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Senior American and Israeli high-tech employees join Israel’s first secondary platform

PrivateEuity.biz, Israel’s first online secondary trading arena, has signed a series of agreements with senior employees who own shares in high-tech companies, including leading pre-IPO Israeli and North American start-ups. 

Following the agreements, which have been signed during the past few weeks, shares held by 14 employees at US, Canadian, and Israeli high-tech companies are currently being presented for sale on the PrivateEuity.biz trading arena. 
 
The North American companies whose employees are presenting shares for sale include Jumio (United States), shares of which are also available on US platform SharesPost; DoubleVerify (United States); and QuickMobile (Canada). The Israeli companies include Gett (formerly GetTaxi), Kenshoo, LiveU, Websplanet, BotanoCap, and DudaMobile. The employee shares packages are being presented for sale through the PrivateEuity.biz employee shares trading arena at prices ranging from several hundred thousands of dollars to USD2 million. 
 
PrivateEuity.biz is managed by Chairman Yaron Jacobs, formerly the director general of Israel’s Government Companies Authority. PrivateEuity.biz has recently announced the establishment of its High-Tech Employees Index Fund, which is currently raising NIS50 million (approximately USD14 million). It the first fund in Israel, and one of the first funds in the world, whose capital is allocated solely for investing in shares that will be purchased from entrepreneurs, founders, senior employees and former senior employees in pre-IPO high-tech companies, as part of an innovative model. 
 
“Since PrivateEuity.biz announced that it was raising capital for the unique fund, we have received a growing number of inquiries, ranging from executives of North American and Israeli pre-IPO high-tech companies who wish to present for sale shares on our employees arena, to well-known high-tech investors and financial institutions from around the world, which are considering making capital available to the High-Tech Employees Index Fund,” says PrivatEquity.biz Chairman Yaron Jacobs (pictured). “The fund is raising capital, and we estimate that in a few weeks we will announce its first closing. During 2015, we will begin making investments through the fund in selected shares of high-tech employees.”
 
Emphasising the strongly accelerating demand for high-tech employee shares on the trading arena, Jacobs adds: “The development of secondary markets and the sale of shares by employees of private high-tech companies are growing worldwide, breaking records. High-tech employees are interested in obtaining more information and possibilities in regard to their compensation in general and capital-based compensation in particular. We at PrivatEquity.biz are also feeling these trends in a very concrete way.
 
“Employees presenting shares for sale on our online platform have already received serious offers from potential investors and are in talks to sell their shares. At the same time, we are in contact with employees of other top high-tech companies in North America and Israel who want to present shares on PrivatEquity.biz. The picture which is emerging is clear: we have brought the growing global trend of the sale of employee shares to Israel, and this trend will only grow.”

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