How did it all start?
How did it all start?
Did you know that most of today's plastic will stay on earth for over 400 years, polluting the earth and the oceans with dangerous microplastics that will not biodegrade for hundreds of years?
With no holistic end-of-life solution in sight, leading global fashion brands are racing to find new sustainable means to handle their products’ lifecycles.
In 2020, we established Balena to develop high-performance, bio-based, biodegradable, and recyclable materials for durable consumer goods to replace toxic polluting plastics with genuine circular material solutions.
The team
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David Roubach
Founder and CEO
David leads Balena’s strategy and long-term vision. Prior to founding Balena, he co-founded “The Fridge,” a nonprofit focused on reducing food waste. David studied Business Administration at Reichman University and majored in Fashion and Sustainability at the University of Bocconi in Milan. David is an alumni of the Zell entrepreneurship program.
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Yael Joyce Vantu
CPO
Yael leads the day-to-day implementation of Balena’s product design and collaboration strategy. Before Balena, Yael was a footwear designer for Roberto Cavalli and was recently picked as one of Vogue talent’s 200 emerging designers. Yael can speak 5 languages and she’s an illustrator for Hermès.
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Dr. Yanir Shaked
CSO
Yanir is in charge of all the research, development, creation and testing of all our materials. Yanir has a Ph.D in Plastics Engineering and is the Founder and CEO of Plastics App, a research and development platform for plastic materials, processing and application development. Yanir was the president of Israel Polymers and Plastic Society from 2016-2018.
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Galy Levy
Head of R&D
With over 4 years of experience in circular material and waste solution research, Galy leads the ongoing research and development at Balena. She has a Masters degree in Polymer Engineering and is passionate about providing creative solutions to everyday development challenges. When Galy is not doing material tests in the lab she is a passionate painter and beach lover.
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Pavle Vergun
Head of Marketing
With over 15 years as a senior marketer at innovative global brands such as Red Bull, Reebok, and adidas Pavel has impressive track record of implementing long-term marketing strategies across brand, digital, and commercial channels. He has launched numerous renowned global campaigns and fashion collaborations with world designers like Pyer Moss, Victoria Beckham, and Maison Margiela.
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Tzachi Shem Tov
Head of Operations
Tzachi leads Balena’s daily operations and oversees all of the company's business activities. Previously, Tzachi worked in a leading high-tech company, and before that in education management. Tzachi holds two B.A degrees, in Business and in Psychology, and has published articles about human and computer Interactions. He was a participant of the Zell Entrepreneurship program, and loves playing basketball and the piano.
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Yael Roth
R&D Manager
Yael is a seasoned polymers and plastics engineer with over five years of experience in customer relations and leading R&D projects. Proficient in polymer chemical synthesis, Yael excels in design, experimental planning, and process optimization. When Yael takes a break from the lab, you can catch her turning her iPad into a digital playground with Procreate, and brewing up herbal medicine extracts at home!
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Rotem Biksenspaner
Head of Brand Design
Rotem drives the way the Balena brand looks and feels, taking care of all different aspects of branding, design and illustration. He holds a B.des from the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem, where he is also lecturing these days. Rotem is the creator of many unique, cutting-edge brands across diverse industries, and is also a poet and a published author.
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Dalia Diamond
Digital Manager
Dalia is the voice behind Balena, crafting compelling, valuable and educational content that showcases Balena in its true light. Before Balena, Dalia helped small businesses grow through digital strategy and social consultancy while pursuing and completing her MBA. When not at Balena, Dalia reads, travels and hops from cafe to cafe.