Unlikely Partners spotlights the Israelis and Palestinians who dare to build bridges where others see only walls. Through intimate conversations with people from both sides, the show reveals stories of cooperation, innovation, and hope that rarely make headlines but can help make for a better future. Unlikely Partners is hosted by Yadin Kaufmann, a longtime American-Israeli venture capitalist who has spent years building business connections that benefit both Israelis and Palestinians.
Yadin’s Organizations
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What happens when cutting-edge technology brings together people from different backgrounds to solve a challenge at the heart of the AI revolution?
In this episode of Unlikely Partners, Chemi Peres — venture capitalist, tech leader, and son of former Israeli President Shimon Peres — joins Yadin for a conversation with Hesham Taha and Raanan Gewirtzman of Teramount. The Jerusalem-based semiconductor company has developed a new way to connect optical fibers directly to computer chips, helping make the high-speed data connections powering AI and next-generation data centers easier to scale.
Hesham, an Arab-Israeli from the Lower Galilee, is Teramount’s co-founder and CEO. Raanan, a Jewish Israeli, is the company’s Strategy and Business Development Advisor and was its first investor. In May 2026, Teramount was acquired by global electronics company Molex.
Hesham and Raanan share how Teramount grew from an ambitious idea into a company with global reach, the challenges of building deep-tech in Israel, and the partnership that helped drive its success. Together with Chemi, they discuss innovation, entrepreneurship, and the power of collaboration across different communities.
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CREDITS:
Yadin Kaufmann, Chemi Peres, Hesham Taha, Raanan Gerwirtzman, Maya Rackoff, Alon Schwartz, Adi Shaham