Catalyst CEL Fund announced in February that it had closed its fund with commitments in excess of US$200 million.

The Fund is the first dedicated Israel-China private equity fund, and was established in partnership with Catalyst Private Equity, a leading Israeli private equity firm, and China Everbright Ltd., a leading Hong Kong-based asset manager.

Catalyst co-founder and managing partner and Catalyst CEL Fund managing partner Yair Shamir jointly announced: “Our vision is to support the growth and establishment of innovative Israeli companies as global market leaders across a variety of industries. We provide an attractive alternative to Israeli entrepreneurs selling their businesses too early, and provide mature companies with the capital and support for creating larger global businesses including access to capital from China and the vast China market opportunity.”

Since the Fund’s first closing in April 2014, Catalyst CEL Fund has effected two successful investments, including a controlling stake in Lamina Technologies, an Israeli-founded, Swiss-based manufacturer of state-of-the-art, sub-micron, precision metal cutting tools. The Fund’s second investment into a cutting-edge 3D printing company was closed during the last week of January 2016.