Ramot is Tel Aviv University's tech transfer company, founded in 1973. See what it manages, how its Momentum Fund works and how it compares with Yissum and Yeda.
Part of: Israeli Universities and Tech Transfer
Ramot is Tel Aviv University's technology transfer company, founded in 1973 and fully owned by the university. It manages the university's patent filings and licenses, and its Momentum Fund invests $250,000 to $1 million in early-stage projects, with Tata Group and Temasek as leading investors. Ramot was founded nine years after Yissum and 14 years after Weizmann's Yeda.
What does Ramot do?
Ramot owns and manages the intellectual property created by Tel Aviv University researchers, according to Wikipedia. That covers filing patent applications, maintaining patents and granting licenses to industrial partners.
Wikipedia lists collaboration agreements with international companies including Pfizer and Teva. Ramot also supports startups built on university technology with funding, business development and access to university resources.
How does Ramot compare with Yissum and Yeda?
Ramot is the youngest of the tech transfer companies of the Weizmann Institute, the Hebrew University and Tel Aviv University. All three are separate companies owned by their universities rather than internal offices, according to the CASRAI guide to the Israeli model.
| Company | University | Founded |
|---|---|---|
| Yeda | Weizmann Institute | 1959, first in Israel (Weizmann Institute) |
| Yissum | Hebrew University of Jerusalem | 1964 (Yissum) |
| Ramot | Tel Aviv University | 1973 (Wikipedia) |
See Olam's profiles of Weizmann and the Yeda model, Yissum and the Hebrew University and BGN Technologies for the other offices.
How does the Momentum Fund work?
The Momentum Fund is Ramot's early-stage fund, and it invests in pharmaceuticals, healthcare, high tech and the physical sciences, according to Startup Nation Central. Its leading investors are Tata Group and the Singapore-based holding company Temasek.
Recipient projects receive between $250,000 and $1 million to advance research toward commercialization, Startup Nation Central reported. Tel Aviv University researchers on funded projects also get help from Ramot in forging industry connections.
PitchBook lists 71 investments and 11 exits for Ramot as an investor, including the university spin-out Synvertec, with an exit date of January 1, 2014.
How large is Ramot's patent portfolio?
Ramot's intellectual property includes 1,282 registered patents, primarily in the medical, veterinary and hygiene category, according to IPqwery data cited by Crunchbase. The figure is a third-party count without a stated date, so it should be read as an approximation.
How does Ramot weigh equity against licensing?
Ramot invests in companies through the Momentum Fund, as PitchBook's 71 listed investments show, but Olam found no published policy describing how it weighs founding equity against license fees and royalties.
The verifiable difference from its peers is structural: Ramot runs a dedicated investment vehicle with outside backers. Readers comparing Israeli tech transfer offices should check whether each takes equity in spinouts, licenses for royalties, or does both.
What should readers take from the Ramot profile?
Ramot is a university-owned company that combines patent licensing with an investment fund, the Momentum Fund, backed by Tata Group and Temasek. Portfolio comparisons across Ramot, Yissum and Yeda should name the source and the date for each figure, because the published totals come from different places.
Ramot FAQ
What is Ramot?
Ramot is Tel Aviv University's technology transfer company. It owns and manages the intellectual property created by the university's researchers, according to Wikipedia.
When was Ramot founded?
Ramot was founded in 1973 and is fully owned by Tel Aviv University, according to Wikipedia and the CASRAI guide.
What is the Momentum Fund?
The Momentum Fund is Ramot's early-stage investment fund. Tata Group and Temasek are its leading investors, and projects can receive $250,000 to $1 million, according to Startup Nation Central.
Who leads Ramot?
Dr. Ronen Kreizman is Ramot's CEO, according to Wikipedia and a Corundum Neuroscience announcement quoting him.
How is Ramot different from Yissum?
Both are university-owned tech transfer companies. Yissum was founded in 1964 for the Hebrew University, and Ramot followed in 1973 for Tel Aviv University.
Part of Israeli Universities and Tech Transfer: The Founder Pipeline at the Source. Related: Yissum, Weizmann and Yeda, BGN Technologies.
How we report: Olam stories draw on public filings, company disclosures and named sources, checked by our editors. Read our methodology · Corrections
