Yaron Naor

Yaron is a seasoned leader with a track record shaped by excellence in military service, academia, and business innovation. He served as a commander in Sayeret Yahalom, one of the IDF’s most elite special forces units, and later ranked in the top 5 percent of the MBA program at the Helsinki School of Economics (Aalto Uni today). His leadership was further developed through roles at IBM and Comverse and through long-standing mentorship at MIT’s Venture Mentoring Service and the delta v accelerator.

Born and raised on Kibbutz Yiron in the Galil mountains, right on the border with Lebanon, Yaron developed a lifelong passion for innovation while growing apples and manufacturing zippers under constant security threats and difficult conditions due to the ongoing tensions between Israel and Lebanon.

Over the past two decades, he has driven growth and go-to-market success at global tech companies including IBM, Comverse, and Telcordia, as well as several startups. At Comverse, Yaron led the creation of a Center of Excellence that resulted in a joint venture with Siemens in the Machine-to-Machine space.

Today, he serves as a key connector between Israeli and US innovation ecosystems, bringing together startups, investors, and corporate partners. Through hands-on mentorship and strategic guidance, he helps B2B startups scale in the US market and achieve lasting success.