Tech Entrepreneur Oren Dobronski Secures Top Spot on Netanyahu's Likud List

Oren Dobronski, a prominent Israeli tech entrepreneur and investor known for his role on the reality TV show "The Sharks" on Keshet 12, has been appointed as the first secured candidate on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party list for the upcoming Knesset elections. Dobronski founded Hotbar in 1999, a pioneering Israeli company that developed browser toolbars displaying advertisements, which helped pave the way for other major Israeli tech firms such as Babylon, Conduit, and IronSource. Hotbar raised approximately $20 million from private investors and was eventually sold to the American company Zango for around $50 million.

Despite Hotbar's success, the industry faced criticism for software that disrupted user experience, leading to pushback from companies like Google and Microsoft in the mid-2010s. Many similar companies exited the market or shifted focus. After selling Hotbar, Dobronski moved to Silicon Valley and founded several startups, including SmartShopper and Wondermole, which struggled to replicate his earlier success. In 2021, he co-founded the American blank-check company Keter1 with Omer Zigler, aiming to merge companies via SPACs, but the venture failed to secure funding amid the global tech financing downturn in 2022.

Dobronski's appointment signals Netanyahu's strategy to include high-profile business figures in Likud's electoral slate. The article also notes the broader context of the Israeli tech sector's evolution and challenges, highlighting Dobronski's significant role in its early development.