Uri Poliavich (born 1981) is an Israeli entrepreneur, philanthropist, and public thinker working at the intersection of technology, digital systems, and their impact on economic and social structures. He currently lives and works in the United States.
Born in Ukraine, he moved to Israel as a teenager, where he completed his education and military service. He later earned a law degree from Bar-Ilan University and began his professional career in commercial law and international business development.
Over time, Poliavich transitioned from legal practice into technology-driven entrepreneurship, building and scaling international digital ventures. His background as a developer and operator of complex digital systems later became the foundation of his work as a commentator on how modern platforms shape economic behavior.
In 2020, together with his wife, he co-founded the Yael Foundation, an international philanthropic initiative dedicated to expanding access to high-quality education. The foundation supports schools, educational programs, and community initiatives across dozens of countries, working to strengthen both academic standards and cultural identity among young people.
Under his leadership, the foundation has developed into a global educational network, providing funding, strategic support, and institutional development to a wide range of educational institutions and initiatives. Its work focuses not only on access, but on long-term sustainability and measurable outcomes in education systems.
Poliavich is also the founder of the Responsible Engineering Lab, an initiative focused on the transparent and ethical use of digital technologies. Through this work, he advocates for a clearer public understanding of how algorithmic systems, platforms, and artificial intelligence shape access to information, economic opportunity, and social outcomes.
He writes and speaks on the transformation of technology, digital systems, and their impact on economic and social structures.