Alona Barkat

Alona Akwa (Hebrew: אלונה אקווע‎) was born and raised in Ashkelon, Israel, to Yemenite-Jewish parents.[1] She is the eldest of four siblings.[2][3] At the age of 14, Barkat moved to Jerusalem to study . Four years later, she returned to do national service (Sherut Leumi) in her hometown.

She then studied at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem,[4] performing undergraduate and graduate studies in the history of the Middle East. During her studies, she met Eli Barkat,[4] then a student in Mathematics and Computer Science, and her future husband.

In 1996, she moved to Silicon Valley in the United States with her husband, who became a businessman with his brother Nir Barkat. The Barkat brothers were early investors in Check Point, and set up the venture capital funds BRM and IVN. In the eight years in which the family lived in the United States, Barkat started in the field of philanthropy. Among other things, the fund management company IVN also funded social projects, and has been active in organizations such as AIPAC and the Jewish Federation of San Francisco.

In 2004, she moved back to Israel with her family. Relations with the businessman Lonnie Herzikovic, then-owner of the football team Maccabi Tel Aviv, led her to consider entering a partnership with Maccabi Tel Aviv. She was involved in establishing a research institute at the University of Tel Aviv, together with the Rashi Foundation, where she met Eli Alaluf, CEO of the Fund at the time. Alaluf convinced her to buy the football team Hapoel Beer Sheva, which played in the second division at the time.

In February 2019, Barkat announced she was joining the right-wing New Right[6] party, and will run for the 2019 parliamentary elections. She has received the third spot on the party's list.[11]

She resides in Tel Aviv along with her husband Eli Barkat, and their three children.