Start-Up Nation Voices

David Sable, Co-Founder of DoAble, former Global CEO and Chairman of Y&R, Board Director of UNICEF/USA, the International Special Olympics, UNCF, and Board Member of American Eagle Outfitters', Ethan Allen Interiors, and Silverspac, joins SUNM CEO Ben Spilg and SUNM CMO Daniella Springer to discuss his fascinating career and involvement in the advertising industry, spanning more than 40 years, and the lessons he has extracted from his life experiences, including his service in the IDF, and ongoing devotion to social and nonprofit organizations.

Gai Berkovich, COO at Waze, joins SUNM CEO Ben Spilg and Senior Advisor Elan Arnowitz to discuss the critical inflection points throughout his career that led him to Waze, the unique and constantly evolving hi-tech industry in Israel, and many extractable lessons for the next generation of entrepreneurs and tech leaders.

Former Ambassador of Israel to the UK, His Excellency, Daniel Taub, discusses Israel's role in international politics and the critical position it finds itself in among nations with hosts Ben Spilg, SUNM CEO, and Asher Swidler, Brown University SUNM Campus Director. Taub discusses his career from serving as a combat medic in the IDF to serving as a speechwriter for President Chaim Herzog and working as the Director of Strategy and Planning for the Yad Hanadiv Foundation.

In this episode, Elan Arnowitz and Justin Shapiro chat with Google's VP Managing EMEA Emerging Markets and first ever employee of Google Israel, Meir Brand. Meir shares his memories of the early days of the internet, how he decided to join Google Israel, the importance emerging markets play in the global economy and more! Check out the full episode 

In this episode, Elan Arnowitz and Ryan Bauman sit down with Yuval Rooz - CEO and Co-Founder of Digital Asset, one of the leaders developing blockchain technology for enterprises. Yuval shares about the current state of institutional blockchain adoption, the differences (and similarities) between public and private blockchains, the biggest challenges being faced by blockchain/crypto users today and more. Whether you're new to the concept of blockchain or are well versed in the space, Yuval's insights are extremely valuable!

CEO of Start-Up Nation Mentorship, Ben Spilg, welcomes Maxime Cohen, Professor of Retail and Operations at McGill University. In this episode, Professor Cohen offers his take on working with large corporations vs. start-ups, his own journey into academia at such a young age, insights on the future of retail, and the value of partnership with Israel for ambitious students.

In this episode, Or Benoz, Founder of Element and Rewire, shares about the current and future trends that will shape fintech, the greatest challenges an entrepreneur will encounter, and what it takes to rapidly scale a startup. 

In this episode of Voices, Elan Arnowitz sits down with Mark Gazit, CEO and President of ThetaRay, who sheds light on the difference between artificial intelligence and artificial intuition, the institutional perspective shift on cryptocurrencies, and cyber security at large! 

In this episode, Elan Arnowitz, Director of Mentor Relations, sits down with Ronni Zehavi, CEO of HiBob - a platform that allows companies to streamline HR processes and engage top talent. They discuss the shifting employee trends that lead to HiBob's founding, frameworks for optimizing entrepreneurial success, and all things SaaS! Having worked within the SaaS industry since its inception, Ronni highlights its changes over time and why he chose to focus on an underserved segment within the human resources category. He also defines culture and explains why it's vital for any company's success.  

In this episode, Elan Arnowitz sits down with Gidi Mark, CEO of Birthright Israel, who discusses his journey as the company's first employee and how he built the largest educational tourism organization in the world. Mark also shares comical anecdotes that confirmed a successful marketing campaign and his thoughts on the greatest risks to the organization. Birthright Israel has generated more than $1.5B for the Israeli economy. Listen to the full episode below! 

In this episode, Yoav Degani, a 4x CEO, discusses the mindset needed to become a successful entrepreneur, why he doesn't think in terms of trends, and what he has learned from his failures. Yoav offers a glimpse into the knowledge he's gained from advising over 500 startups throughout his career!

