Draft:Jacob Kobi Richter
Kobi Richter | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 24, 1945 |
| Education | Tel Aviv University (PhD) |
| Known for | Co-founding Orbotech and Medinol |
Jacob Kobi Richter (born 24 December 1945) is an Israeli entrepreneur, and former Israeli Air Force fighter pilot. He co-founded the inspection-equipment company Orbotech and, the stent manufacturer Medinol. He was later chairman of the civic movement Darkenu ("Our Way").[1][2]
Early life
[edit]Richter grew up on Kibbutz Ramat Yohanan.[3] As a teenager he was interviewed there by the psychologist Bruno Bettelheim for his book The Children of the Dream. Richter has said he told Bettelheim he wanted to be both a pilot and a scientist.[2][4]
Military service and education
[edit]Richter served in the Israeli Air Force for 22 years. He flew Dassault Ouragan aircraft with 107 Squadron and took part in the Six-Day War. He later flew Mirage III fighters with 117 Squadron during the War of Attrition and the Yom Kippur War. His victories include the first kill achieved with the Shafrir 2 missile and one shared with Yehuda Koren.
During his service he earned a PhD in neuroscience at Tel Aviv University and worked as a visiting researcher at the MIT Artificial Intelligence Laboratory.[5]
Career
[edit]Orbotech
[edit]Richter co-founded Orbot in 1983, a company that developed automated optical inspection systems for printed circuit boards.[4] Orbot merged with Optrotech in 1992 to form Orbotech, and Richter left the company.[3] He later became a director and its largest shareholder.[4] When KLA-Tencor agreed to acquire Orbotech in March 2018, Globes reported that he would receive about $180 million for his stake.[6]
Marathon and Medcon
[edit]Richter co-founded Marathon, an early Israeli venture capital fund, and Medcon, a cardiology information-management software company listed on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange.[3] McKesson agreed to acquire Medcon in 2005 in a deal valued at $105 million.[7]
Medinol
[edit]Richter and his wife Judith founded Medinol, an Israeli coronary stent manufacturer, in December 1992. Under a 1995 agreement, Boston Scientific distributed Medinol's NIR stent worldwide.[8] Medinol later sued Boston Scientific over breach of contract and copying of its technology. In September 2005, the companies settled, with Boston Scientific paying Medinol $750 million and returning its 22% stake.[9][10][8] Richter was Medinol's chief technology officer until becoming emeritus.[11]
Other investments
[edit]Richter and his wife are shareholders in Nostromo Energy, an energy-storage company, and he sits on its board.[12][13] In March 2026, he was reported to be among the investors in a group led by Assaf Rappaport that agreed to acquire control of Reshet 13 from Len Blavatnik.[14]
Public activity
[edit]Richter was chairman of Darkenu, an Israeli civic movement, and resigned in 2019 to enter politics. On 26 June 2019 he appeared alongside Ehud Barak, Yair Golan and Yifat Bitton at the announcement of Barak's new party, later named the Israel Democratic Party.[15][16]
Personal life
[edit]Richter is married to Judith Richter.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ "Judge to rule whether Darkenu's election campaign activities are political". The Times of Israel. 7 August 2019. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
- 1 2 Shavit, Ari (5 December 2001). "The best man". Haaretz. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Kobi Richter vs. the world". Globes. 31 October 2001. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Kobi Richter: KLA wanted to buy Orbotech 35 years ago". Globes. 29 March 2018. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
- ↑ Shemesh, Karen (2 July 2026). "Kobi Richter has spent a lifetime reinventing industries – now he wants to reinvent Israel". Ynetnews. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
- ↑ "KLA-Tencor buying Orbotech for $3.4b". Globes. 19 March 2018. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
- ↑ "IT: McKesson to acquire Medcon for $105 million". Fierce Healthcare. 20 June 2005. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
- 1 2 "Boston Scientific Settles with Medinol for $750 Million". Medical Device & Diagnostic Industry. 2005. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
- ↑ "Boston Scientific, Medinol settle row". The Boston Globe. 22 September 2005. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
- ↑ "Form 8-K: Boston Scientific and Medinol announce settlement". U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. 21 September 2005. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
- ↑ "Dr. Kobi Richter". Medinol Group. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
- ↑ "Shattuck invests in green energy firm Nostromo". The Jerusalem Post. 15 February 2021. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
- ↑ "Kobi Richter, Nostromo Energy Ltd: Profile and Biography". Bloomberg Markets. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
- ↑ "Fresh from $32 billion exit, Wiz founders turn to Israeli media with $125 million bet on TV broadcaster". CTech. 17 March 2026. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
- ↑ Magid, Jacob (26 June 2019). "Declaring Netanyahu's time is up, Ehud Barak announces formation of new party". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
- ↑ "One moment, please..." thejewishweekly.com. Archived from the original on 2025-07-18. Retrieved 2026-09-19.