Founder & General Partner, Viola Credit
Ruthi is the Founder & General Partner of Viola Credit, Viola Group’s venture lending investment arm. She is a veteran of lending in Israel with 25 years of experience in debt, including hi-tech, mezzanine and distressed lending.
In 2000 Ruthi co-founded Viola Credit, Israel’s pioneer venture lending fund. Under her leadership, Viola Credit has raised five different funds and closed one of the largest distressed deals in Israel.
Ruthi holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics and an MBA concentrating in Finance from Tel-Aviv University.
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
Before Viola, Ruthi was the Manager of Bank Hapoalim’s Hi-Tech Finance Division, where she established the Bank’s venture lending activities. Under her guidence was the first Israeli bank to launch such an initiative.
THINGS YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW ABOUT RUTHI
- Ruthi is especially interested in creative lending structures: “I like to meet with smart and creative people and learn something new every day from the companies I work with or am looking at.”
- Her tip to entrepreneurs about her investment strategy: “Come prepared, communicate straight to the point and be honest.”
- She loves running, reading and art, and she’s also a basketball fan – go Hapoel Jerusalem!
- She is involved with a variety of philanthropic and community organizations, including Yeladim – Fair Change for Children (a non-profit organization that runs social and educational programming for underprivileged youth in Israel), and IVN (a venture philanthropy network of high-tech entrepreneurs, business executives, venture capitalists, corporations and philanthropists from Israel and the US) and ORR Shalom –(a non-profit organization that rescues Israeli children who have undergone severe abuse, neglect and tragedy).
- Her grandfather was an important source of inspiration for her: “He was an entrepreneur and an intellectual, and we were very close.”
- One of her favorite mantras is “Never compromise on boredom. Learn something new every day.”
