Moty Ben Yona

Partner / New York

Moty Ben Yona is a Partner in the Corporate Practice at Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP.

  • Full Bio

    Moty represents clients in a broad range of business and commercial transactions, with a concentration on corporate and corporate-real estate transactions, mortgage lending, purchase and sale transactions, venture capital transactions, mergers and acquisitions, commercial and corporate finance transactions, and general corporate representation. Moty serves domestic and foreign clients, including multinational corporations, real estate investment companies, real estate developers and sponsors, real estate investors, private equity funds, venture lending funds, startups and emerging companies, entrepreneurs, as well as other private companies and individuals.

    Prior to joining Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP, Moty was a partner at an international boutique law firm based in midtown Manhattan with top-ranked practices in corporate, litigation, real estate, and high-tech. Moty also worked for more than six years at the Corporate and M&A practice group of one of Israel’s leading law firms. In addition, Moty served as Senior General Counsel of one of Israel’s leading Venture Capital funds. While in Israel, Moty was also an adjunct faculty member and a corporate law lecturer at Tel Aviv University School of Law, Tel Aviv University School of Business, and the Interdisciplinary Center School of Law in Israel.

    Moty was selected on the New York Metro Super Lawyers Rising Stars list for 2015 and the Super Lawyers list for 2017-2022.

  • Representative Experience

    • Representation of Wilder World, an immersive 5D virtual reality-based social network, to secure $30 million (USDC) to expand its New Dimension of Reality photorealistic metaverse.
    • On-going representation of SuperCom Ltd. (NASDAQ- “SPCB”).
    • Represented a client in a Reg. D and Reg. A Security Token Offerings.
    • Represented various clients in the formation of Agro Tech Funds, Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) and Real Estate Funds and handling all securities matters related to the formation of such funds.
    • Represented SuperCom Inc. and SuperCom Ltd., a global leading provider of advanced safety, identification, and security products and solutions to governments and private organizations, in the acquisition of Leaders In Community Alternatives Inc., California’s leading provider of electronic monitoring and program services.
    • Represented SuperCom Inc. and SuperCom Ltd., a global leading provider of advanced safety, identification, and security products and solutions to governments and private organizations, in the acquisition of the assets of Powa Technologies Limited, a private limited company incorporated in England & Wales.
    • Represented Gaia Real Estate Investments, in conjunction with its partner Grand China Fund in a Reg. D offering and the acquisition of Whispering Winds, a 286-unit apartment community located in Pearland, a desirable suburb of Houston, Texas.
    • Represented Gaia Real Estate Investments, in conjunction with its partners Phoenix Insurance and Menora Mivtachim Insurance, in a Reg. D offering and the acquisition of 200 Plaza Drive, a fully-leased, large, recently renovated office building in Secaucus, N.J. owned by Hartz Mountain Industries.
    • Represented Gaia Real Estate Holdings in a Reg. D offering and the acquisition of the Winchester Park and Winchester Wood multifamily assets from Equity Residential for $56.1 million. The 478-unit portfolio totals 790,787 square feet and consist of 79 buildings.
    • Represented R2Net Inc., one of the two largest diamond and bridal jewelry e-commerce platforms in the U.S., in a $25 million growth funding from Israel Growth Partners (IGP).
    • Represented Gaia Real Estate Investment LLC in a Reg. D, Offering and the acquisition of a portfolio of real estate properties comprises 1,214 apartment units in Stamford, CT.
    • Represented Sigma Capital Partners in connection with a convertible loan with Medivision Medical Imaging Ltd., and its wholly owned subsidiary, MTL Print Ltd.
    • Represented Ora Media, an on-demand television network owned by companies controlled by Carlos Slim, in an acquisition and licensing of assets of Stick Figure Productions, a film production studio.
    • Represented an affiliate of Island Capital, in a transaction involving their exit from their NAI Global, real estate brokerage joint venture. Represented Sigma Capital Partners in connection with financing of Convertible Term Loan and Line of Credit to BlackStratus (formerly known as NetForensics).
    • Represented a sponsor of an investment vehicle in connection with a transaction involving the investment by US investors into a Series C Round in BriefCam.
    • Represented Leeds Equity Partners, a NY-based private equity firm, in the acquisition of the Ex Libris Group of Israel from Francisco Partners, a leading private equity firm.
    • Represented Sociocast Networks, LLC, a company developing data analysis and e-marketing solutions as well as actionable social intelligence for web and mobile platforms, in its acquisition by AOL Advertising Inc., a provider of online advertising tools to advertisers, agencies, and publishers.
    • Represented Christopher Burch, the CEO of Burch Creative Capital, a firm based in New York City which manages venture investments, and Hudson Clean Energy Partners, a NJ-based private equity firm in the restructuring of Powermat Technologies Ltd., a developer of wireless charging solutions for mobile devices.

  • Bar Admissions

    New York
    Israel

  • Education

    Law School
    • Tel Aviv University

  • Languages

    English, Hebrew, Arabic

  • Recognitions


    Super Lawyers® , New York, Super Lawyers (2017-2022)
    Super Lawyers® , New York, Rising Stars (2015)

  • SGR Publications

  • Press