Eric Benhamou, Chairman

Eric Benhamou is the CEO and Founder of Benhamou Global Ventures, LLC. Benhamou Global Ventures, started in 2003, invests and plays an active role in innovative high tech firms throughout the world. He was an Adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurship and Family Enterprise at INSEAD from 2004 to 2010. He is now a Visiting Professor at IDC Herzliya’s Arison School of Business.

He served as Chairman of the board of Palm, Inc. from 1999 until 2007 and as Chief Executive Officer of Palm from 2001 until 2003. Mr. Benhamou served as Chief Executive Officer of 3Com Corporation from 1990 until 2000 and as Chairman of the board until its sale to Hewlett Packard in April 2010. In 1981, Mr. Benhamou co-founded Bridge Communications, an early networking pioneer, and was Vice President of Engineering until its merger with 3Com in 1987.

Mr. Benhamou currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Cypress Semiconductor and as a Director of Silicon Valley Bancshares. He also serves on the boards of several privately held companies of the BGV portfolio. He currently advises Israel Cleantech Ventures, the leading clean tech venture fund in Israel, and the Institute for the Future, a think tank based in Silicon Valley. He is Vice Chairman of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, and serves on the board of Stanford University’s School of Engineering. He is a Founder and the Chairman of the Israel Venture Network, a venture philanthropy organization for a stronger Israeli society. In 2003, Mr. Benhamou was appointed to the U.S.- Israel Science and Technology Commission by U.S. Commerce Secretary Donald Evans.

Mr. Benhamou received a Masters degree from Stanford University’s School of Engineering. He also holds a Diplome d’Ingénieur and a Doctorate from Arts et Metiers ParisTech.