Avi Cohen, a entrepreneur and innovator in the tech and networking industry, was named as the new Chief Executive Officer of Pente Networks, one of the pioneers in enterprise CBRS, 5G and LTE private networking.
Cohen is the inventor of bonded cellular video transmission technology, credited with ushering in the first IP revolution, which has transformed the way remote live content is captured and shared.
He holds 26 Patents in the Bonding IP Video space and was named one of the Producers Guild of America’s “Digital 25: Visionaries, Innovators and Producers” and speaks regularly at international conferences on topics including 5G, OTT, edge computing, IoT, Industrial IoT, online streaming, the future of broadcast technology, autonomous systems, and advanced, connected applications across multiple industries.
“Given the success of our solution, the quality of the leadership team, the rapid growth of our global partner ecosystem, the demand forecast by industry experts and analysts, and the support of our board, Pente is positioned to expand and leverage the rapid growth and demand from customers the company is experiencing,” Cohen said. “I am truly honored and excited to join an amazing crew whose vision, determination and talents will continue to drive a bigger and more meaningful business.”
Cohen is widely respected after co-founding and driving the growth of LiveU, where he most recently served as Chief Operating Officer. LiveU grew from a start-up established in 2006 to a global leader in the IoT live video streaming for TV, mobile, online, and social media content with more than 5,000 customers in over 150 countries.
Jonathan Schwartz has been named Chief Technical Officer, a role he has been playing since the inception of the company.
Roy Timor-Rousso has been named Chief Marketing Officer, driving many of the company’s strategies in the Americas, including Latin America, as well as in Europe, Asia, and other regions.
Cohen’s appointment was announced along with a $10 million Series A funding round, led by INCapital Ventures, with the participation of their existing investor Magma Ventures, and Global Brain.
“Pente’s deep technology solutions are impressive, successfully filling a need in the market for user friendly 5G private networks,” said Inbar Haham, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at INcapital Ventures.
"Pente's potential is limitless as enterprises continue to select private cellular networking in an increasingly 5G world," said Naoki Kamimaeda, Partner and Europe Division Head, Global Brain.
The new capital follows a seed round and brings Pente’s total investment to date to over $15 million. The company also announced it has established a North American headquarters in Hackensack, New Jersey, U.S.A., and is expanding its original headquarters in Israel.
Pente is a pioneer in the development of mobile core & orchestration layer solutions, with headquarters in the US and Israel, and R&D centers in India and Eastern Europe. Their approach has been to simplify the process of spinning up cellular enterprise networks, working with a growing partner ecosystem, and selling through channels including system integrators, service providers, and equipment manufacturers.
Working with MVNOs, WISPs, MSPs and SIs, Pente has been augmenting and replacing traditional enterprise networks with simplified, ultra-fast and ultra-secure wireless broadband solutions, including CBRS as the use of unlicensed spectrum becomes more readily available.
Juhi Fadia is an engineer, analyst, researcher and writer covering advanced and emerging technologies.
