Kushner's equity fund to invest Saudi billions in Israeli startups
3 Min Read
Affinity Fund has raised over $3 billion, with $2 billion coming from the Saudi sovereign wealth fund.
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Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia with Jared Kushner, a close ally during the Trump administration, and Ivanka Trump (Reuters)
Affinity Partners, Jared Kushner’s latest private-equity fund, plans to invest millions of dollars of Saudi money in Israeli startups, according to people knowledgeable of the investment plan.
The fund has raised over 3 billion dollars, with 2 billion forcefully flowing from Riyadh’s sovereign-wealth fund, already eyeing two Israeli firms that it will be investing in, according to the sources cited by the Wall Street Journal.
Read more: Why MBS really gave Kushner $2 billion
This would be the first (known) time that it is revealed that Saudi money will be directly going to “Israel,” which poses as KSA’s keenness to do business with “Israel,” although very surprisingly, they do not have diplomatic relations.
After Donald Trump’s son-in-law and former senior White House advisor Jared Kushner brokered ties between “Israel” and a number of Arab countries, including the UAE, the former has been going all the way in doing business with Arab countries.
Meanwhile, since Kushner left the White House, he has been taking on some unfinished business. Kushner, through tapping his Middle East contacts to develop his firm – a business venture that will earn him regardless of whether his investments win or fail.
Saudi officials agreed for their funds, through Affinity Partners, could invest in Israeli startups – to which Mohammad bin Salman had to agree – according to the sources.
Kushner and his team declined to reveal which companies the fund will be investing in and how much money will be directed to “Israel.”
The Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) has taken on the role of turning the tables in the Saudi economy, which has been attempting to stir its dependency away from oil profits, by investments in new industries and real estate developments according to WSJ.
Recently, it has started a mega-project in a utopian, futuristic city, Neom, regarding which MBS told advisors that he hopes Israelis will play integral roles in developing Neom, particularly in the biotechnology and cybersecurity sectors.
Before leaving the White House, Kushner had tried to normalize relations between Indonesia and “Israel,” to which there was no avail.
“Jared Kushner can open doors for you,” said Ayelet Frish, the Israeli strategic advisor and branding expert who arranged meetings for Affinity, and who serves as a chief strategic advisor under Shimon Peres.
“He can open doors for Israeli companies even in countries where we don’t have real relationships, like Saudi Arabia and Indonesia.”
