Inside Ariel Cohen’s M&A Playbook: Orchestrating Deals And Mentoring CEOs At Volaris Group

-Jordan Mitchell

Mergers and acquisitions, from then until now, have been conducted in a high-stakes world. Executives are often under significant stress as they navigate the complexities of every negotiation.

However, there is one executive with unprecedented precision and foresight in navigating M&A — Volaris’s Group CEO, Ariel Cohen. With a focus on acquiring and growing vertical-market software companies, Cohen spearheaded the formation of new portfolio groups in Israel and the Middle East from 2022 to 2024.

In comparison to other fields, Cohen acknowledges how M&A stands out and how his skills contribute to it, saying: “M&A is far more complex—requiring out-of-the-box thinking, greater challenges, and immense patience.”

The M&A market is volatile, but Cohen has been able to navigate it with ease. Drawing on extensive cybersecurity experience and global expansion, Cohen has transformed regional opportunities into a pipeline upon pipeline of high-impact deals, promising targets, and a well-connected network.

Early Beginnings

Before becoming known for their work in Volaris Group, Cohen was one of the leaders in HackerU — now known as ThriveDX. He was one of the first 11 people in the company, and started as a regular employee. Eventually, through grit and hard work, he became VP of Sales and Marketing.

This position transformed HackerU for the next decade. Not only did Cohen turn 400 students attending HackerU per year into over 6,000 students, but he also expanded operations to 150 employees on the team.

He became CEO of its US counterpart and primarily focused on cultivating strategic operations while managing other CEOs, alongside expanding the company to Australia, Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Singapore, India, and other countries.

He pioneered a “sorting stage” set-up for HackerU. Here, he offered prospective students a month to try HackerU to address their fears about it, and to get their money back if they found it unsuitable. This became an excellent strategy — enrollment rates rose.

Gil Adani, co-founder of HackerU, praises how Cohen handled his role: “Our field in Israel has a lot of competition; he always knew how to make the best sales system, and the marketing was the finest in Israel for a college. He knew how to penetrate new markets, and his work helped us a lot in raising millions of dollars to expand the company.” He continues: “He made new sales techniques, changed the marketing, went to his connections in other countries, and helped push HackerU all the time.”

Amin Ben Ayoun, who specializes in Mergers and Acquisitions, also thinks highly of Cohen: “Ariel is a natural problem-solver. He has a distinct ability to bridge conflicting interests and design deal structures that are acceptable and beneficial to all parties involved. Whenever we faced strategic hurdles, his capacity for mediation and structural thinking helped us overcome them effectively.”

This problem-solving approach, mixed with the ability to fill in gaps, no doubt helped him in his various ventures, including his work in M&A. Even people not in the same industry but are his peers look up to what he does, with Gerry Stoch, Director of the New York State and State of Iowa Representative Offices in Israel saying: “I am not an expert in these fields, but he seemed to always be on top of what he was presenting and selling. He is an honest guy – excellent relationship builder – people feel comfortable that he is what they see.”

After over a decade of service, Cohen then transitioned to CEO at ICS Security. Like his work at HackerU, he also focused on strategizing expansions into highly competitive US and European markets and on establishing meticulous relationships with stakeholders. He also orchestrated the generation of initial revenues and played a pivotal role in preparing the company for subsequent fundraising.

After a year of work, Cohen found Volaris — and it almost seemed like it was his calling.

Spearheading Leadership With the Volaris Group

As group CEO, Cohen found something ironic that paved the way for his future leadership: being CEO wasn’t the pinnacle of one's professional career. He remembers this moment of realization, saying: “I realized being a CEO wasn't the pinnacle. My mentor, Tony, with 25 years at Volaris, said he was still learning. M&A is far more complex—requiring out-of-the-box thinking, greater challenges, and immense patience. It's a unique profession with few truly excellent practitioners. That's why I continue doing private M&A today.”

Instead, being in M&A in general requires a continuous commitment to growth, no matter your position in the company. This kind of dedication leads to greater growth, not just for the company but for the individual as well.

As group CEO, Cohen mainly focused on orchestrating a new portfolio that included Israel and the Middle East. As he worked on various M&A initiatives, he leveraged extensive industry knowledge to cultivate his network and connect with key stakeholders.

This was essential in getting Volaris to commit to expansion. At the same time, Cohen also managed various teams, leading people in business development, portfolio management, business analysis and due diligence. He took responsibility for the end-to-end acquisition process and ensured due diligence assessments, market analyses, and target scouting. Eventually, Cohen also helped finalize terms and agreements. While he was the group CEO, he also advised other CEOs on the challenges they faced and how to capitalize on the next level of organic growth.

