# Itzik Cohen

> Itzik Cohen is the Co-Founder and CEO of PayZen, a San Francisco-based healthcare fintech that has raised $452M to eliminate financial barriers to medical care. A former professional basketball player for Maccabi Tel Aviv, Israeli Air Force veteran, and three-time founding CEO, Cohen channeled two decades of fintech expertise from WebEx, Prosper Marketplace, and Beyond Finance into building an AI-powered platform that gives patients interest-free payment plans while boosting hospital collection rates by 30-35%. PayZen's $232M Series B in 2024, led by NEA, validated his conviction that the fastest-growing category of American consumer debt - medical bills - is also the most solvable.

- **Role:** Co-Founder & CEO at PayZen
- **Organizations:** PayZen, Beyond Finance, Prosper Marketplace, ClipSync, WebEx Communications, Maccabi Tel Aviv Basketball Club
- **From:** Israel
- **Nationality:** Israeli-American
- **Education:** Computer Science and Mathematics, Tel Aviv University
- **Known for:** Euro League basketball champion with Maccabi Tel Aviv, Executive at WebEx through its IPO and Cisco acquisition, Scaled Beyond Finance to a top-two national debt settlement operation

## Career timeline

- **1985-1994** — Professional basketball player, Maccabi Tel Aviv Basketball Club; Euro League champion
- **circa 1994-2000** — Israeli Air Force service; transitions to technology career
- **2000-2005** — Business development and strategic partnerships executive at WebEx Communications; company goes public and is acquired by Cisco Systems
- **2005-2012** — Founder & CEO of ClipSync, an interactive video platform partnering with major media companies
- **2014-2016** — Chief Business Officer at Prosper Marketplace, responsible for growth, partnerships, and strategy
- **2016-2019** — CEO and Board Member at Beyond Finance; grows company to top-two nationally in debt settlement volume; observes surge in medical debt enrollment
- **2019** — Co-founds PayZen with Tobias Mezger and Ariel Rosenthal; launches proof-of-concept before COVID-19 pandemic
- **2024-08** — PayZen closes $232M Series B led by NEA ($32M equity + $200M credit facility); total funding reaches $452M

## Achievements

- Euro League basketball champion with Maccabi Tel Aviv
- Executive at WebEx through its IPO and Cisco acquisition
- Scaled Beyond Finance to a top-two national debt settlement operation
- Raised $452M for PayZen including a $232M Series B led by NEA
- Built PayZen to 6x year-over-year growth with 100% customer retention and 132% net retention
- Delivered 30-35% improvement in provider collection rates with zero interest charged to patients
- Assembled a founding team drawing from his prior companies (Prosper, Beyond Finance)

## Latest updates

- **2026-01** — PayZen featured in MedCity News on hospital responses to Medicaid cuts
- **2024-08** — PayZen closes $232M Series B led by NEA; Mohamad Makhzoumi of NEA joins board
- **2024-08** — Total funding reaches $452M; company reports 6x YoY growth, 100% customer retention, 132% net retention

## Links

- Website: https://payzen.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/itzikcoh
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/itzikcoh
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/PayZen-105833744121330/?ref=page_internal

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/itzik-cohen
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-26