About ICL
ICL is a global leader in the field of agriculture, food, and engineered materials, and continually seeks with its unparalleled R&D infrastructure to develop innovative solutions for humanity’s greatest sustainability challenges.
Planet Startup Hub
ICL Planet Startup Hub is the vehicle in which ICL chooses to work with innovative companies, synergize with their novelty, and short-cut their way to global play.
Our ICL Planet Startup Hub offers a unique flexible hybrid innovation model that uses various startup incubator and startup accelerator elements to synergize ICL’s resources, expertise, mentorship, and infrastructure with early-stage innovative AgTech startups, FoodTech startups and Climate Tech startups with the goal to make an impact in the world we live in and in the AgriFood Tech and Climate Tech ecosystem.
Together, we can grow game-changing technology and address vital global sustainability concerns, in order to create significant environmental transformation!
Meet the team
Hadar
Sutovsky
General Manager, ICL Planet & VP Corporate Investments, ICL Group Hadar brings an extensive experience in innovation, incubation investments, global business development in FoodTech, Sustainable AgTech and IMPACT technology, together with an in-depth scientific approach. Before joining ICL Hadar was a Managing Partner in Aquagro Fund which is a dedicated impact investment management firm. Along her professional path Hadar led Innovation and investments in areas of AgriFood & Sustainability for the Global Unilever Open Innovation Hub in TLV, and Frutarom. Hadar holds both an MBA in Business and Innovation and MSc in Molecular Microbiology & Biotechnology from Tel Aviv University. She is a mentor at the Mass Challenge accelerator, at the European EIT Food Accelerator Network (FAN), and at Startup Bootcamp accelerator in Rome.
Guy
Cooper
Business Development Lead Guy is a trusted advisor and former senior crop protection executive, focused on creating long-term value through selective M&A, portfolio differentiation, asset allocation and operational excellence. Over the course of 20+ years, Guy held senior executive positions at STK bio-ag technologies group and ADAMA Ltd. and acted as lead advisor to a variety of industry players ranging from Agtech/biotech startups to very large multinationals. Guy holds an MBA (with honors) specializing in Marketing, Finance and Organizational Behavior. He also holds a BA in Economics and International Affairs. Both degrees are from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Guy is also the owner of Cooper Investment and Consulting a consultancy focused on the agricultural space.
Sathaporn
Srichuwong, PhD
FoodTech Front End Innovation Leader
Sathaporn has over 15 years of scientific research and professional experience the B2B and B2C food industry including various leadership roles in R&D, project management, scientific & regulatory affairs, innovation management and corporate venturing.
He is an experienced innovation manager with a proven track record in technology scouting, innovation pipeline development, and strategic investment in foodtech startups, covering several categories such as: alternative proteins, plant-based alternatives, gut health & microbiome, and ingredient innovation (e.g. clean-label ingredients, sugar substitutes). Sathaporn holds a PhD in Food Chemistry from Mie University, Japan.
Eric Park,
PhD, RD
Global Regulatory Affairs Manager
Eric brings with him over 25 years of experience in the food, nutrition, and life sciences areas. Working at first in academic research and later on in the Food and Ag industry, and leading regulatory diligence for corporate acquisition teams, Eric has vast experience in global trade and navigating the regulatory landscape to bring new food, feed, and agricultural products to commercialization. He holds a PhD in Nutritional Sciences from the University of Illinois, USA and is a Registered Dietitian.
Yaara
Shimony
Marketing Operations Consultant
Yaara is a business-oriented marketing executive with over 10 years of experience working with international platforms to increase global awareness and to create business opportunities. At the Israel Export Institute, she held positions as the Foodtech Business Development Manager as well in Food Packaging, and the Wine & Alcohol sectors. She is an expert in the food sector, with a comprehensive understanding of the sector’s untapped needs.
