Operations: Launching a Startup.
Batsheva Baraban
Batsheva is the founder and former CEO of a bootstrapped startup, a seasoned entrepreneur with experience in business, education, and non-governmental organizations as a fundraising manager. She is passionate about bridging the gap between conflicted communities and creating platforms for transcultural dialogue. She holds a MA degree from Harvard University and a BA (summa cum laude) from Tel Aviv University. Aside from her role as the general manager of 50:50 Startups, Batsheva serves as a board member of Integraliah, the startup she co-founded.
Board of Directors
At 50:50 Startups, we believe that Arabs and Jews should be equal partners, which is why our Board is composed of Palestinians and Israelis, as well as international experts from across the world. Their experiences include corporate management, academia and investing, representing CEOs, professors and key plays in the global tech startup ecosystem.
Eran Heyman
Founder of Ericom Software, a leader in cybersecurity and virtualization, with clients including Fortune 100 companies. Eran brings more than 20 years of technical and business experience in the software industry in the US, Israel, and APAC. Ericom was acquired by Ericsson in 2023 to become their cybersecurity business unit
Amir Grinstein
Professor of Marketing at Northeastern University, Boston, and VU Amsterdam. Amir specializes in marketing for the greater good (e.g., health communication, sustainability, non-for-profits), the marketing of startups, and country branding.
Ruud Kronenburg
Professor of Marketing & Organizational Development at ICD (Paris) and a visiting professor at Birzeit University. Ruud has extensive senior-level international Fortune-100 business management experience as well as essential people development expertise.
Ely Sandler
Economist and strategist with wide experience in financial services and technology. Ely worked for many years within Morgan Stanley's senior management and has a background in international capital markets. He also has worked raising capital and advising on strategy for startups, particularly in the renewable energy space.
Inbal Shenfeld
Startup Angel investor, having previous held senior HR and operations positions at Intel, Comverse, and Veolia Environment, overseeing their activities in Israel Europe and Asia. Inbal is also a founder of a dynamic medical device startup.
Liz Cohen
Vice President of Marketing & Investor Community at OurCrowd, a leading global venture investing platform and VC with branches across the world. Liz has worked with dozens of startups and companies both in Israel and abroad, consulting brands at the pre-funding stage as well as established revenue-generating companies.
Alit Wiel-Shafran
Served as Head of the Har HaNegev Environmental Unit. Alit is also a graduate of the Harvard Kennedy School, holding her PhD in environmental studies.
Areen Salman
R&D Manager at Nokia, a mentor and an advisor. Areen is highly experienced in telecommunication software and cloud based products. She has 18 years of experience in global corporates, managing diverse and multi-cultural teams. Areen holds a B.Sc in computer science from the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology.”
Ghada Abu Ta’a
Director at Elevation Ventures not for profit company - an incubator for innovation, scalable solutions that addresses emerging market challenges and opportunities. Ghada is an active member of the Palestinian and Israeli ecosystems with over 12 years of experience in management and providing consulting services
Hans Shakur
Mr. Hans Shakur is a Tech and Social Entrepreneur, recognized for his roles as an Innovation Strategist and Business Catalyst, with specialized expertise in Ecosystem Building and Inclusive Economic Growth. Additionally, he serves as a board member, lecturer, mentor, and public speaker.