In Defense of Innovation

Welcome to The Israeli Startup Review, a curated newsletter where I share insights from thought leaders, news, and opportunities around Israel's tech ecosystem. Every week you’ll receive timely analysis from off-the-beaten-path, perspectives from fresh voices from the ecosystem, and selected opportunities to further engage with Israel, the Startup Nation.

We have reached 5,000 subscribers to the Israeli Startup Review. 3 months ago, under lock-down I launched this publication to offer a new voice for Israeli tech and highlight the ecosystem’s fight against COVID. 10,000 is the number where we enter the Promised Land of engagement with what is now globally the fastest growing news source on Israeli tech. A big thank you to you all for subscribing and sharing my content, I would not have been able to do it without you.

Check out my latest piece for Startup Nation Central's CoronaTech Israel resource website: Five Ways to Promote your Non-COVID Startup.

I would like to connect and hear from you directly as I look to optimize your reading experience. See something you would like featured in this newsletter, let me know. Connect with me on LinkedIn here.

With a lot going on regarding government’s role in the search for a vaccine I wanted to chat with an expert on the connection between venture, corporate, government, and the military. Ilan Regenbaum is the Founder of the Israel VC Forum and the former Managing Director of Siftech, the first startup accelerator in Jerusalem. He served as Chief Innovation Officer for the Israel Defense Force’s Spokesperson Unit, prior to which he was the Interim Commander of the Israeli Air Force Innovation Department and the Founder of the Israeli Air Force's Accelerator. He founded three companies (one of which he sold), worked in venture capital at Greylock Partners IL (now 83North) and Elevator Fund, and graduated from the Sy Syms School of Business at Yeshiva University in New York.

What are you working on these days that's interesting?

During these crazy times, I am committed to coming out on the other side a better person, having accomplished things that I would not have focused on just a few short months ago. Besides running more and picking up some new hobbies, I am looking out for my next challenge. I have been having conversations with many leading innovators and entrepreneurs about how the world is changing due to COVID and how we can find solutions to the new challenges we will face. Additionally, I am working with a few different organizations and non-profits to develop innovation and startup programs. I manage the Israel VC Forum, which is one of the most active communities for startup investors focusing on Israel. Also, I started writing my first book that consolidates my experience in organizational innovation from the Air Force and other projects I have been involved with to offer companies practical steps and examples on how to be more innovative and solve the challenges they face. 

What is a piece of advice you would give someone looking to break into VC today?

I actually wrote an article about this a few years ago on TNW, and I do not think too much has changed regarding what I said then. But, in short, I think knowing why you want to work in VC and having a good network are two of the most important things. Many people romanticize the venture capital world as one of glamorous networking events and writing big checks. While that can be true, VC more often than not involves back-office due diligence, grueling fundraising trips, and telling many talented entrepreneurs who have invested their lives into their startups that you won't invest in them. So, if you know what you are getting into and have the right motivation for working in VC, go out and network like crazy and hopefully you will find one of the few coveted openings at a VC fund.

You've participated in many roles in the ecosystem... what was the most difficult challenge you had to overcome, and what did you learn about yourself?

In 2016 I was working in a VC fund in Tel Aviv, but as a new immigrant to Israel, I knew that I was required to leave my job and serve in Israel Defense Forces just like most eighteen-year-old Israelis. While I had already been to university, had a great job, and I was ready to keep on moving forward in my career, I soon encountered the first of many challenges during my military service... my nineteen-year-old Drill Sargent. She did not care that I had a degree, work experience or that she was much younger than me. She was my commander and I was required to follow her orders, and this would be first of many times that I would need to fall into line and realize that things worked differently in the military.

I quickly finished basic training and ended up in the Air Force's Innovation Department, and my time in the military ended up being one of the most rewarding and difficult things I have ever done in my career. While I went on to extend my service multiple times, establish the Air Force's Accelerator, and move on to serve as Chief Innovation Officer of the IDF Spokesperson's Unit, my realizing that past experience is not always relevant, and knowing when to challenge the status quo, versus knowing when to swallow my pride and listen to my commanders was a valuable learning experience that led to my success in the IDF.

