Eyal Waldman
Eyal Waldman | |
---|---|
Nationality | Israeli |
Occupations |
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Known for | Co-founding Mellanox Technologies, activism for the two-state solution |
Awards | Israel Prize (2024) |
Eyal Waldman is an Israeli businessman, philanthropist, and peace activist. In 1999, he co-founded chip maker Mellanox Technologies, which was sold to Nvidia for US$6.9 billion in 2019. Waldman received the Israel Prize, Israel's highest civilian honor, in 2024.
Biography
Waldman served as an infantry officer in the
In 1999, Waldman co-founded Israeli chip maker
After leaving Nvidia in April 2020, Waldman founded Waldo Holdings.[5]
Activism and philanthropy
Waldman supports the
Waldman is among a group of Israeli businessmen who are part of Breaking the Impasse, a forum of Israelis and Palestinians in favor of advancing a diplomatic solution to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.[6]
At Mellanox, Waldman hired 200 engineers, including 20 in the Gaza Strip and 80 in the West Bank town of Rawabi, in a belief that Israeli and Palestinians working together would lead to peace.[7][2]
Waldman opened a design center in Gaza and donated US$360,000 to an oncology ward at a hospital in Gaza in 2020. He also created jobs for Palestinians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.[1][7]
Waldman and fellow Israeli entrepreneur
Personal
Waldman's youngest daughter Danielle Waldman and her boyfriend Noam Shai were two of the 364 people killed during the
Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, sent a letter to employees in Israel offering support and condolences to Waldman on the killing of his daughter.[9]
In 2024, Waldman was announced as a recipient of the Israel Prize, the country's highest civilian honor. Education Minister Yoav Kisch had previously requested that the prize committee not award the honor to Waldman due to his criticism of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the 2023 Israeli judicial reform.[10]
References
- ^ a b c d e Guerin, Orla (2023-12-12). "Eyal Waldman: Israeli tech billionaire hopes for peace despite daughter's killing". BBC. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
- ^ a b Gabison, Yoram (2019-03-12). "Mellanox Boss Waldman: Israel's $6.9 Billion Man". Haaretz. Archived from the original on 2024-03-29. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
- Times of Israel. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
- CTech. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
- Jerusalem Post. 2023-12-15. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
- ^ Coren, Ora (29 January 2014). "Israeli Businesspeople Launch Campaign for Peace With Palestinians". Haaretz. Archived from the original on 25 July 2018. Retrieved 25 July 2018.
- ^ a b Neuhauer, Ian (2023-11-25). "'Bulletproof': The brief, beautiful life of Danielle Waldman". Al Jazeera English. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
- ^ Krieger, Candice (2023-12-05). "Meet the entrepreneur pledging to build a start-up for every victim of 7 October". Jewish News. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
- CTech. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
- Jerusalem Post. 2024-03-28. Retrieved 29 March 2024.