Ex-Mossad chief Cohen takes senior advisor role at SoftBank

Yossi Cohen, former head of Israel's Mossad intelligence agency, has moved into a more senior strategic advisor role at the Japanese investment fund SoftBank. He will now focus on the fund's new ventures in data centers for AI and cloud processing, and investments in related chip companies.

Cohen joined SoftBank five years ago, heading Israeli operations for the Vision Fund 2. His previous focus was on cybersecurity investments within the Israeli market. He was instrumental in identifying and participating in successful investments in companies such as Wiz, Claroty, and Cato Networks. These investments have yielded significant profits for the Vision Fund.

For example, the fund's investment in Wiz, made at a valuation of $12 billion in 2025, was later sold at a $32 billion valuation, generating hundreds of millions of shekels in profit. Similarly, an investment in Claroty at the end of 2021, valued at $2 billion, saw the company's valuation double to $4 billion, with an IPO considered. Cato Networks also saw its valuation increase from $3 billion to $4.8 billion since SoftBank's initial investment.

While Cohen has been spending significant time in the US and Europe meeting with industry executives, no specific investments in these new areas have been publicly announced yet. His new role brings him closer to SoftBank's top decision-making levels and its founder, Masayoshi Son.