Tech millionaire Jerusalem's next mayor?

Nir Barkat, the founder of the BRM Group and later a prominent tech investor, is on his way to becoming Jerusalem's next mayor, according to Israeli exit polls.

(Credit: Nir Barkat campaign)

Barkat, 49, now a multimillionaire, was said to have an eight-point lead over his ultra-Orthodox rival, Meir Porush, according to Israel's Channel 1. Russian billionaire Arcadi Gaydamak is said to trail both in a distant third place.

This was Barkat's second try at becoming mayor of Jerusalem. He received 43 percent of the vote in 2003.

BRM was one of the first entities worldwide to develop antivirus software. Barkat later became an investor in Checkpoint Software, where he served as chairman for its first four years.

Later on, Barkat became a founding partner of BRM Capital, which concentrated on making investments in Israeli high-tech companies.

His brother, Eli Barkat, was the former CEO of BackWeb and is now a managing partner at BRM Capital.