By Anayansy Hernandez
On a sunny Thursday morning, 700 Israel and United States attendees gathered at the Faena Forum to attend Calcalist’s first Miami Tech and Invest Conference. The conference took place on November 13–15 and showcased 27 speakers across 14 unique panels and fireside chats.
The goal of the conference? To showcase 14 Israeli startups and demonstrate that Israeli tech is strong despite its current political climate. Israel, also coined “Startup Nation,” is home to the world’s largest concentration of tech companies outside Silicon Valley, and the Calcalist conference did not shy away from sharing its achievements and promising tech founders.
Israel continues to draw investment interest
Yoel Esteron, founder and Publisher of Calcalist, took the stage to share why investing in Israel is a wise decision at the moment. Esteron highlighted many examples, including how tech giant Google offered to buy a startup for $23 billion. Hanan Friedman, President & CEO at Bank Leumi, followed that sentiment and announced Leumi Tech’s new $77 million fund, which aims to harness tech companies. “We are launching this fund precisely at this time because we believe the industry will be stronger a day after the war,” Friedman said.
Thomas Nides, Vice Chairman at Blackstone and Former US Ambassador to Israel, said he believes having a new president in office will bring new opportunities for Israeli companies. Nides also hopes the new administration will help seal the Israel-Saudi peace deal to normalize ties.
“A Saudi normalization deal changes the dynamics and can dramatically change the economic opportunities for the Middle East beyond keeping things calm,” Nides explained.
Miami tech leaders on its tech evolution
Israel was not the only location being praised for its milestones. Miami tech pioneers and leaders also shared why Miami is considered an emerging, thriving global tech hub.
Melissa Medina, CEO of eMerge Americas, provided statistics stating that Miami is now number seven in terms of deal value and Florida is the number one state for tech talent migration. “All of these factors combined, including being pro-business and having favorable weather and tax climate, have boosted our state, community, and city in countless ways,” Medina said.
Garry Fatakhov, co-founder of Siemplify, who moved from Israel, believes what’s happening now in Miami is just the beginning of the trend. “We see more talent, businesses, and people coming. Therefore, it’s clear that there are signs for future growth,” Fatakhov explained.
Howard Lerman, CEO of Roam and co-founder of Yext, believes that to get to the next level, Miami needs a company with a phenomenal exit. “I’m focused on creating that one exceptional outcome,” Lerman said.
Israeli founders showcase their startups
A final component of the conference was geared toward providing founders with advice and the opportunity to showcase themselves.
Keith Rabois, Managing Director at Khosla Ventures, advised founders to choose their investors wisely. “You should be meeting investors in person and not on Zoom,” he said. Rabois also reminded founders that their company’s success depends a lot on the team they build.
The conference concluded with 14 Israeli founders pitching their innovations. Startups in industries like health tech, agriculture, automotive, education, cyber security, and others showcased their products. The event was a testament to Israel’s vibrant startup ecosystem and its potential to revolutionize various sectors.
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