In fact, he is thought highly of for how he faced challenges in M&A. Ido Steinberg, CEO of Ewave Mobile Ltd, says: “In the M&A process, he suggested to both sides how to find common ground, offered another perspective, and provided analytical support. In business development, he was persistent, willing to fly and meet face to face with whoever he could, until he brought in the contract and the pipeline.”

Despite the challenges of working at Volaris, Cohen is not one to back down. In fact, he even enjoyed it, outlining: “In M&A, it's 'make it or break it.’ As a broker, I only get paid if a deal closes. You can invest huge time and emotion, and deals often collapse at the last moment for absurd reasons. You run multiple deals simultaneously, and the emotional rollercoaster is intense—but the highs are worth the lows.”

While failures can happen, the successes that Cohen experiences make up for the worst of them. He chooses to focus on the silver linings and what he can do to further uplift the company, rather than the various pitfalls that may arise.

A Values-Based Work Ethic

Cohen's approach to M&A is end-to-end, starting with meticulous market analysis and scouting. He always makes sure to involve himself, think outside the box, and practice patience in closing deal after deal. He draws on his industry expertise — despite coming from a completely different field, cybersecurity and education — and has fundraised over $50 million, generating millions in revenue, all while scaling operations globally. This kind of determination and discipline makes for the perfect worker at M&A, all while ensuring acquisitions are aligned with Volaris.

But what makes Cohen stand out from everyone else is not just his skills in the field, but his work ethic. Cohen adapts to everything by focusing on resilient targets, maintaining momentum through disciplined processes.

Managing cross-functional teams was central to Cohen's success. He oversaw business development professionals, portfolio managers, business analysts, and due diligence specialists, fostering seamless execution across the deal lifecycle. In management, one needs the necessary leadership traits to succeed alongside other employees.

Despite the challenges posed by M&A, especially after the conflict in Israel, Cohen stands firm in his values. For one, he never leads without collaboration first: “I lead from the front, do any task (I’ve cleaned floors as CEO), and expect the same accountability,” he says.

He expects to do everything he can alongside others, and he expects the same from others. No matter the task, as long as it needs to be done, Cohen expects to cover it — and others should, too. Setting this example in place is not the only thing. He also focuses on fostering strong team synergy, highlighting frequent meetings and working with people in a hands-on manner to identify where they shine and can help.

Beyond closing deals, Cohen has excelled as a mentor to portfolio company CEOs. With his strategic guidance and philosophy of collaboration guiding him, he serves as a trusted advisor in navigating challenges and capitalizing on the next level of organic growth.

Beyond collaboration, what guides Cohen in M&A work is the impact he leaves: “My name and word are more important than money—I've never sued or been sued,” he reveals.

“People trust verbal agreements with me - for example, 11 months investing and working on my latest business venture, Crack It, before formal contracts. I'm always helping others—jobs, connections, business growth—purely for good karma. Today, I even connected two separate meetings because I saw potential synergy.” No matter what the work requires, Cohen makes sure he uses whatever he can for good.

The Future of Innovation

After cybersecurity, tech, and M&A, Cohen is now a businessman. In his work both in M&A and sales and marketing, he was trained to find gaps and niches and bring in the business to fill it. His venture now is no different — he’s developed Crack It, a protein snack that promises both flavor and health benefits. Protein snacks have notoriously been lacking in taste to make way for the high amount of protein and vitamins, and Cohen believed this shouldn’t be the case. What he’s developed, essentially, is a holy grail snack that fitness buffs and food enthusiasts would love to try.

Cohen's tenure at Volaris not only expanded the company's footprint in a key region but also reinforced its position as a leader in vertical software. As he transitions to new ventures, like his protein snack startup, his M&A playbook—rooted in patience, networks, and mentorship—offers timeless lessons for executives aiming to build enduring value in turbulent times.

All in all, Cohen is one powerhouse to remember. In M&A, he’s remembered as a committed, adaptable worker, growth-focused and dedicated to collaboration.

About the Author

Jordan Mitchell is an experienced writer specializing in business, technology, and sports journalism. With an academic background in communications and information systems, Jordan combines analytical rigor with clear, engaging storytelling. Known for translating complex trends into accessible narratives, Jordan delivers insightful, well-researched articles that inform decision-makers, captivate readers, and provide valuable perspectives across fast-moving industries and competitive sports landscapes.