What is the number one challenge stopping institutions like the military from innovating? 

Being complacent and not understanding what is at stake are key factors that hold many companies, governments and militaries back from being truly innovative. General Eran Ortal, who I know from the IDF once said that "when companies fail to innovate their people move on and the company dies, but when militaries fail to innovate they move on and people die". While not every company is faced with life and death situations like a military, they still need to think of innovation in the same way. Innovation forces an organization to keep evolving to solve new challenges, and if the organization does not evolve it will die. Kodak invented the first digital camera in the 1970's, Sony the digital Walkman, and Xerox the personal computer. Yet, these companies became complacent and thought that they had control of their respective markets, but today most of us walk around with a smartphone in our pockets rather than a Kodak digital camera or a Sony Walkman.

While the military has brought us innovations like the internet, self-driving cars, rockets for space travel, and so much more, even an organization with lives in the balance can become complacent. Especially as it is often easier to not change the status quo, specifically in large and slow-moving organizations like a military. However, change is the core driver of innovation, and all organizations, big and small, public and private, need to remember what is at stake if they want to remain relevant and innovative.

What is something that you believe that most people in the (Israeli) tech space would disagree with you about? 

The Israeli hi-tech, startup, and overall economy will continue to grow, especially post-Corona. It is not easy to be an optimist during these times, but I truly believe that Israel and the world will come out stronger. Recently I have heard many people talk pessimistically about bad government policies and mismanagement, startup funding that is going dry, a lack of experienced entrepreneurs and value-add investors, the inability for Israeli companies to scale locally, and many other issues, true or not, that could be compounded by the pandemic. But, Israel has gone through a lot in its short history, including multiple wars and economic downturns, but it continues to thrive. So, while it may be tough to think optimistically about post-Corona, imagine if in 1948, as foreign armies were bombing Tel Aviv and David Ben Gurion was signing the Declaration of Independence as Israel's first prime minister, you whispered in his ear that Israel would emerge as one of the top hi-tech and startup ecosystems in the world in 70 years. After explaining to him what a startup is, he would have still likely stared at you in disbelief as it probably seemed impossible for him to imagine such a thing. Yet, as improbable as it was, what is happening in Israel is just the beginning and I am certain that Israel, and hopefully the world, will come out of these uncertain times stronger than ever!

It is impressive to see in report by GP Bullhorn how many unicorns were born in Israel in the last year (a country with a population of less than 9M).

Covid-19 cutbacks: These tech companies are hiring in Israel right now. Apply here.

Gary's Guide Jobs: New York ecosystem, but Israeli companies as well. Opportunities here.

365x: 365x NYC is looking for a Community and Operations Manager responsible for managing and executing day-to-day operations and coordination from the pre-program stage, through the program, and the post-program stage by connecting the ecosystem together and monitoring, controlling and reporting progress. As the main point of contact for program operations, the PM will play a key role in contributing to the success of all participating startups. Send your CV to [email protected]

AWS Digital Innovation BDM, Private Equity: As the Scale-Up Digital Innovation Business Development Manager for Private Equity, you will have an exciting opportunity to shape and deliver the Digital Innovation program at scale, working with other Private Equity and Global BDMs, the Private Equity leadership team, and worldwide program leadership. This role can be located in San Francisco, Seattle, New York, or other virtual AWS locations. Apply here.

ByondXR: ByondXR is growing! So, come work with them! They are looking for good people that they will enjoy working and growing with, and that can bring new energy and knowledge to their team. They are looking for the following positions in their office in Herzeliya: SDR or Sales Manager. Junior Office Manager with Operations and Production. DM Anna Osipov Heymann to apply.