As misinformation spreads dangerously on the internet, Start-Up Nation Mentorship Israel Director, Dean Meyer sits down with Noa Tishby,  Israeli-American actress, producer, and author to unpack many of the common misconceptions about Israel. Noa discusses what Zionism is and how the term has been misappropriated while describing why one can be both liberal/progressive and a staunch Zionist at the same time. On top of this, Noa gives her perspective on rising anti-Semitism and the BDS movement, how to stand up for your beliefs in a professional and respectful way, and finally, how the region can achieve peace.

We had the privilege to interview Brigadier General Dr. Tarif Bader, former Surgeon General of the Israel Defense Forces, on this episode of Start-Up Nation Voices. Dr. Bader is the first Israeli Druze to occupy the office. He graduated from the medical school of Ben-Gurion University in 1993 and completed his pediatrics residency in 2004. He earned his Master of Health Administration degree from Ben-Gurion University in 2006 and, most recently, his Master in National Security from Haifa University in 2017. Having served in the IDF Medical Corps since 1993, he has commanded and overseen humanitarian missions in Haiti, Syria, Nepal, and Turkey.Listen in to get an in-depth perspective on COVID, vaccines, Israel's humanitarian missions, and the reasons Israel leads the world of healthcare.

Start-Up Nation Mentorship Israel Director, Dean Meyer sits down with Ben Rabinowitz, Founder and Managing Partner at Amiti Ventures to discuss Ben's business and life experiences in both the U.S and Israel. During this episode, Ben shares his story on how he became a seed-stage investor at Innoviz and their journey to an IPO. Furthermore, Ben discusses why Israeli has become a global innovation and technology powerhouse, how his experience at AudioCodes as General Manager and Vice President shaped his career, and finally, new and emerging deep tech trends that he finds interesting.

Start Up Nation Mentorship Israel Director, Dean Meyer sits down with Kfir Kachlon, a leading Israeli early stage investor and General Partner at AnD Ventures. In this episode, Kfir discusses his law background and what skill sets are needed to be a successful VC, his experience of being a co-founder in the newly established AnD ventures, and what it means to be a successful early stage investor.

Start Up Nation Mentorship Director of Mentor Relations, Elan Arnowitz sits down with Jordan Odinsky, Investor and Head of Platform at GroundUp Ventures. In this episode, Jordan shares the two key inflection points that shaped his career, the ways students can approach mentorship, why GroundUp's unique strategies have led to their success, and how he thinks about the balance between marketing and product focus.

Start Up Nation Mentorship Director of Mentor Relations, Elan Arnowitz sits down with Daniel Aronovitz, a leading Israeli growth investor and Vice President at Insight Partners. In this episode, Daniel shares why Insight chose Tel Aviv for its second headquarters, how Israel became a scale-up nation and not just a start up nation, and how he thought through the rewarding yet challenging move from New York to Tel Aviv to open Insight's first international office. 

Start-Up Nation Mentorship Israel Director, Dean Meyer and Director of Mentor Relations, Elan Arnowitz,  sit down Chaim Meir Tessler, a leading VC in Israel who is a Partner at OurCrowd. During this episode, Chaim discusses how he got into VC, and the challenges he faced throughout his career as a technologist. Chaim also discusses the Israeli VC ecosystem and how he makes investments.

Start-Up Nation Mentorship Director of Mentor Relations, Elan Arnowitz and VP of Mentor Relations, Ben Slotkin sit down with Zvika Orron, General Partner at Viola Ventures. In this episode, they discuss the impact of multi-stage funds on the Israeli startup ecosystem, how operational experience translates to investing acumen, the importance of a technical skill set, how the IDF has impacted Israel as a start up nation, and how the normalization of relations between Israel and the UAE will impact investing. 

Start-Up Nation Mentorship Israel Director, Dean Meyer and Chief External Officer, Levy Agaronnik sit down with Dov Moran and Lotan Levkowitz, Managing Partner and Partner at Grove Ventures for an inside conversation about Grove Ventures, one of Israels most successful Venture Capital firms. During this episode, Dov and Lotan discuss a variety of topics including how Dov invented the USB Flash Drive, how to be a successful early-stage deep-tech fund and other notable experiences that shaped their lives.

