Michael R. Benezra
Managing Partner at Erez Capital
Summary
Michael R. Benezra is the CEO of Signal87 AI and Partner at Crewstone International. He founded Erez Capital in 2022 and served as the General Partner until 2025. His previous roles include serving as Consul of Innovation and Economic Affairs at the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the Northeastern U.S., where he facilitated over $500 million in funding for Israeli startups and brokered the first international mRNA vaccine supply agreement between Moderna and Israel.
He co-founded the GK Fund, a fund providing capital and mentorship to BIPOC-led startups . He has also held positions at the U.S. Department of Commerce and Harvard Law School. He holds a Master’s degree in Government from Harvard University and a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Washington . He was recognized in the Boston Business Journal's “40 Under 40” list in 2021.
BOARD ROLES
- Venture Partner - IHQ Ventures (MIT Fund)
- CXO Advisory Board Member - Brex
- Judge, Advisory Board - MassChallenge
- Advisory Board - Housing Forward
SCHOLARSHIP
Michael R. Benezra - How Policymakers Started the Federal Charter School Movement: A Case Study in Policy Entrepreneurship. May 2016 - Harvard University.
EDUCATION
- Harvard University, Graduate School of Arts & Sciences (GSAS), Department of Government, Masters of Arts (AM) in American Government.
- University of Washington, Bachelor of Arts in Social Sciences
DISTINCTIONS
- National Society of Collegiate Scholars, Harvard University 2012
- Phi Sigma Theta, National Honor Society, 2011
- Mortar Board,National Honor Society, 2010
- National Political Science Honor Society, 2010
NEWS
How I launched Erez Capital and what other EMs can learn from it. - OpenVC
Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots Podcast with Michael Benezra - Podcast
SPEAKING