SoftBank Elevates Former Mossad Chief Yossi Cohen to Strategic Advisor in AI Push

Japanese investment giant SoftBank has promoted former Mossad director Yossi Cohen to a senior strategic advisory role, according to Israeli business daily Globes. The appointment brings Cohen closer to founder and CEO Masayoshi Son’s inner circle as the fund pivots aggressively toward AI infrastructure, data centers, and chip investments. Cohen, who joined SoftBank in July 2021 to head Israeli operations within Vision Fund 2, will keep his focus on the Israeli market while expanding into the fund’s new priority areas.

A Strategic Shift from Cybersecurity to AI Infrastructure

Cohen’s elevation comes at a critical juncture for SoftBank, which has dramatically reoriented its investment strategy under Son’s leadership. According to senior tech-industry executives cited by Globes, Cohen now spends extended periods in the United States and Europe, meeting executives in the AI and semiconductor fields and laying groundwork for potential deals. There has not yet been a known investment in which he actively participated in his new capacity, suggesting the role is still formative.

His new portfolio will focus on financing and developing data centers for AI and cloud processing, as well as investing in chip companies — a significant departure from his earlier concentration on Israeli cybersecurity startups, where he built a formidable track record since joining the fund at the height of the 2021 tech boom.

Cohen’s Cybersecurity Track Record in Israel

During his five years at SoftBank, Cohen focused on cybersecurity investments in the Israeli market, taking part in deals including Wiz, Claroty, and Cato Networks. The Wiz investment proved particularly lucrative: Vision Fund joined the cloud security company in a secondary fundraising in 2025 at a $12 billion valuation. Roughly a year later, SoftBank sold its stake at a company valuation of $32 billion, banking several hundred million shekels in profit.

Cohen also led a $150 million investment in Claroty at the end of 2021, a company specializing in cybersecurity for industrial plants and physical infrastructure, at a valuation of approximately $2 billion. The investment coincided with Claroty’s merger with Israeli company Medigate, which protects medical equipment in hospitals. While SoftBank did not continue investing in Claroty in recent years, the company’s valuation has since doubled to $4 billion, with an IPO reportedly considered but since frozen.

Cato Networks, founded by cybersecurity veteran Shlomo Kramer, was valued at $3 billion when SoftBank first invested in 2023, rising to $4.8 billion last year as the company weighed a possible IPO.

SoftBank’s Broader Israeli Investment History

Cohen’s appointment builds on a longer history of SoftBank engagement with the Israeli tech ecosystem. Before Cohen joined, the fund had invested in Israeli companies Lemonade and eToro, both of which went on to successful Wall Street IPOs. However, the fund’s Israeli portfolio has not been without its write-offs, including Cybereason, which was taken over by Steven Mnuchin’s Liberty Fund and later sold to Levelblue for an undisclosed low amount, as well as StreamElements and Rapid API.

Despite these setbacks, SoftBank has been viewed as an active, dominant fund in Israel, willing to change management and even product strategy quickly. This hands-on approach has made it a significant player in the startup ecosystem, even as its overall strategy shifted.

The Vision Fund Evolution and Cohen’s Path

Cohen joined SoftBank at the height of the tech boom in summer 2021, under Vision Fund’s UK branch, managed by senior investors recruited from Deutsche Bank by Son. His direct manager was Rajeev Misra, then-CEO of the Vision Fund. With the 2022-2023 European tech crisis, senior managers including Misra left to found an investment fund in the UAE.

Cohen subsequently moved to Vision Fund’s US branch, explaining that Israeli companies aim to grow in the US market and that 80% of the fund’s deals were there. SoftBank has since shifted away from the Vision Fund’s classic venture capital model — large capital dispersed across many investments — toward direct investments by the parent company in data centers, AI infrastructure, and marquee names like OpenAI, ARM, and Intel.

Dozens of managers have left the Vision Fund in recent years; those remaining manage existing investments, including stakes in TikTok owner ByteDance and OpenAI. Cohen’s elevation appears designed to keep him close to top decision-making and to Son personally as the structure evolves.

SoftBank’s AI Investment Numbers Tell the Story

The scale of SoftBank’s AI pivot shows in its financial disclosures. ARM, still SoftBank-controlled, is considered one of the best chip flotations in recent years, with its stock up 400% in two years. Earlier this month, SoftBank reported an $8.2 billion profit on Intel shares bought when the stock was at its lowest, bringing the fund’s total profit to $2.2 billion in the second quarter of 2026.

