Izhar Shay is an Israeli high-tech entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and former politician. He has over 30 years of experience as a serial entrepreneur and investor. Shay co-founded and led two companies to successful exits: Business Layers (acquired by Netegrity in 2003) and V-Secure Technologies (acquired by Radware in 2005). He was a Venture Partner and General Partner with Silicon Valley-based Canaan Partners for about 15 years, where he also established the firm's Israel branch. From 2019 to 2021, he served as a Member of Knesset and as the Minister of Science and Technology in the Israeli government. Currently, Shay is a Venture Partner with Disruptive AI, an early-stage deep-tech VC focused on AI investments. He is also actively involved as an advisor, board member, and mentor for various tech companies and serves on the investment committees of Iron Nation and Phoenix Financial. Following the loss of his son on October 7th, 2023, Izhar Shay co-founded the 'Next October' initiative, which aims to launch and support an innovative Israeli startup company for every victim of the war.