"I love the aging process," says American Jewish businessman Peter Kash. It's not perhaps what you would expect to hear from a healthcare investor who has written a book about healthy lifestyle and who looks much younger than his 64 years and demonstrates the lifestyle of a US anti-ager. But he has an explanation. "I always wanted to connect with my grandparents, and today I feel that I understand them better, thanks to my age. My grandfather was a Holocaust survivor who lost eight members of his family but always maintained optimism and love, and was a huge influence on my life."
Kash is known to Israelis mainly for his books "Success Tactics You Won't Learn in Business School" "Freedom from Disease" and "Take Two Tablets," which deals with the treatments described in the Bible. In the life sciences sector, he is known for his investments: he was a partner in several venture capital funds, including Two River Group with billionaire Prof. Arie Belldegrun. This is how he actually got to invest in Kite Pharma, which was sold for almost $12 billion in 2017, although today he says: "I profited from it, but it was not my work."
A more established fund of his invested in the Israeli companies Keryx and XTL. In the US, he has invested in a large number of companies in the medical field and served as an entrepreneur, chairman or director in many others. He came to Israel to address IATI's MIXiii International Life Science and Health-Tech week, currently taking place in Jerusalem.
Closing the circle with grandma
Today, Kash is involved, directly and as an investor, in several companies that he believes will change the fields of cancer and autoimmune diseases, one of which is Israeli. He is optimistic about cancer treatment and also Israel's future. "2026 will be your year," he tells "Globes" in an interview. And regarding cancer, he declares: "We have dramatically increased the chances of survival within a few years." And, as always, he has a story about that.
"My father was a pilot in World War II, and when the War of Independence broke out, he wanted to volunteer as a pilot, but his mother was dying of ovarian cancer, and he, the only son, stayed with her. He felt a sense of loss his whole life, until in 2004, at the age of 78, he came to Israel and worked as a volunteer packing medicines. I have my closure. I promised my father that I would fight ovarian cancer, and in the next two years the Israeli company I cofounded, TargImmune, is expected to enter clinical trials. I will call the trial EDNA, after my grandmother."
TargImmune is based on the research of Prof. Alex Levitzki and Dr. Maya Zigler, who serves as head of research. The technology developed enables the delivery of RNA molecules directly to cancer cells, in a way that mimics a viral infection and causes the body to destroy the tumor cells. The company has offices in Israel and Switzerland, and has raised $72 million to date. "Our lead investor had never invested in Israel before, and yet he proposed on his own initiative that we keep the R&D in Israel. On the other hand, the production will be done by the Swiss, who have no competitors in this field."
Among the many companies he is involved in, Kash specifically mentions two others that were founded in the US. iOncology, which has developed technology for immunological treatment of cancerous tumors, and Camelot BioCapital, which invests in cancer projects from a variety of universities, including the Hebrew University. "I’ve been in this field for 36 years," he says, "and in that time I’ve seen a dramatic change in survival with leukemia. I believe we’re eight years away from the same results in solid tumors. People tell me, ‘Don’t overdo it.’ But it was the same with polio, and it was the same with AIDS. The breakthrough came suddenly.
"The companies I’m involved with combine immunotherapy, gene therapy and cell therapy. Combining these areas, along with the new generation of drugs that are available, like antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), will cure solid tumors. And then we’ll do the same for autoimmune diseases."
Opportunity for Israelis
The main message of Kash's most successful book, "Success Tactics You Won't Learn in Business School" is that the world presents us with opportunities, but we must always be ready for them and also seek them out and be aware of them. Now, he says, is a time of opportunity for Israeli biomed. "I think that by 2026 Israel will be an economy on steroids. I said that in 2011 too and they didn't believe me, but I was right."
How will it happen?
"I strongly believe in the young Israeli generation. I've heard that they're called the 'sushi generation,' but they've proven that they can't be stopped or broken. Even the female surveillance soldiers who returned from captivity wanted to return to serve in the army. They're superheroes. By the way, I donated all the income from my book in Israel to Natal, because there is no choice but to make the country more resilient, to turn lemons into lemonade.
"I recommended that the government establish a sovereign wealth fund like in Norway, from gas and exit revenues, and another project that I have been promoting for years is to harness all the benefits of the airline clubs of Knesset members and direct them to the salaries of the best teachers in the system. In return, they will become mentors for other teachers.
"Another suggestion of mine is to break down the walls between universities. Scientists from different institutions in Israel are working on very similar projects. I would like the Office of the Chief Scientist to incentivize them to cooperate, because there is less managerial power in Israel than successful science."
In which biomed areas does Israel stand out in world terms?
"Robotics, among other things, for treating loneliness; food tech – mainly food rich in nutrients and enhancing cognition; nanotechnology, for example tiny robots for intra-body diagnostics; wearable sensors, and in cybersecurity, which you dominate, when it is applied the health system."
"The Chinese will return to the picture"
Is it more difficult for Israelis today to collaborate internationally?
"Scientists are scientists all over the world, just as plumbers are plumbers all over the world. Behind the scenes, everyone works together. The US, China, Europe, Israel and also Arab countries. I see China returning to the picture in terms of investments in Israel soon. At the same time, I would like to see more biomed companies emerging that are Israeli-American from the first day, in order to exploit the advantages of these two economies. The US gives huge R&D grants, tens of billions of dollars a year. It is worth taking advantage of that."
These resources are currently undergoing massive cuts.
"The combination of Israel and biomed will continue to receive money. It's the logical thing to do."
What's the atmosphere like in the world's venture capital sector today?
"After Covid, there have been difficult years for IPOs and venture capital. It was really hell in Europe. All the funds have been keeping their money close to their chests and not supporting new companies."
Are you yourself looking for new investments in Israel? "Big time. My funds have invested about $150 million in Israel so far. There are three things I want to accomplish before I retire: cure ovarian cancer, brain cancer in children, and Crohn's disease. I'm actively looking for collaborations in these fields. I'm not a researcher or a doctor, so I'm a supporting actor in these challenges, but there's an Oscar for supporting actors too."
Published by Globes, Israel business news – en.globes.co.il – on March 5, 2025.
© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd., 2025.
