What's in a Name?

"My name is kind of a mixed blessing," said Winston J. Churchill, who admittedly is no relation to the late famous English prime minister and international statesman.

"I was born in 1940 on Churchill's birthday, but I am actually named after my dad, who was born in 1910," said Churchill, who much prefers being called "Win," rather than Winston.

"I believe my grandmother was a great admirer of his," he said.

In 1996, the contemporary Churchill -- who is not Jewish -- founded SCP Partners, which manages venture and private investments in Israel, and is currently responsible for more than a billion in venture capital.

Churchill earned summa cum laude honors in physics from Fordham University, followed by an M.A. in economics at England's Oxford College, where he was a Rhodes Scholar. He also earned a law degree from Yale University, joining the law firm of what is now Saul Ewing, LLP, where he worked until 1983.

During his first trip to Israel in 1991, he observed how innovative the Israelis were in defense, technology and life sciences, and immediately recognized the country's enormous commercial potential. More importantly, he saw ways he could help it achieve just that.

'Plowing Money Back'
Because of his devotion to the economy of the Jewish state over the past 19 years, Churchill will be honored by the America-Israel Chamber of Commerce as the 2010 recipient of the Yitzhak Rabin Public Service Award, in honor of the slain Israeli leader, on Thursday, March 4, at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia.

"I have received many awards in my life for charitable efforts, particularly in inner city education," he said, noting his involvement with the heralded Gesu School, Young Scholars Charter School, and the Churchill Institute on Leadership and Development.

But he points with particular pride to this particular honor from AICC.

"What I am doing now helps everyone from our clients, who are profitable investors, to our technology partners," explained Churchill.

"We are plowing money back into the Israeli economy," he said. "In terms of covering the broader areas of my life, this is the best award ever."

On his first impressionable trip to Israel, Churchill served at the time as chairman of a public pension fund.

"At that time, the fund was not looking at Israel as an investment opportunity, so we went with a group of people on an economic mission," he recalled.

After visiting the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and the Technion in Haifa, the venture capitalist became impressed with the concentration of scientific and engineering talent abounding in the country.

"My colleagues and I recognized that, in terms of venture capital, the achievements in Israel were parallel to what was taking place in Silicon Valley," he stated of the famous California business region that's played such a large part in the invention and development of technology.

Since that first trip, Churchill has traveled to Israel about 30 times, he said, marveling at its advancement.

"In those 19 years," he noted, "Israel has become even more technologically driven. I think the economic prospects there are better than ever."

He pointed out that the Jewish state now "is in a real sweet spot, having concentrated on brainpower, rather than physical resources."

As an acute observer of the politics that embroil the Middle East, Churchill said that he believed the ultimate solution lies with economic areas like Iran, which "will eventually democratize if everything is handled correctly."

Churchill admitted that for Israel and the United States, the current situation is a "complex chess game, but I believe the autocratic regimes will eventually fail because they are not spreading the wealth.

"Democracy in these countries will come," he insisted, "but will develop slowly."

Since its founding, SCP has included as directors or as associates such prominent Israelis as former Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Dr. Avi Ludomirsky, a previous Rabin Award recipient who is now director of many of SCP's Israeli portfolio companies.

According to Marc Tepper, president of the AICC, Churchill was at the head of a short list of nominees for the Rabin award.

"We selected him ahead of many others as one of the leaders of the Israeli technological revolution," said Tepper.

"Typically, our most important criteria for the Rabin Award [recipient] is to be an individual that furthers the AICC's mission of economic growth and development in Israel."

"Win Churchill is every bit about economic development in Israel."