The Vision Fund recorded a $1.7 billion increase in the value of its investments in the second quarter of 2026, driven by ByteDance’s rising valuation. SoftBank holds OpenAI shares via Vision Fund 2, though it did not report a profit-and-loss change from OpenAI that quarter. In the first quarter, the fund reported a staggering $42.1 billion rise in value on a sharp increase in OpenAI’s valuation.

SoftBank has said its OpenAI investment was valued at nearly $80 billion after investing $34.6 billion, and has pledged to invest $64.6 billion in Sam Altman’s company, raising a $40 billion bridge loan and selling shares in T-Mobile and Nvidia to fund the commitment. The figures illustrate the scale of Son’s AI bet and the role Cohen is now expected to play in identifying opportunities.

From Intelligence Chief to Tech Investor: A Broader Israeli Pattern

Cohen’s path from Mossad director — a post he held from 2016 to 2021, where he led covert operations including against Iran’s nuclear program — to senior tech investor reflects a broader pattern in Israel’s innovation economy: a defense-to-startup pipeline in which senior military and intelligence figures move into venture capital and technology leadership.

This pipeline is a defining feature of Israeli tech, bringing unique skills in risk assessment, strategic thinking, and operational execution to the startup world. Cohen’s cybersecurity portfolio, dominated by Israeli companies, is a testament to the strength of this ecosystem and the trust that global investors place in Israeli technology. His new role at SoftBank, focusing on AI infrastructure and chips, suggests that Israeli expertise is now being applied to the next wave of technological disruption.

Israel’s Place in the Global AI Investment Boom

Cohen’s elevation also speaks to Israel’s growing importance in the global AI investment landscape. While the country is not typically associated with large-scale data center development or chip manufacturing, its strengths in software, cybersecurity, and AI algorithms make it a critical player in the broader value chain, and figures like Cohen keep Israel visible in boardrooms from Tokyo to Silicon Valley.

That Cohen will keep operating in the Israeli market while focusing on SoftBank’s new priorities suggests Israel remains a key source of deal flow and innovation — and that SoftBank values an on-the-ground presence there even as its strategy becomes more concentrated and infrastructure-focused.

What Lies Ahead for Cohen and SoftBank

The tech community will be watching for Cohen’s first major deal in the AI and chip space. His cybersecurity record demonstrates an ability to identify promising companies early and navigate complex negotiations — skills that should translate to data centers and semiconductors. The lack of any known investment in his new capacity suggests he is still in the exploratory phase, building relationships and assessing opportunities.

For SoftBank, the appointment is part of a broader effort to streamline decision-making and bring trusted advisors closer to Son. The pivot to AI infrastructure is a bet that this cycle of disruption will be defined by massive capital expenditures in computing power — and SoftBank intends to be at the center. Cohen’s intelligence background, combined with five years in the fund’s investment operations, makes him a valuable asset in navigating the geopolitical complexities of the AI race.

No Official Comment Yet

Neither Cohen nor SoftBank has responded to the Globes report. The lack of official confirmation is not unusual for a fund historically reticent about internal changes, and the report’s details align with SoftBank’s known strategic direction.

For now, Cohen’s elevation signals SoftBank’s confidence in his abilities and its continued commitment to the Israeli market — reinforcing the narrative of Israel as a critical node in the global technology ecosystem, producing leaders who navigate both the security and commercial dimensions of the digital age.

Conclusion: A Strategic Appointment with Regional Implications

Cohen’s enhanced role at SoftBank is more than a personal milestone; it reflects the changing dynamics of global tech investment and Israel’s place within them. As SoftBank doubles down on AI infrastructure and chips, Cohen’s cybersecurity experience and deep connections in the Israeli tech ecosystem position him to help shape the fund’s next chapter — and underscore the enduring value of the defense-to-startup pipeline.

The full scope of Cohen’s new responsibilities remains to be seen, but the move signals that SoftBank is serious about leveraging Israeli talent as it navigates the defining technological shift of our time. For Israeli tech, it is another validation of the country’s ability to punch above its weight on the world stage.

This article was prepared with the assistance of AI-based research tools. Information is based on reporting from Globes, the Jerusalem Post, and CryptoBriefing. All facts have been traced to the source material; no statements have been independently verified by SoftBank or Yossi Cohen.

By Hannah Berg, Staff Writer

This article was produced with AI-assisted research and editorial support. Reporting is based on sources cited in the article.