Check Point: They are hiring two marketing positions in Israel: 1. Product marketing: 3-4 Yrs. experience, passionate, story teller, creative, Cyber Security experience an advantage. 2. Web Master : 2-3 Yrs. experience, hands on, innovative, agile. If you are interested reach out to Rafi Kretchmer.

Dataloop: Dataloop is GROWING rapidly and it’s your chance to join their amazing team.You are more than welcome to explore their career page and send them your CV! These are some of their open positions: 1. Project Manager (R&D). 2. Senior BackEnd Developer (big data)3. QA Team Leader (automation + manual). Apply here.

Deel: Can’t believe they are now 30 people at Deel. They've grown quite a bit over the last few weeks and it’s been so much fun. Their biz ops team just doubled and they couldn’t have asked for better teammates. They need more amazing people to join them in their mission to make hiring anyone, anywhere easily and compliantly as simple as a click of a button. Opportunities here.

Eleos Heath: Sales Development Representative (SDR). As their SDR you will be in a high-visibility, high-impact role integral to their continued growth strategy and expansion of their footprint within the US market. They are looking for a high-energy, driven SDR with existing knowledge of SaaS, digital health, and direct B2B (inside) sales, who will have an emphasis on new business acquisition. Location: Anywhere on the planet, preferably Tel Aviv or Boston. Apply here.

Goren Capital Group: The ideal candidate will be responsible for ensuring consistent corporate financial strategy through a range of avenues such as managing and allocating accounts, financial statements, and tax data. The candidate will also be the point of contact for banks, auditors, and tax authorities. Apply here.

Jemm Ventures: Excited to announce new tech experts offering startup advice through Jemm Ventures! They come from Lyft, Stripe, GoodHire, Spin, and other companies/startups, bringing years of operations, growth, product, design, and VC experience. Startup founders can now book calls with our experts directly. Learn more here.

JFrog: JFrog is searching for a talented NetSuite administrator to join the Information systems team. The NetSuite administrator will be primarily responsible for the support and maintenance of NetSuite application, configuration, implementation & system administration. Apply here.

AppsFlyer: TECHNICAL TALENT SOURCER. They have a dream! To become the best hiring team in Israel. In order to fulfill that dream, they first need to build a Dream Team and they're currently lacking an additional stellar Sourcer. Apply here.

Bringg: Customer Success Manager. Manage the implementation of new use cases, best practices and functionality to expand existing accounts. Establish and maintain customer satisfaction across named accounts through account planning, proactive client communications, issue remediation and containment, as well as performance measurement. Build and execute an account specific relationship framework, through QBR (onsite/remote) ongoing value proposition and periodic meeting. Apply here.

Citi Innovation LAB TLV: Citi Innovation LAB TLV is still hiring. Data analyst for Athena. Cloud security formal reasoning senior developer. Junior Java developer. NLP expert for NLP & MA Group. Sr. Front End Engineer. backend developer for infrastructure team. Senior UX Designer for the Innovation Lab. Senior Java Developer. Senior NLP expert for NLP & MA Group. Full-stack developer for Citi Innovation Lab. Apply here.

Equity Bee: Their mission is to allow all startup builders to participate in the success of the company they helped build by providing them with the best funding solution to own their equity. Israel: Product Manager and Full Stack Developer. US: Senior Investor Relations and Senior Equity Success Manager. Apply here.

EyeControl: EyeControl is a Tel Aviv-based medical device start-up, developing an assistive technology for Locked-in individuals and ventilated ICU patients, which enables communication using only intuitive eye movements. Their amazing team is dedicated to the product’s success; and, they are currently recruiting additional members. Relevant candidates are invited to send a cover letter and resume: [email protected]

Israel Economic Mission to the West Coast: They are seeking a Director of Trade and Business Development and a Director of Operations.

