Tech entrepreneurs Liron and Naomi Petrushka die in California plane crash
Tech entrepreneurs Liron and Naomi Petrushka die in California plane crash
The Petrushkas, well-known entrepreneurs and investors, had been living in California in recent years and invested in, among others, Check, Next Insurance and VC firm UpWest.
Israeli high-tech entrepreneur Liron Petrushka and his wife Naomi were killed in a plane crash in California. The plane crashed near Tahoe Truckee Airport in Northern California during a snowstorm. The police reported that there were no survivors in the crash and the cause of the crash remains unknown.
Liron and his Naomi were well-known Israeli tech investors and entrepreneurs and had been living in California for the last few years. Their investments included Check, which was sold to American financial giant Intuit in 2014 for about $360 million and fintech unicorn Next Insurance, founded by the entrepreneurs behind Check. The Petrushkas also invested in venture capital firm UpWest which invests in Israeli-led startups in the United States and Israel.
In 1999, they sold the company CommerceBid, which they founded, for more than $200 million. After the purchase, they continued to work for the buyer, CommerceOne, for about two years. Petrushka also previously played on Israeli soccer team, Hapoel Ramat Gan.
The aircraft involved was a single-engine, turboprop plane. The plane originally took off from Centennial Airport in Colorado on Saturday afternoon.