Ziv
Kohav
Open Innovation Lead, ICL Ziv has vast experience fostering corporate innovation processes and business development across multidisciplinary sectors, from optics and telecom to materials and agriculture. Ziv is a pioneering member of the ICL OPEN Innovation Space, leading the program since its inception in 2012. During his years in ICL, Ziv played a role as precision Ag manager, paving the way for ICL’s digital ag initiative. He also served as the R&D governance manager and initiated several critical innovation activities, including an internal ideation platform and an intrapreneurship program. Before joining ICL, Ziv served in various marketing and business development positions. Ziv’s academic credentials include an MBA from Ben Gurion University in Israel and a BA in Mathematics and Economics.
Advisory board
Uri
Perelman
Executive Vice President, Chief Business Development Officer Mr. Uri Perelman joined ICL in December 2023. He brings more than 15 years of experience and expertise in global corporate development, M&A, partnerships and overall corporate strategy. Prior to joining ICL, Mr. Perelman held corporate development leadership roles at Similarweb (NYSE: SMWB) where he served as Chief Corporate Development Officer and at NICE Inc. (NASDAQ:NICE) where he was the Head of M&A, Partners, and Corporate Development and led dozens of acquisitions, partnerships, and other non-organic activities worldwide. Prior to NICE, Uri was part of the corporate development team at Orange (NYSE: ORAN) where he led the global commercial department and partnerships worldwide and before that at Everest Funds, a global hedge fund specializing in activist investing and special situations. Mr. Perelman holds an MBA and a BA from Tel Aviv University and is a graduate of Berkeley Haas Executive Management program.
Yoav
Doppelt
ICL Chairman of the Board Yoav, CEO of Israel Corp. Ltd. Previously served as CEO of Kenon Holdings Ltd., a global company (NYSE: KEN), and from March 2014 to September 2017 served as Executive Chairman of IC Power Ltd., a power generation company. Prior thereto, Yoav was the founder and CEO of the Ofer Group’s private equity fund where he was involved in numerous investments in the private equity and technology sectors. He has been the Chief Executive Officer of XT Investments (formerly known as XT Capital and Ofer Hi-Tech) since 2001. He has actively led several public offerings of equity and debt offerings in the US and Europe and he has extensive operational and global business experience with growth companies. He also served as Chairman of OPC Energy Ltd. (TASE: OPC) as well as Director of Zim Integrated Shipping Services Ltd. Yoav has a BA in Economics and Management from the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, and an MBA from Haifa University.
Michal
Silverberg
Member of the Board Michal Silverberg has been serving as Director since July 2022. She also currently serves as a Managing Director at the Novartis Venture Fund (“NVF”) since 2017. Prior to joining NVF and from 2014, Ms. Silverberg served as a Senior Partner at Takeda Ventures and, prior to that and from 2007, Ms. Silverberg worked at Novo Nordisk in roles of increasing responsibility, including as Senior Director Business Development and New Product Commercialization, serving as a member of the BioPharm leadership team. Since 1998, Ms. Silverberg has held positions in various sectors of the life science industry, including in the Office of the Chief Scientist of Israel (the incubator program), venture capital (Ofer Brothers Hi Tech investing group) and global pharmaceutical and biotech companies, including various positions at MGVS Ltd., an Israeli biotech company, and at OSI Pharmaceuticals, Inc. in a business development role. Ms. Silverberg currently serves as a director in several private companies. Ms. Silverberg holds a B.A. degree in economics and business management from Haifa University, Israel, an M.B.A. degree from Tel-Aviv University, Israel, and a M.A. degree in Biotechnology from Columbia University, New York.
Our Partners
EIT Food is the world’s largest and most dynamic food innovation community. The platform accelerate innovation to build a future-fit food system that produces healthy and sustainable food for all. Supported by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), a body of the European Union, EIT FAN invests in projects, organizations and individuals that share our goals for a healthy and sustainable food system. ICL Planet StartUp Hub together with ICL Food Specialties, have partnered EIT FAN to promote our quest to collaborate and invest in startups focused on new ways of addressing global challenges in food production.