Microsoft: They are looking for Senior Cloud Solution Architect for startups - Data_and_AI to work with the best, innovative, and groundbreaking startups in the Israeli ecosystem. PM or email - Raz.Bachar at Microsoft.com

Remote Digital: It's a new week, and they're still on the lookout for a new B2B Campaign Manager here at Remotion Digital. Are you: A native English speaker (or an Israeli with really great English)? Experienced with PPC (Google, Facebook, LinkedIn)? Experienced in the world of B2B (Does MQL mean anything to you)? Apply here.

Shikun & Binui Energy: They are seeking an experienced dynamic and enthusiastic Business Development Manager to originate and secure an ambitious opportunities and pipeline of Renewable Energy projects (mainly Wind and Solar PV) in EMEA region. Relevant experience within the renewable energy field and a deep passion for renewable energy are imperative. Apply here.

SimilarWeb: HR Director. They are seeking experienced HR Director to lead HR for their Global GTM organization as well as be the leader for our US HR team in North America. This leader will report to their Chief People Officer and be part of a fast growing global HR team headquartered in Israel. This person should have outstanding people skills, be passionate about driving other people's success and demonstrate strategic ability to align people strategies and programs to real business needs. Apply here.

SOSA: Corporate Innovation Manager. SOSA is a global open innovation company that builds pragmatic cross-vertical innovation programs for corporations and public entities. Leveraging the strong relationships it has cultivated over years of being at the epicenter of the tech ecosystem, SOSA identifies advanced technology solutions and innovative models that lead to business growth and successful digital transformations. Apply here.

SQream: They are seeking a highly motivated and experienced individual to join their R&D Department as a Software Development Team Leader. In this role, you will lead a 2-3 scrum teams of High-Performance C++ and Haskell developers. You will be part of the R&D management staff and responsible for developing critical features for their powerful execution engines and their SQL compiler and driven code production environment. Apply here.

World Health Organization: Communication Officer. The objectives of the WHO Country cooperation strategy for 2017-2020 is to contribute to the strengthening and building the resilience of the Palestinian National Health system and enhance MoH leadership to progress towards the universal health coverage. This includes strengthening capacities of Palestinian health institutions to prepare for and respond to public health emergencies. Apply here.

#NoFilter: Reshaping Venture Capital: How Tech Can Impact the World: In this very special fireside chat, Chemi Peres, Co-Founder & Managing Partner at Pitango Cecile Blilious, Head of Impact & Sustainability at Pitango, will sit down with impact investing luminary, Sir Ronald Cohen, Chair, Global Steering Group, Impact Investment and Author of IMPACT: Reshaping Capitalism to Drive Real Change (Penguin UK; July, 2020). Thu, July 23, 7:00 AM. Register here.

GETTING READY TO SHINE IN THE NEW WORLD: This practical workshop will address the day after the COVID crisis and how best to leverage the situation to build a stronger and better company that will ultimately rise above the competition. They will open with Prof. Tal Ben-Shahar, learning about building resilient companies and will follow up with 4 highly relevant break-out rooms to discuss: Pivoting to new business opportunities, building operational muscles, dealing with capital funding and M&A is such times and finally discussing opportunities for innovation in new industries. July 23rd, 9:00am ET. Register here.

The Data scientist of the future: Join them on Sunday 26th for a discussion about the future of the Data Scientist role. What part will they play in future organizations, and what will be their relationship with their creations (AutoML)? The event will be broadcast on EventPlace, which enables networking before and during events. Jul 26, 9:00 AM. Sign up here.

Minnesota Promotes U.S.-Israel (BIRD) Funding Opportunity: Join the Consulate General of Israel to the Midwest, the ISRAEL - UNITED STATES BINATIONAL INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT (BIRD) Foundation, and the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development on July 27 to learn about funding opportunities for R&D Projects between the Midwest and Israel. Monday, July 27, 10 AM CST. Register here.

