Jonathan Karten
| Jonathan Karten | |
|---|---|
| Born | United States |
| 🏳️ Nationality | American-Israeli |
| 🏫 Education | Columbia University (B.A., M.S.) |
| 💼 Occupation | Venture capitalist, investor |
| 👔 Employer | Awz Ventures |
| Known for | 2019 Title VI complaint against Columbia University |
Jonathan Karten is an American-Israeli venture capitalist and civil rights advocate. He is a Principal at Awz Ventures, a multi-national firm specializing in dual-use defense technology investments.[1] Karten is known for serving as the primary complainant in a 2019 Title VI complaint filed against Columbia University alleging discrimination against Jewish students,[2] a case that became the first major test of Executive Order 13899.[3]
Education
Karten holds a Bachelor of Arts in Financial Economics with a focus on Behavioral Economics from Columbia University, graduating magna cum laude.[4] He subsequently earned a Master of Science in Financial Engineering from Columbia's School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.[4]
Military service
Karten served in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). He served in the Yahalom unit, an elite special operations combat engineering formation, and subsequently in the Ofek unit (Unit 324) within the Israeli Air Force, a technological unit focused on C4I systems.[1][4]
Career
The Iftach Group
Karten founded The Iftach Group, a New York-based boutique venture capital and consulting firm that served as a bridge between the Israeli technology ecosystem and U.S. capital markets.[5] According to PitchBook, the firm executed 32 investments and advisory deals, acting as a placement agent for companies including Frontier.cool, Tint, Salvador Technologies, and Geneyx.[5]
Awz Ventures
In 2024, Karten joined Awz Ventures as Principal.[1] Awz Ventures is a venture capital firm specializing in dual-use technologies with approximately $3.5 billion in assets under management.[6] The firm's advisory board includes former Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, former CIA Director James Woolsey, and former Mossad Director Tamir Pardo.[7]
Karten's role at Awz focuses on capital formation, mergers and acquisitions strategy, and investments in sectors including artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, photonics, and aerospace defense.[4]
Civil rights advocacy
Title VI complaint against Columbia University
In December 2019, Karten filed a formal complaint with the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights against Columbia University, represented by The Lawfare Project.[2] The complaint alleged that the university failed to protect Jewish students from a "pervasive and hostile environment" and discrimination based on shared ancestry.[8]
The filing was the first major test of Executive Order 13899, signed by President Donald Trump in December 2019, which directed federal agencies to consider the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism in Title VI enforcement.[3] The complaint documented specific incidents, including an instance in April 2019 when a faculty member allegedly accused Karten of being a "Mossad" agent while he was staffing a table for Students Supporting Israel.[9]
In November 2023, the Department of Education opened a federal investigation into Columbia University related to allegations of antisemitism on campus.[10]
2025 Toronto incident
In November 2025, Karten was a speaker at a private event organized by Students Supporting Israel at Toronto Metropolitan University.[11] Protesters disrupted the event and attempted to breach the room where attendees had gathered; a glass door was shattered during the incident.[11][12]
Six individuals were subsequently arrested by police on charges including forcible entry and assault.[13] Karten was not charged.[11]
In December 2025, Park East Synagogue in New York City honored Karten with the title "Lion of the Diaspora."[14]
Cultural projects
Karten founded and produced The HolyLanders, a multimedia project exploring Israeli diaspora identity that began as viral social experiment videos before becoming an Off-Broadway play.[15] The play premiered at the Theater at the 14th Street Y in New York.[15]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Our Team". Awz Ventures. Retrieved January 2026. Check date values in:
|access-date=(help) - ↑ 2.0 2.1 "OCR Complaint Filed Against Columbia University". The Lawfare Project. January 5, 2020. Retrieved January 2026. Check date values in:
|access-date=(help) - ↑ 3.0 3.1 "This Student is Taking on Columbia in First Test of Trump's Title VI Order". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. January 14, 2020. Retrieved January 2026. Check date values in:
|access-date=(help) - ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 "Jonathan Karten". Crunchbase. Retrieved January 2026. Check date values in:
|access-date=(help) - ↑ 5.0 5.1 "The Iftach Group Company Profile". PitchBook. Retrieved January 2026. Check date values in:
|access-date=(help) - ↑ "Awz Ventures Inc". IVC Data & Insights. Retrieved January 2026. Check date values in:
|access-date=(help) - ↑ "Awz Ventures". Awz Ventures. Retrieved January 2026. Check date values in:
|access-date=(help) - ↑ "Columbia University Title VI Complaint and Notification Letter" (PDF). U.S. Department of Education. Retrieved January 2026. Check date values in:
|access-date=(help) - ↑ "Columbia U accused of anti-Semitism in first test of Trump executive order". The Times of Israel. January 14, 2020. Retrieved January 2026. Check date values in:
|access-date=(help) - ↑ "Columbia Antisemitism Probe Comes Four Years After Complaint". Bloomberg News. November 22, 2023. Retrieved January 2026. Check date values in:
|access-date=(help) - ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 "Student protesters forcibly removed, then arrested after disrupting IDF soldiers' talk". The Varsity. November 10, 2025. Retrieved January 2026. Check date values in:
|access-date=(help) - ↑ "Violent mob attacks pro-Israel gathering in Toronto days after mayor's 'genocide in Gaza' remarks". Fox News. Retrieved January 2026. Check date values in:
|access-date=(help) - ↑ "TMU protest: 6th person arrested after clash at student event". Toronto Today. Retrieved January 2026. Check date values in:
|access-date=(help) - ↑ "Lion of the Diaspora Event". Park East Synagogue. Retrieved January 2026. Check date values in:
|access-date=(help) - ↑ 15.0 15.1 "THE HOLYLANDERS Now Running at Theater at the 14th Street Y Through Mid October". BroadwayWorld. October 2, 2023. Retrieved January 2026. Check date values in:
|access-date=(help)
Category:Living people
Category:American investors
Category:American venture capitalists
Category:Columbia University alumni
Category:Jewish American philanthropists
Category:American civil rights activists
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