{
  "id": 1882539,
  "title": "Former Mossad chief Yossi Cohen takes on new role at Japanese investment firm",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/19/former-mossad-chief-yossi-cohen-takes-on-new-role-at-japanese",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-08-19T07:06:50.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Jerusalem Post",
    "slug": "jerusalem-post",
    "url": "https://www.jpost.com/business-and-innovation/banking-and-finance/article-905963"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Former Mossad chief Yossi Cohen has been appointed as a strategic advisor to Japanese investment firm SoftBank, a move that places him closer to the decision-making levels within the organization. Cohen, who joined SoftBank five years ago as the head of Israeli operations, will continue to operate in the Israeli market but will focus on the fund's new areas of activity, including financing and developing data centers for AI and cloud processing, as well as investing in chip companies.\n\nCohen has a track record of successful investments in cybersecurity companies while at SoftBank. Notably, he played a key role in the fund's investments in Wiz, Claroty, and Cato Networks, which have proven profitable for Vision Fund. These investments have resulted in significant valuations for the companies, with Wiz's valuation increasing from $12 billion to $32 billion in just a year, generating a substantial profit for SoftBank.\n\nBefore joining SoftBank, Cohen led a $150 million investment in cybersecurity company Claroty at a valuation of about $2 billion. While SoftBank has not continued to invest in Claroty in recent years, the company's valuation has doubled to $4 billion, with an IPO now being considered, though it has been temporarily halted.\n\nSoftBank's founder and CEO, Masayoshi Son, has decided to shift the fund's focus from its previous venture capital model to direct investments in data centers, AI infrastructure, and companies like OpenAI, chip company ARM, and Intel. This strategic change has led to the departure of many managers from Vision Fund and a reallocation of focus towards the fund's parent company's investments. Despite these changes, SoftBank's investments in OpenAI and TikTok have yielded significant returns, with ARM's IPO and Intel's share investment contributing to a substantial increase in the fund's value.",
  "summary": "Even before Cohen joined SoftBank, it had made a number of investments in Israel - some of them successful - including in Lemonade and eToro.",
  "key_points": [
    "Yossi Cohen appointed as strategic advisor to Japanese investment firm SoftBank.",
    "Cohen focuses on AI, cloud processing, and chip companies for SoftBank.",
    "Cohen's investments in Wiz, Claroty, and Cato Networks proved profitable."
  ],
  "editors_take": "Yossi Cohen's promotion at SoftBank cements his influence in the firm's decision-making, as it shifts focus to data centers, AI infrastructure, and chip companies, areas where he has already demonstrated investment success.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}