Thinking of Israeli Tech In Cannes
By Greg Kahn
Emerging Tech Exchange
Founder & CEO
Published on June 20, 2023
I'm in Cannes right now but my mind is still on my trip to Israel last week.
I had the opportunity to meet with several AI companies focused on applying recent advancements across a wide array of sectors: agriculture, automotive, robotics, marketing, semiconductors, and healthcare.
There is a certain commonality among these disparate businesses — and it goes beyond AI.
That’s because — and this is a truism for every business — it’s never just about the tech. It’s about the culture of Israel.
There are so many elements that have come together over the past several decades that have shaped Israel’s culture. It’s those elements that have made Israel a hothouse for innovation. You can feel it when you’re there, when you encounter established businesses and serial tech founders. It’s simply a part of the country’s make-up to nurture constant new waves of businesses that balance functionality and feasibility with dreaming up new pathways of problem-solving approaches to tech.
A lot has been said about the country’s entrepreneurial spirit. There’s the strong connection between universal military service and how it continuously trains successive startup leaders. Like invention itself, Israel’s culture developed out of necessity: it’s how such a small country of 9.3 million people plays such an outsize role in geopolitics and tech.
But that’s just the surface description. There’s a deeper level of practicality to the startup scene in Israel right now. And that’s attracting partners from other countries like no other time in the country’s history. There’s a lot of lessons for the US in what’s driving the current cross-pollination among businesses from Asia.
I’ll delve in deeper into the companies I met with in a series of later posts. So for the moment, I just want to share the up-close look I got at Israel this week: it’s a culture where creative problem-solving is ingrained in everything Israelis immerse themselves in; it’s a culture that works through ambiguity and contradictions at all levels to carve out a sharp sense of clarity and action-taking.
In the end, what all the companies I met have in common is this: they don’t adopt AI because of the attention it's getting from mainstream consumers and press; they’re finding the most practical, real world use cases right now. And that is attracting partners with the same ethos.
That brings us to the Israel-Asia connection. Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and Vietnam have developed a strong presence in Israel and it’s having a real influence on the country’s entrepreneurs and investors. (Still, geopolitical influences are being felt too — China is noticeably more absent in Israel due to rising tensions with the west in general.)
I’ll be sharing more details about Israel this week as I make my way through the flurry of Cannes meetings, panels, receptions and events.
If I run into you in Cannes the next few days — or if you want to reach out when I return — feel free to hit me up about my Israel experience.
Greg Kahn
Emerging Tech Exchange
Founder & CEO