Start-Up Nation Mentorship Director of Mentor Relations, Elan Arnowitz and Direct of Israel, Dean Meyer sit down with Eran Bielski, General Partner at Entree Capital, for an in-depth look into career and the perspectives that have shaped his success. In this episode, Eran shares about the transition from Investment Banking to Venture Capital, the pros and cons of being “young” in the venture world, and the key to “timing” in successful start-ups.

Start-Up Nation Mentorship Director of Mentor Relations, Elan Arnowitz and Israel Director, Dean Meyer sit down with Daniel Frankenstein, Co-Founder and Partner at JANVEST, for an inside conversation into his career and the insights he has gained along the way. In this episode, Daniel discusses early stage investing, keys to success in venture, and the biggest differences between working with large and small companies.

Start-Up Nation Mentorship Chief External Officer Levy Agaronnik and US Director Samantha Chussid sit down with Mickey Raviv, President of CAF Israel and Former Deputy CEO of Bombardier Israel, for an inside conversation on his inspiring career in infrastructure development and global affairs. Headquartered in Spain, CAF is a leading global manufacturer of railway vehicles and equipment. In this episode, Mickey discusses his experiences navigating key foreign relations posts in the Middle East, spearheading groundbreaking rail projects in Israel, and advice for aspiring innovators.

Start-Up Nation Mentorship Founder & Chairman Adam Shapiro and Israel Director Dean Meyer sit down with Nate Meir, Principal at StageOne Ventures, for an inside conversation on the venture capital landscape in Israel. In this episode, Nate Meir discusses his experiences working at several VC funds and Amazon, the future of early-stage investing, and advice for those getting started in new jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Start-Up Nation Mentorship Founder & Chairman Adam Shapiro and OurCrowd Investment Analyst Dean Meyer sit down with Yoav Oren, Co-Founder and CEO of Zoog.ai, for an inside conversation on his fascinating entrepreneurial career. Zoog is a start-up building “the most interactive family communication and entertainment platform in the world.” In this episode, Yoav discusses his experiences in high-tech, China, and Israel's entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Start-Up Nation Mentorship Founder & Chairman Adam Shapiro and U.S. Director Nikki Chussid sit down with serial entrepreneur and CMO of SpaceIL, Enon Landenberg, for an inside conversation on his journey founding numerous companies in Israel. In this episode, Enon discusses the formation of his most recent companies Bosco and TheCaringApp, Israel's start-up ecosystem, and advice for aspiring entrepreneurs.

Start-Up Nation Mentorship Founder & Chairman Adam Shapiro and CEO Ben Spilg sit down with Rafael Sweary, President and Co-Founder of WalkMe, for an inside conversation on leadership in the high-tech sector. WalkMe is one of the leading Israeli “Unicorns” that is making huge waves and helps companies work more effectively both internally and across all their customer-facing activities. In this episode, Rafael discusses his experience building a high-growth multinational firm, Israel's foreign relations in the tech space, and advice for aspiring entrepreneurs.

Start-Up Nation Mentorship Founder & Chairman Adam Shapiro and Director of Mentor Relations Elan Arnowitz sit down with Ben Weiss, Venture Partner at SoftBank Ventures, for an inside conversation on the venture capital landscape in Israel and across Asia. In this episode, Ben Weiss discusses his experience building a global fund, the future of Israel's relations across the Middle East and Asia, and advice for college students.

Start-Up Nation Mentorship Founder & Chairman Adam Shapiro and CEO Ben Spilg sit down with Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem Fleur Hassan-Nahoum for an inside conversation on governing one of the most significant cities on the planet. In this episode, Fleur Hassan-Nahoum discusses her experience overseeing the complexities of Jerusalem, the future of Arab-Israel relations, and advice for college students interested in working in government.