What If Diversity Was An App Virtual Workshop: Join them for a 2-hour virtual workshop designed exclusively for HR/Talent Acquisition professionals and D&I advocates motivated to help their companies in their journey for a more diverse, inclusive, and fair workplace. You can register below if you’re interested. Jul 28, 12:00 PM. Register here.

The state of angel investment post COVID-19: Join them for a special "Ask me Anything" panel which will dive into the state of angel investment post COVID 19, featuring leading angel investors Mark Schneider and Gregg Young from New York Angels, one of the largest and most active angel investment organizations in the world, Fabiola Hochkirchen, Partner at Berlin-based AUXXO Investments and an active angel, and Gal Chet, founder of Spinach Angels, a group of angel investors focused on Israeli Pre-Seed B2B SaaS technology investments. July 28, 10:00 AM. Register here.

Women in Innovation Helping to Build Entrepreneurial Business: The Rhode Island-Israel Collaborative in Collaboration (RIIC) with Social Enterprise Greenhouse and the Israel Consulate General to New England in Boston is pleased to invite you to a webinar In this webinar, we will hear from community leaders from both RI and Israel about their innovative approaches to address some of the most pressing social challenges. In particular, they will focus on the work they are doing in communities that have been historically excluded. Engagement and action are needed now more than ever. Tue, Jul 28, 12:00 PM EDT. Register here.

Health & Tech - Now & Beyond: Healthcare is front and center for the planet at the moment, with more and more technology companies adapting their products for healthcare. Triventures and AWS would like to invite you to a unique virtual event to learn about the opportunities, challenges and best practices for bringing your technology to the healthcare market. July 29, 9:30 AM EST. Register here.

The Online Cybersecurity Summit: They're thrilled to host this incredible virtual event alongside ICON - Israel Collaboration Network and GGV Capital to connect Israeli cybersecurity startups with global CISOs! Our lineup features industry heavyweights that include keynote speaker Gil Shwed (Co-Founder & CEO at Check Point Software Technologies, Ltd.); Udi Mokady (Co-Founder, & CEO at CyberArk); our venture advisors Adam Ely (Deputy CISO at Walmart), Adrian Ludwig (CISO at Atlassian), Lakshmi Hanspal (Global CISO at Box), Jeff Trudeau (CISO at Chime), Philip Martin (CISO at Coinbase); their very own CISO-in-Residence Sounil Yu and more! July 29, 2020. 1:00 pm EST. Sign up here.

BIRD FOUNDATION FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES: TiE New Jersey is pleased to present a live ZOOM event in partnership with Philadelphia-Israel Chamber of Commerce (PICC), which represents BIRD ( US-Israel Bi national Industrial Research and Development Foundation) in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware, on an opportunity to win a grant of up to $1 million for your next innovative development project. Jul 30, 5:30 PM. Register here.

ConTech Opportunities for US-IL Collaboration in Northern-Virginia: Join BIRD Business Development Directors Tal Kelem and Andrea Yonah along with industry stakeholders and innovators from the U.S. and Israel for a roundtable/webinar on technology trends in the built environment and opportunities for collaboration and funding. Aug 5, 09:00 AM in Eastern Time. Register here.

Israel Agriculture & Technology - News, Opportunities and Leadership: Join their free webinar that provides an overview of: The advancement of Israeli Agtech technologies and Innovation supported by the Israel Ministry of Agriculture. Grants or Bilateral Agriculture Research provided by the Bard foundations. Benefits of Kidum that provides the link between research, investment, commerce and industry in the governmental arena. Thursday, August 6, 10:00 AM PDT. Register here.

The TechCrunch List: A directory of the most active and engaged investors in the VC industry today as recommended by founders. Click here.

BIRD HLS Call for Proposals: The BIRD Foundation is a fund that is jointly funded by the U.S. Dept of Commerce and Israel Innovation Authority that provides matching grant/loan up to $1M for JV's between American and Israeli organizations. August 13 is the deadline for projects with applications in the homeland security sector. Contact Sam for more info.

