Hortica’s Team

Our Team

Dr. Yaron Penn

Co-Founder and Co-CEO

Dr. Penn holds a PhD in Neuroscience from the Department of Neuroscience at the Weizmann Institute of Science.
He has co-founded two Cannabis-centric companies, one of which is listed on the ASX (ESE).
He has extensive experience in the field of medicinal cannabis, from genetics, to processing, to understanding national and international regulatory requirements.
Dr. Penn is also a member of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Cannabis Research, a newly established peer- reviewed journal published by Springer Publishing.

Tzvika Klepar

Co-CEO

Zvika holds a Practical Engineering degree from the Technion and a BSc in Computer Science from the New York Institute of Technology.
He has established and managed several companies in the US and in Israel, his expertise is planning and executing business strategies

Chen Gershberg

Botanical Unit Manager

Chen has a bachelor’s and master’s degree in plant science
Her research focused on the biology of flowering perennials
Chen was employed at the Volcanic Institute as a research engineer in the Gene Bank and then as a research engineer at Prof. Kamenski’s lab
In her role she managed the biotechnology aspect at the laboratory.

Lior Cohen

Analytical Unit Manager

Lior holds MS.c degree in mapping engineering with specialization in remote sensing.
He has gained vast experience in visual sensing and spatial geo-data applications, specializing in precision agriculture fields.
Lior specializes in collecting and analyzing acquired data pipelines onto meaningful insights generating

Our Advisory Board

Dr. Menachem Dinar

Agriculture Scientific Adviser

Dr. Dinar is the Former Chief Agronomist at Netafim, a leading international smart water solutions provider.
He has led multiple international consultancy and research projects for governments, the IFC World Bank and commercial companies in a number of countries.
Dr. Dinar holds a PhD in Field & Vegetable Crops from the Faculty of Agriculture at the Hebrew University, and his specialties include greenhouse production and irrigation.

Prof. Zvika Vogel

Cannabinoid Scientific Adviser

Prof. Vogel is the head of the Adelson Center for the Biology of Addictive Diseases at Tel-Aviv University.
He holds a M.Sc. in Biochemistry and Ph.D. from the Weizmann Institute of Science.
He is the former Chairman of the Department of Neurobiology at the Weizmann Institute.
Prof. Vogel has published more than 170 scientific manuscripts and he is a recognized world leader in cannabinoid research.
Prof. Vogel has been involved in and received recognitions for a number of major discoveries in the endocannabinoid system.

Dr. Yoram Houminer

Organic Chemistry Adviser

A leading Organic Chemistry expert, Dr. Houminer was a senior scientist and group leader at the Philip Morris research center.
He has also served as a consultant at the Israel Innovation Authority for more then 20 years, reviewing more than 950 different projects.
Dr. Houminer has over 30 registered patents and 40 publications under his name.