Insights & News / Simon Jaffa

Adv. Micky Barnea, Adv. Simon Jaffa, Adv. Ariella Dreyfuss, Adv. Eyal Nachshon, and Adv. Liat Keisary will attend the annual International Bar Association (IBA) Conference in Copenhagen. They look forward to a week of meetings with friends and colleagues from around the world to discuss market developments, cross-border work, and opportunities for collaboration. During the conference, Adv. Liat Keisary, a partner at our firm, will speak on a panel exploring LGBTQ+ family rights, cross-border parenthood, and surrogacy. She will also moderate a panel on legal marketing in the digital age and the professional ethics of social media use.

Our firm represented Thermo Fisher in its participation in CytoReason's USD 80 million financing round, alongside notable investors OurCrowd, Nvidia, and Pfizer. CytoReason provides pharmaceutical and therapeutic leaders with molecular-level insights and advanced AI tools that support data-driven decision-making in healthcare and the life sciences. Adv. Simon Jaffa, Adv. Ariella Dreyfuss, and Adv. Rahaf Awawdi represented Thermo Fisher in the transaction.

Adv. Simon Jaffa, Adv. Yuval Lazi, Adv. Mayer Winkler, Adv. Tal Freilich, Adv. Nofar Rose David, and Adv. Dana Ben Yehuda represented UK-based investment management firm One Peak Partners in its investment in Coro, an Israeli cybersecurity startup.

Shift4 Payments, an American public company, has acquired Finaro for USD 575 million. Adv. Simon Jaffa, Adv. Ariella Dreyfuss, Adv. Mayer Winkler, Adv. Harel Perlmutter, Adv. Hanna Daher, and Adv. Fadi Atallah advised on the transaction.

We represented Inven Capital, Volvo Group Venture Capital, and Ombu Group in the sale of their shares in Driivz to Vontier, a global mobility company. Adv. Simon Jaffa, Adv. Ariella Dreyfuss, Adv. Harel Perlmutter, and Adv. Fadi Atallah advised on the transaction.

Our office has served as legal counsel for Niio, a unique digital art platform, since its establishment. The startup recently completed a USD 15 million fundraising round. Adv. Simon Jaffa and Adv. Ariella Dreyfuss also represented Niio in a strategic partnership and financing agreement with Samsung Display, which will exhibit on hundreds of its frames the digital artwork Niio offers.

Adv. Simon Jaffa and Adv. Ariella Dreyfuss represented Knorr-Bremse, the German global market leader for braking systems for rail and commercial vehicles, in its USD 10 million investment in the Israeli railway safety company Rail Vision.

We represented a group of institutional lenders, including Psagot and Amitim, in a deal to finance Shikun & Binui Group's construction and operation of a power plant in Ashdod, for approx. ILS 600 million. Amitim and Psagot were represented by Adv. Simon Jaffa, Adv. Samuel Henri Samuel, and Adv. Rotem Orbach.  

Our firm was chosen to provide the Israel section of a briefing on governmental measures taken during COVID-19 in key jurisdictions. The publication offers a general summary of the law and is aimed to assist businesses through these ever changing times.

We represented Inven Capital, a Czech-based VC fund and a shareholder in Cyberx Israel, an Israeli IoT & ICS cybersecurity startup, in Cyberx's sale to Microsoft for USD 165 million. CyberX has gained tremendous customer growth, with a number of leading companies using its IoT security platform to protect their web facilities. Cyberx has raised about USD 48 million since its inception in 2013. This is Microsoft’s eighth acquisition in Israel in the last decade.

Adv. Simon Jaffa take a look at the challenges and opportunities in the Israeli fintech sector in this short article.

Our firm represented Sartorius, a leading multinational corporation in the life science, research and development, and biopharmaceutical industry, in a transaction to acquire a majority stake in the Israeli cell culture developer Biological Industries. Sartorius acquired the majority of Biological Industries shares by way of secondary purchase of shares from the Development Company of Kibbutz Beit Haemek and private equity fund Fortissimo Capital, in consideration for USD 50 million. In addition, as part of the transaction, Sartorius and the Development Company of Kibbutz Beit Haemek signed an option to purchase/sell additional holdings in the future.

Israel is known around the world as the “Start-Up Nation.” Adv. Simon Jaffa, our founding partner, explains to PSMG how Israeli law firms must adapt to this changing technological world.

Our firm represented the Danish catering and cleaning services company ISS Global in the disposition of all its holdings in Israel. ISS was advised by Adv. Simon Jaffa, Adv. Yuval Lazi, Adv. Danny Boguslavsky, and Adv. Chen Nadir.

Our firm represented Israel Natural Gas Lines (INGL) in the conclusion of a detailed agreement with Greek company Energean for the transfer of the near shore and onshore part of the pipeline that will deliver gas from the Karish and Tanin FPSO into the Israeli national gas transmission grid. As consideration, INGL will pay Energean ILS 369 million.

Our firm represented Axcel in the acquisition of Phase One from Silverfleet Capital. Axcel is a leading Nordic private equity firm focusing on mid-market companies, with a broad base of both Nordic and international investors.