500 Startups: Applications for the 500 Kobe virtual accelerator program are about to close! If you are a startup in telemedicine, health, hygiene and sanitation, public safety, remote work, online education, food supply or broadly supporting challenges brought on by COVID-19, apply now!

Applications Are Open For 2021 Term 1 Accelerators: Starting today, nine Techstars accelerators open applications for programs that will take place in 2021 Term 1. These programs will take place during the first four months of the year. Apply here.

Hadassah Accelerator: If you know Israeli startups focusing on digital health or you are part of such a startup - they are looking for you! They are recruiting Israeli startups that are focusing on digital technologies to bring innovation into Healthcare and significantly improve the diagnosis and treatment of patients worldwide. Applications for Class #3 (due to start autumn 2020) is now open on the Hadassah Accelerator site here.

COVID-19 Transit Response Challenge: The COVID-19 pandemic has introduced unprecedented challenges in public transit. As New York recovers and rebuilds, it is vital to reimagine public transit to meet its new challenges. The COVID-19 Response Challenge calls for technologies and approaches that help to make New York's public transportation system safer, healthier and more responsive to customer and workforce needs. Contact Sam for more info.

P5 Women's Summit: Grant and Pitch Competition: They have created three programs to help give you a chance to win fast, no strings attached money into the hands of female business owners like you who are ready and able to make a BIG impact. Did we mention all grant program winners and pitch competition finalists get FREE tickets to the P5 Women’s Summit, August 10-11? You can submit your business for consideration for one, two or all three of the programs totally free all three by filling out the quick universal form here.

Wanted: Israeli Technologies Fighting COVID-19: CoronaTech Israel: Does your company’s technology help cope with COVID-19? They are looking for you! If you work for an Israeli tech company with a globally implemented solution to any of the numerous challenges posed by COVID-19, share your story with them. Selected Israeli solutions will be featured in a global campaign promoting Israeli innovation fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. Apply here.

8200 For Startups: 11th cycle pre-registration. If you wish to know when they open the 2021's class, please fill in this form so they can let you know when it's officially open. The application is expected to open in October 2020. Apply here.

Closed Loop Ventures: Closed Loop Ventures led by Danielle Joseph, Hannah Friedman and René Paula is actively investing. They are early stage impact investors seeking innovative technologies and business models that are accelerating the circular economy. They look to invest in companies across the sectors of plastics & packaging, food & agriculture, apparel & beauty as well as supply chain logistics & technology. Their stages are Pre-Seed and Seed (with follow-ons through Series A) and their initial checks range from $100k to $1 million at post-money valuations less than $10mm. They lead and co-invest. If you are in those spaces and meet our criteria (read the site!) please don't hesitate to apply - no warm intro necessary. They take every criteria-meeting application seriously. Email: [email protected] Apply here.

SigmaLabs' Wave#13 by Sarona Partners: Application is open: SigmaLabs is a 'For Founders, By Founders' accelerator. Focusing on reaching product validation, market fit, and building the right fundraising strategy for you. In a 3-month program, their carefully chosen startups, achieve early success, and have a higher probability of closing a financing round. Together with Israel's largest startup ecosystem powered by Sarona Partners, SigmaLabs aims at providing startups the fundamental tools needed to optimize their likelihood of success. Apply here.

WeWork Consumer Labs: An equity-free incubator that aims to build an environment, community and program that empowers entrepreneurs to invent the future of the consumer experience. They're building an end-to-end global platform for consumer products and retail innovation. Apply here.

Jonathan 'Yoni' Frenkel has been involved in the New York-Israeli tech community for many years, mentoring startups on marketing, hosting events connecting investors with startups, and publishing on the topics of tech and venture regularly. Professionally, he heads a content marketing agency, YKC Media, and works with VCs, corporates, and startups in creating written content, social, and advising on marketing strategy focused on engaging a US audience. He can be reached on LinkedIn here.