Hillel is a Managing Director of Kennet Partners. Kennet is a leading international growth equity firm that supports entrepreneurial technology businesses with expansion capital to accelerate growth and build exceptional shareholder value.
Current and exited deals that Hillel has led include Eloomi, (HCM SaaS for the mid-market) which was acquired by Ceridian (CDAY:NYSE), Rimilia (robotic process automation SaaS for the finance function) which was acquired by BlackLine, Inc. (Nasdaq: BL), Dext (bookkeeping automation SaaS) which was acquired by Hg Capital, Rivo Software (health and safety SaaS) which was acquired by Sphera Solutions, Scoro (professional services automation platform), eStoreMedia (ecommerce analytics platform), Jiminny (conversational intelligence platform), Codility (SaaS platform for hiring engineers at scale), RealityMine (passive research SaaS), ABA English (mobile video-based language learning) and Spreadshirt (print on demand platform).
Prior to joining Kennet, Hillel was with ETV Capital, a provider of hybrid equity and debt capital to technology companies where he invested in numerous companies in Europe, Israel and the US. Earlier, Hillel worked as a Management Consultant at KPMG, and prior to that he gained operational experience at two growth stage technology companies.
Hillel is a CFA Charter holder. He holds a Bachelors Degree in Law from the University of South Africa, an Honours Degree in Economics and a Masters Degree in Economics from the University of Johannesburg.
Eric Filipek is US-Based Managing Director with 20 years of investment experience. Eric’s investment interest is in B2B SaaS with a particular emphasis on software companies that leverage AI to automate business processes along the customer lifecycle. Eric led the first institutional investments and is an active board member at Conversica (Building AI First augmented workforces), Impartner (Data-driven enterprise channel management) and SocialSurvey (Data-driven customer experience management). Eric led and exited investments in ThinkHR (Human Capital Management SaaS, acquired by Guidepost Growth Equity); KEMP Technologies (Software-based Application Distribution Controllers, acquired by Mill Point Capital); Recommind (AI First e-discovery software, acquired by OpenText); Schoolwires (K12 education SaaS, acquired by Blackboard); Netpro Computing (Systems management software, acquired by Quest Software); Consul Risk Management (Compliance software, acquired by IBM) and Aarohi (Storage semiconductors, acquired by Emulex).
Before joining Kennet, Eric was a Principal at Broadview, a leading mid-market M&A advisory firm, where is spent 6 years managing sell-side engagements for Founder-led technology companies. Prior to joining Broadview in 1994, Eric worked as a product marketing engineer at Intel Corporation. He has a BS degree from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Javier is an active speaker and lectures regularly on entrepreneurship and bootstrapping. Javier’s influence can be seen in the success of companies such as healthcare analytics business MedeAnalytics. He is on the boards of IntelePeer, Crossborder Solutions, Spatial Networks, Impartner, and Revolution Prep. He has been instrumental in a number of successful exits for founder-led businesses including NetPro, Adviva, MedeAnalytics, and Prolexic.
Since 2000, Javier has led Kennet’s US investment activities and platform initiatives including SaleSavant and DevSavant.
Before joining Kennet, Javier led investment bank Broadview’s West Coast software and services practice, and specialized in helping founder-led, bootstrapped businesses achieve high exit values.
Javier has also been an entrepreneur, having founded a software company targeting the financial services market. Previously, Javier gained international experience in corporate finance and capital markets at Morgan Stanley in New York and in London. Javier holds an MBA degree from Harvard Business School and a BS/BA in Finance and Computer Science from Georgetown University. He speaks fluent Spanish.
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Michael’s exited deals have included Nuxeo (acquired by Hyland Software), Rivo Software (acquired by Sphera), Sermo (acquired by Abry), Adviva (acquired by Viant), GoViral (acquired by AOL Inc.), Altitun (acquired by ADC Telecommunications), Chipidea (acquired by MIPS), Monis (acquired by Sungard Data Systems), Next Performance (acquired by Rakuten), No Wires Needed (acquired by Intersil), Paragon Software (acquired by Openwave), Sequans (NYSE:SQNS), STS (acquired by SMSC), and Ubizen (acquired by Cybertrust).
Michael founded Kennet in 1997. Earlier, he was responsible for establishing the international operations of investment firm Thompson Clive & Partners in Silicon Valley and in Paris.
Michael holds a B.A. with highest honours from Harvard University and received an M.Sc. from Cambridge University where he was a Marshall Scholar.
Born in the United States, Michael has lived in several European countries and speaks fluent French.