Our firm represented Exclusive Networks in its acquisition of 70% of the shares of Israeli company Securewave Ltd, one of Israel’s leading independent cybersecurity VADs.

Our firm represented Senetas Corporation in a USD 8 million investment in the Israeli cyber company Votiro Cybersec Global Limited.

Barnea advised an investor on a USD 60 million investment in  Claroty, an Israeli company that specializes in cybersecurity for industrial control networks.

Barnea represented ADM Capital, a UK-based investment fund, in an investment round in the Israeli plant-breeding startup Rootility.

Our firm represented Greenyard Fresh, a global market leader of fresh, frozen, and prepared fruits and vegetables, in the acquisition of 49% of Mor International.

Barnea advised on CVC Capital Partners' USD 703 million acquisition of Theramex, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries' global women’s health portfolio.

We represented Israeli startup EXO Technologies, a developer of GPS technology for autonomous and connected vehicle applications, in its acquisition by the US corporation Lear.

UK Israel Business is a bilateral chamber of commerce that connects British and Israeli businesses across all sectors. As part of its activity, it invited a delegation of British executives to Israel. The delegation came to explore possible investment avenues in technological projects and visited entities in the technology scene. A final event for the delegation was held in our offices.

Adv. Simon Jaffa, one of the firm's founding partners, was interviewed by Legal Business Magazine on the risks Israeli law firms are taking when advising startups and early-stage growth companies.

Barnea and the UK Israel Tech Hub are co-hosting delegation from the UK, who will be visiting Israel for the first time to look for investment and cooperation opportunities, mainly in the mobility field.

Barnea, together with the Israel-South Africa Chamber of Commerce, is hosting today a cocktail event to promote networking between South African businessmen living in Israel and Israeli businessmen.

Barnea is hosting today a delegation from Germany visiting Israel for the first time to seek out investment and cooperation opportunities, mainly in the real estate and insurance tech fields.

Adv. Simon Jaffa, a founding partner, was interviewed by Calcalist on the opportunities for Israeli investors created by falling real estate prices in the UK in the wake of the Brexit referendum results

A moment before the votes for Brexit are cast, Adv. Simon Jaffa, one of our firm's founding partners, was interviewed by The Jerusalem Post on the vote's possible implications  on Israeli companies with a presence in the UK.

Adv. Simon Jaffa, Adv. Ariella Dreyfuss, Adv. Itay Gura, and Adv. Karin Kashi represented Covercy, a fintech startup in the foreign exchange and remittance sector, in a financing round led by SGVC.

Adv. Simon Jaffa, an M&A expert with extensive experience in cross-border transactions, was interviewed for the August edition of the China Business Law Journal for an article on China’s interests in the Middle East. The journal selected Simon to provide the Israeli perspective in recognition of his standing in Israel’s M&A field. To read the full article, click here (p.109).

Corporate Live Wire held a Banking & Finance Roundtable with experts from around the world, including Simon Jaffa. The international experts examined the recent regulatory changes and developments in each expert's respective jurisdiction.

As an Israeli expert in Banking & Finance, Adv. Simon Jaffa participated in a Q&A by the leading CorporateLivewire website.  Simon reviewed the recent regulatory changes in the area, key trends expected to be seen over the coming year.

The Legal Business magazine has dedicated its April edition to Israel, with a focus on current topics and trends in the country. Michael Barnea and Simon Jaffa were interviewed regarding Chinese interest in doing business in Israel. "In some respects because of the geopolitical  limitation, there is less competition for certain deals. Investors may not face as much competition as businesses in the US and UK," says Barnea.  

As an expert in the Infrastructure and Gas industries, Simon Jaffa was interviewed by the Legal Business magazine, concerning the current uncertainty arising from the anti-trust commissioner’s intervention in the ownership structure of Israel’s gas fields, saying: 'all this uncertainty puts off foreign companies coming into Israel and investing'.

Despite the conflict in Gaza, 2014 was an extremely busy year for M&A transactions in the Israeli high-tech market. Several partners at leading law firms, including Adv. Simon Jaffa, were interviewed by The Lawyer to review last year’s results and discuss the technology market.

Corporate Live Wire hosted an M&A roundtable featuring five experts from around the world, including Adv. Simon Jaffa. The participants examined recent legal and market developments in their respective jurisdictions. The roundtable offered an in-depth analysis of current M&A trends, including the key risks and challenges of cross-border transactions, tax considerations, and the resilience of technology-driven investment in Israel.

Israel’s conflict with Hamas-controlled Gaza is escalating. The conflict broke out on July 8, when Israel launched "Operation Protective Edge" in response to Hamas launching rockets toward Israel. Is this still a place where lawyers can do international business?

Legislation intended to loosen the stranglehold of a few conglomerates on the economy is set to trigger a surge in sell-offs and overseas interest.

As Israel’s natural gas market evolves, national policy decisions are needed to balance the interests of the public and investors, domestic demand and export opportunities, and the needs of current and future generations. Read the full article in Haaretz by Adv. Simon Jaffa, founding partner of Barnea and head of its Infrastructure and Project Finance Department.