My 500th Feature is not a person!

My 500th feature!

Today, 500 days ago, I decided that since meetings were less common, which meant that my ability to meet and promote people was limited, that I’d start a daily feature of someone remarkable.?

For the past 500 days, I’ve switched off every day between a man and a woman. For the past 500 days, I hope I put a smile on someone’s face. For the past 500 days, I’ve made you aware of someone special.?

The feedback has been insane. People have told me that these features have led to countless new connections. Others have told me that the features led to them getting a job or signing a strategic partnership.?

As a result of the features, I have gotten endless opportunities.?

And again, the lesson is, you promote others, you help others win, you ending up winning!?

So who or what am I featuring as my 500th feature??

Well it’s not a person.

Today’s feature is Israeli tech, the Israeli innovation ecosystem.?

I have been fortunate to “know” this ecosystem for close to 15 years, and if ever there was such a thing as a supernatural miracle, Israeli tech is it.?

Remember, we’re talking about a country that is smaller than NJ and is in the worst neighborhood on earth.?

And yet…

Billions and billions (close to 30 billion in 2021!) of dollars is streaming into Israel to invest in the best startups the country can produce.?

But the amount of money invested is only as important as the source of that money.?

So where is that money coming from? Who is investing in this country? The answer is everywhere and everyone.?

You’d have a hard time identifying a single top tier tech investor in Silicon Valley or anywhere else that had not set up shop in Israel.?

You name it. LightSpeed, Insight, Battery, Bessemer, and on and on. They’re all here and they’re all deploying billions.?

Even those investors that are not formally here, generally have a man on the ground scouting deals. They’re all here!!?

So how successful is the ecosystem?

Well, do you want to talk private companies or public?

Private companies? We’re probably close to 100 unicorns by now. That’s 100 companies that have reached a billon dollar valuation.?

The public markets? After the US (350,000,000 people) and China (1,500,000,000 people), Israel (9,000,000) has the most companies on Wall St.?

What about the multinationals? Well, they too are all here.?

Which leading tech corporation has not set up shop here??

Apple, Google, Microsoft, Meta, Amazon, Intel, IBM, and the list goes on. And they’re not just here. They’re building core components of their portfolio here.?

Whether it’s Face ID on iPhone or even the iPhone chip or whether it’s Microsoft ventures, Amazon drone deliveries, Facebook Lite, or Google’s advanced search technology, this is where it’s all going down.?

And what about impact? It’s nice that we’re building tech but how are we a light unto the nations??

The answer is of course impact tech. Whether it’s healthcare, mental health, cancer treatment, mobility, alternative food tech, and so much more, Israeli companies are making the world a better place every single day.?

So in the image below are just some examples of Israeli innovation.?

Wix, Google, Waze, AWS, Meta, Innovation Africa, Mobileye, cherry tomatoes, Oculus, self driving cars, the thumb drive, and instant messaging.?

Israel leads the way in almost all sectors of technology and of course the markets right now are not ideal, but still, the innovation produced in Israel shows no signs of slowing down.?

Honored to play a small role in this ever evolving and incredibly exciting ecosystem. My job is easy. I just tell the story, the story of Israeli tech truly tells itself.?

Meet Israeli tech!?

Here’s to the next 500 features!!?