HERZLYIA PITUACH, Israel and MENLO PARK, Calif., Nov. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Benchmark Capital, a leading early-stage high-technology venture capital firm, today announced that Gideon Barak has joined the firm as a venture partner in Israel. Gideon will leverage his extensive company-building experience to work with the firm's portfolio, as well as assist the firm to invest in new opportunities. "Gideon is a cornerstone of the Israeli high-tech industry. He has helped build many successful companies and has become a trusted advisor to numerous top Israeli entrepreneurs," said Nachman Shelef, general partner at Benchmark Capital. "Gideon's vast experience will be a real asset to our companies, and we look forward to building great companies together." Gideon brings more than 25 years of experience in consumer electronics and wireless technologies to his new role at Benchmark. Previously, he was co- founder and CEO of DSP Communications (NASDAQ:DSPC), a developer of chips for mobile phones, which was acquired by Intel for $1.6 billion. He also served as Chairman of Butterfly VLSI, a company which developed Bluetooth chipsets and became the short-range wireless division of Texas Instruments. He co- founded Envara, which developed wireless LAN networks and was acquired by Intel to become part of its WiMAX development group. He was also an investor and active board member in Modem Art, which was acquired by Agere Systems. Gideon currently serves as Chairman of IXI Mobile and Advasense. "Benchmark has a proven track record of turning young companies into market leaders," said Gideon Barak. "I am proud to join the firm as a venture partner, and I look forward to working closely with this world-class team of venture capital professionals." About Benchmark Capital Benchmark Capital was founded in 1995 to help talented entrepreneurs build great technology companies. Benchmark's partners take a team-oriented, labor- intensive approach to venture investing to deliver a superior level of service to the firm's portfolio companies. Benchmark's portfolio includes franchise companies such as eBay, Equinix, Handspring, JAMDAT, Juniper Networks, Red Hat, and ZipRealty. Managing more than $3 billion in committed venture capital, Benchmark focuses on investing in entrepreneurs with original ideas. For more information on Benchmark, visit its website at http://www.benchmark.com/. EDITORIAL CONTACTS: Ilan Vagenshtein Media-Tec Public Relations For Benchmark Capital Israel 972-3-673-9870 972-544-305-489 Stephanie Gnibus GMK Communications For Benchmark Capital US 408-776-9727 408-396-4449 DATASOURCE: Benchmark Capital CONTACT: Ilan Vagenshtein of Media-Tec Public Relations, 972-3-673-9870, or 972-544-305-489, or , for Benchmark Capital Israel; or Stephanie Gnibus of GMK Communications, +1-408-776-9727, or +1-408-396-4449, or , for Benchmark Capital US Web site: http://www.benchmark.com/

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