Weekly #FIRGUN Newsletter
It's #Firgun time.
The word "Firgun" (Hebrew: ??????/ pronounced 'feer-goon')?is an informal modern Hebrew term and concept in Israeli culture (originally Yiddish), which describes genuine, unselfish delight or pride in the accomplishment of the other person. It's the opposite of schadenfreude. It's about genuinely feeling and expressing happiness, pride, or admiration for someone else's accomplishments, good fortune, or well-being. More about Firgun and why it matters on VC Cafe: https://lnkd.in/dg2a86p
It's International Women's day - an opportunity to remind ourselves that there are still 20 Israeli women taken hostage to Gaza. We also know what Hamas is capable of. There are in total 134 Israeli hostages still in Gaza (several have been sadly confirmed dead/murdered by Hamas) - time is running out. We must #BRINGTHEMHOME NOW.
This week, I was reminded of the profound significance of 'community' during a meetup with Israeli fathers in my neighbourhood. The term 'community' often feels diluted, overshadowed by its ubiquitous application across various contexts. Yet, in a true community, there's an unmistakable sense of belonging, an assurance of inclusivity. Amidst the alarming rise of antisemitism, the comfort and importance of immersing oneself in not just a single, but multiple communities cannot be overstated. It's a beacon of solidarity and support in turbulent times.
This week in tech, the US seems to getting serious about removing Chinese influence on TikTok, Anthropic 's Claude 3.0 launched and claims to be better than GPT-3.5, Inflection AI launched Pi 2.5, OpenAI fired back at Elon Musk and 谷歌 announced it will be demoting AI generated search results.
In an optimistic note, I'll finish with a quote from Bridgewater Associates CEO, Nir Bar Dea :
“If Israel catches this tech wave, it can enter the most prosperous period in the country's history”
More about this in my first 'links for your browser' section.
NEW FUNDING ROUNDS
EXITS
NEW FUNDS
APPOINTMENTS
LINKS FOR YOUR BROWSER
Israel:
General:
MEDIA OF THE WEEK
Women comprise of 9.4% of all startup CEOs in Israel
领英推荐
Funding to Israeli female funded startups shrunk significantly in 2023 (reported at 2%) according to IVC Data and Insights
Europe tech investment in doldrums according to new report, but there's hope
Read this before raising venture capital or wanting to become a VC
A lot of folks like benchmarks and these ones from 75 funding rounds in the US by Carta are hot out of the oven
Big tech is responsible to approximately 50% of the dollars going into generative AI.
Claude 3.0 showed that it's possible to compete with OpenAI in the LLM space
Last but not least, you don't see much of the signs on the right these days.
That's all for this week. There's a lot to celebrate in our "small" community. Keep on creating.
Eze Vidra
#tech #startups #venturecapital #ai #Israel #vc #founders #entrepreneurs #investments
Corporate Storyteller and Pitch Alchemist for Start Ups, Best Selling Author, Communication Coach @Stanford GSB
1 年Great stuff all around. Thanks for a great start to the weekend ????
Co-Founder of Altrosyn and DIrector at CDTECH | Inventor | Manufacturer
1 年Absolutely resonating with your commitment to supporting female entrepreneurs on International Women's Day. It's crucial to champion inclusivity in the tech and startup landscape. Regarding Israel's tech industry resilience, do you foresee any specific areas or sectors within the industry that might see substantial growth post the current challenges? It's indeed an exciting prospect to anticipate a golden era. How do you think this resilience might shape the future landscape of venture capital and startup innovation in Israel? Your insights on these developments would be highly valued!