Maya Vardi-Shoshani is the Director of Business Development, West Coast of the BIRD Foundation.The BIRD Foundation was established in 1977 by the U.S. and Israeli governments to develop and fund industrial research and development partnerships between companies from both countries on a project specific basis. The BIRD Foundation supports selected collaborations and provides them with non-dilutive funding of up to 50% of their combined R&D budget associated with the joint project (up to $1M per project), without receiving any equity or intellectual property rights in the participating companies or in the project itself.

Located in the Silicon Valley, Ms. Vardi-Shoshani is responsible for initiating business activities between U.S. and Israeli companies, business development and relationship management with West Coast hi-tech companies, and strategic growth initiatives. 

Before joining the BIRD Foundation, Ms. Vardi-Shoshani worked as a prosecutor at the District Attorney’s office in Tel Aviv, Israel, as an attorney and litigator at law firms and at the International Tenders, Contracting and Procurement department at the Israeli Railways. 

Ms. Vardi-Shoshani was a Psychotechnic Interviewer and Evaluator in the Israel Defense Forces and holds an LL.B., degree from Tel-Aviv University.