Shai Agassi (Hebrew: שי אגסי, born April 19, 1968)[4] is an Israeli entrepreneur known for his involvement in the electric vehicle industry.
He is the founder and former CEO of Better Place, which had developed a model and infrastructure for employing electric cars as an alternative to fossil fuel technology.
Agassi has a bachelor's degree in computer science and has been awarded a large number of patents in software, automotive and energy infrastructure.
He founded TopTier Software (originally called Quicksoft Development) in Israel in 1992[10] and later moved the company's headquarters to California.
In addition to TopTier Software, Agassi co-founded several other companies with his father, Reuven Agassi, including Quicksoft Ltd., a leading multimedia software localization and distribution company in the Israeli market; TopManage, a developer of small business software that was also acquired by SAP in April 2002 (which became SAP Business One, the small business offering by SAP); and Quicksoft Media, a multimedia production company that ceased operations in 1995.
In January 2008, the Israeli government announced its support for a broad effort to promote the use of electric cars, embracing a joint venture between Better Place, Renault and its partner, Nissan Motor Company.
In November 2011, the company raised its third equity financing round of $200 million from a group of investors including GE, UBS bank and others.