Menny brings two decades of experience as a founder and CEO for multiple Israel-based technology companies. Previously, he was founder and CEO of Wayerz, a digital correspondent banking platform. Under his leadership, Wayerz was selected for the 2015 Barclays Accelerator program in New York and honoured at the Shengjing Global Innovation Awards. Prior to launching Wayerz, Menny founded and was CEO of Mipso, a SaaS-based virtual fitting room and styling platform for fashion brands and retailers. Earlier in his career, Menny served as Chief of Staff to former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak. At Zelig, Menny will focus on deal origination in the Israeli market, working closely with Zelig’s other offices.
With over 7,000 start-ups, Israel has gained a reputation globally as the “start-up nation”. The wide variety of innovative technology companies forms an attractive ecosystem to global corporates, as well as venture capital and growth equity investors. Israel’s FinTech sector counts over 500 start-ups which collectively raised over US$1bn in 2016 and 2017, a significant proportion of the annual venture capital funding market currently estimated to be in excess of US$4.5bn.
Typically, we previously saw the US as the immediate focus for international expansion by Israeli start-ups. However, we are increasingly seeing in the FinTech sector that connectivity to European (particularly London) and emerging Asian markets has become equally if not more important. This trend is at the core of where Zelig Associates wants to play, connecting the Israeli FinTech ecosystem with these new markets and pools of capital.”
Menny Shalom
Partner & Head of Israel
“We are very excited about Menny joining our platform and opening an office in Tel Aviv. We see Israel as a key market for FinTech innovation in fields such as cyber security, data analytics, digital payments and AI-based applications, and, hence, expect cross-border financing and M&A activity to increase significantly in the coming years.”
Gerd Weissenboeck
Managing Partner & Co-Founder
About Zelig Associates
Zelig Associates is a global FinTech investment banking boutique with offices in London, New York, Munich and Tel Aviv. We provide independent strategic and financial advice to entrepreneurs, private equity firms, and venture-funded companies as well as international corporations. Our firm combines entrepreneurial spirit and transaction excellence with a passion for the FinTech sector.