Sandrine Montsma

After more than 20 years of international experience as a CEO and board member in the United States, Asia, and Europe, Sandrine Montsma co-founded Bridges Israel, the leading impact investment fund in Israel. With 80 million USD in assets under management, Bridges Israel invests in startups with significant, measurable societal and environmental impact.

There is a wide consensus today that the two biggest global challenges are rising social inequality and the environmental crisis. Bridges Israel invests in companies that actively work to solve these challenges without compromising on competitive financial returns. Its first fund, active since 2018, has made 12 investments to date and is on track to achieve earnings growth and satisfy investors.

Montsma serves as a board member for three of Bridges Israel’s portfolio companies: ECOncrete, Nazid, and Venn:

• ECOncrete will transform the way future coastlines look and function. It addresses the need to reduce the ecological footprint of coastal and marine infrastructures by elevating biodiversity along urban shorelines, enhancing the ecosystem services of marine environments, and increasing carbon dioxide absorption capacity.
• Nazid is a catering business that promotes the employment of Bedouin men and women, while providing healthy meals to schools and businesses across Israel. A workplace environment specifically adapted for Bedouin women, Nazid works to improve the financial stability and welfare of Bedouin families by providing fair wages and benefits, ethics and equality, development and empowerment, and cultural sensitivity.
• Venn is a neighborhood company that merges best-in-class digital products with trained community experts, inviting physical spaces, and custom events in order to promote real-world connections between neighbors and neighborhoods. The company’s mission is to reduce urban loneliness and isolation, an even more important ideal following the pandemic.

After gaining an undergraduate degree in business administration and economics from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Montsma completed her MBA at INSEAD in France. She began her career as vice president of marketing at several large food retailers before fulfilling a series of CEO roles. She worked for three different medical device startups, a large European logistics service provider, and in women's health services.

Founded in 2018, Bridges Israel is a venture capital impact investment fund that Montsma conceptualized and then brought to life with two partners. Developed during her time at university, and over the course of her career, Montsma has built a strong leadership skill set that has led her to successfully manage teams and strengthen customer loyalty. As a member of the board of trustees at Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Montsma will soon be speaking to an audience of current students and alumni, sharing her success and business strategies. She is also in the process of setting up a student-led impact fund at the university’s business school, where she will be an integral part of mentoring future business leaders.