ShakeUpFactory is a business accelerator and network catalyst, adding value in growth and transformation for breakthrough projects from farm to fork. ShakeUpFactory partners with leading food companies to strengthen their understanding of FoodTech and build business cases with startups to improve competitiveness, invent new products and services, deploy new access to consumers and explore more strategic alliances. As an integral affiliate of EIT Food Accelerator Network and the 5 European hubs program, ICL partnered ShakeUpFactory to bring an innovative value proposition for startups in the EU.
Since 2010 SVG-THRIVE is the leading global AgriFood investment and innovation platform headquartered in Silicon Valley, and comprised of top agriculture, food & technology corporations, universities, and investors.
Our partnership is centred around challenges like the ‘THRIVE Europe Challenge’ or "Global IMPACT Challenge" both programs that seek out the most innovative and sustainable Agri-Food Tech start-ups globally or across Europe and Israel who are solving some of the critical sustainability challenges facing the global agri-food industry today.
Rethink conferences are created by experts in sustainable agri-food, cleantech and renewable energy to address the issues most crucial to investors and developers in these sectors. World Agri-Tech and Future Foodtech summits are held annually in London, San Francisco and São Paulo.
ICL Planet is collaborating with Rethink as Innovation Partners and Gold Partners in the WorldAgriTech Innovation Summit, and for Future Foodtech summit.
GrowingIL is a government initiative of the Israel Innovation Institute, Ministry of Economy, Ministry of Agriculture, and Rural Development and Israel Innovation Authority. It aims to develop the Israeli AgTech ecosystem and reshape Israeli agriculture to meet emerging global food needs through the implementation of groundbreaking technologies.
Our collaboration with GrowingIL facilitates our engagement to the Israeli AgriFood Tech ecosystem.
AgTech Garage initiatives in Brazil are promoting the connection between agribusinesses, startups, producers, investors, universities and other stakeholders in Agriculture’s innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystem to develop technological solutions that increase the sustainability and competitiveness of Brazilian agribusiness.
As a leading agribusiness player in Brazil, ICL has partnered with the AgTech Garage ecosystem to promote innovation dynamic in AgriTech and to enhance it's connection with Brazilian startups.
ZoecialMedia is an expert organic social media agency bringing visibility and credibility to B2B tech brands on social media. We chose ZoecialMedia to leverage our ICL Planet Brand in social media and transform it into our asset.
NutriPR is a boutique PR agency with strong expertise in public relations services for the foodTech and agriTech industries. NutriPR support its clients stand out in the media crowd, internationally, by customizing and developing a complete toolbox of PR promotions and social media campaigns. this boutique agency speaks, inspires, and writes about changing our food system towards a more sustainable, transparent, and secure world. NutriPR supports us in telling our story and spreading the word.
Birth Right Israel Excel inspire young Jewish business leaders during a professional summer
experience in Israel and empower them to pursue successful careers and build a global,
lifelong community dedicated to supporting the Jewish people in the 21st century.
ICL Planet established an internship program designed to empower the next generation of
business leaders in Israel and around the world.
F&A Next spurs thought leadership, unites ambitions, and serves as a springboard for
partnerships that enable a sustainable food system and a better deal for all. By connecting
promising startups, scale-ups, dedicated food & agtech investors, innovative corporates and
thought leaders, F&A Next mobilizes capital and creates opportunities for a durable
transformation of global food systems.
ICL Planet is an innovation partner at F&A Next.
FoodHack is a global community of founders and funders, sharing a passion for scaling
impact solutions to solve the climate crisis.
Their community is active in 50+ cities around the world. They hosted 25,000+ attendees
through their events, helping form tens of new companies, supporting hundreds of talented
individuals enter the climate sector.
ICL planet is a part of the FoodHack community, working together to find Foodtech and
Climate opportunities.
Since 2015, Foodbytes has galvanized collaboration across the value chain, from partnerships, to investments and acquisitions, to R&D and piloting.
Foodbytes helps the global F&A industry discover solutions and find partners to power tomorrow’s food system today. It's the entry point into Rabobank’s global network for startups of all stages. The hub offers exposure to potential partners and funders -all focused on food and ag – as well as connectivity with relevant Rabo product groups, including strategic advisory, direct investment and equipment financing.
