6 things you didn’t know about OurCrowd president Andy Kaye
OurCrowd recently welcomed Andy Kaye as the new President and CIO. With over 20 years of experience in the financial industry, he has led investment banking operations around the globe. We sat down with Andy to find out a little more beyond his resume. Here are six surprising facts we learned.
1) He spent 7.5 years in the Israeli navy. After finishing high school, Andy volunteered to an elite naval unit, after graduating from the 20 month program he continued to the Naval officers course and ship command. After almost 8 years, it was time to make a choice whether to make a career out of it, so he took a year off to travel and decide his path. A stop in London started a love affair with the stock market, eventually leading to his financial career. He never forgot the navy, however, and both his son and daughter served periods in the Israeli navy as well.
2) He is more Israeli than you think. Despite the English accent and kind manner, Andy made Aliyah at 16 and despite having traveled most of the globe and living in London, China, and New York for long stretches, he always came back to Israel. After his last 8 year stint, he is finally settling back in Israel; as he says, “in the end we need roots.”
3) He is a water sport junkie. Sailing, diving, swimming -you name it Andy does it. He regularly swims 3-4 kilometers at least twice a week. This makes his office in Jerusalem all the more ironic, as Jerusalem is infamous for being one of the few non-coastal cities in Israel. He still can’t believe there isn’t a sea view from his office window.
4) Asia’s tech landscape excites him. He has always been fascinated with Asia, and lived with his family in China for five years while he served as Head of Asia for William Blair. He worked with almost 50 Chinese and ASEAN companies and speaks with conviction about the Asian potential.
5) He views ‘power to the people’ as the future of startup investing. If you ask Andy directly, he’ll tell you it’s all about access. The more people who gain a window into the ‘VC’ asset class, the more the tech and VC industries will move forward. That’s why the potential of OurCrowd excites him – because it engages and provides a gateway for more people around the world to get involved in building our technological future.
6) According to him, the tech to watch is cybersecurity and AI. When asked what tech gets him buzzing, AI comes up first. Not only because it is a hugely growing field as data storage becomes a non-issue and data becomes ever more available, but also because it has so many potential applications, including for OurCrowd itself. Cybersecurity also jumps out at Andy, because of just how far the field has progressed in Israel in the short time he was living abroad and since he participated in Checkpoint’s IPO in June 1996.
And finally, Andy’s favorite part about OurCrowd so far? The enthusiasm and motivation of the team, being on the other side of the table, maintaining contact with institutions, and oh, wearing jeans. Welcome aboard!
Learn more about OurCrowd at ourcrowd.com
