Ehud Barak. Photo credit: Barak Weizmann, under Creative Commons license

Carbyne, a New York-based startup that develops emergency communications software for law enforcement agencies, has announced that Ehud Barak, a former prime minister of Israel who has held a board seat the company since 2015, is relinquishing his board position. Barak is stepping down from Carbyne’s board, which he has helmed as Chairman for about five years. Barak, a former prime minister and also defense minister of Israel, helped steer Carbyne through multiple funding rounds and an expansion into new countries. Barak has served as some sort of campaigner for Carbyne, having helped promote the company’s products in media appearances and lent a significant deal of credibility to the New York-based but Israeli-originated startup. Barak’s affiliation with Carbyne has, however, stirred some controversy towards himself.

As part of Barak’s departure, he’ll be selling all his shares in Carbyne to an — unnamed — investor whom the company says has already been identified. Carbyne’s CEO, Amir Elichai, will be replacing Barak as Chairman of the company. “Mr. Barak was instrumental in helping Carbyne grow from its early stages into the global technology company that it is today,” Elichai said in a press statement. “Carbyne and its expanding list of government and private-sector partners have benefited greatly from his vision and dedication,” he added.

Carbyne was founded in 2014 by three Israeli entrepreneurs, one of whom has left the company. The company has offices in Tel Aviv, Mexico and Europe in addition to its New York headquarters. Since its inception, Carbyne is known to have raised some $40 million in total funding.