Mind the Tech NY
Back on track: Mind the Tech returns to New York
After being postponed due to the war, Calcalist’s Mind the Tech conference returns to New York for its eighth edition, expanding into a full week of exploration from May 11 to 13.
Calcalist returns to New York with Mind the Tech Week, a conference and a series of accompanying events featuring leading entrepreneurs, companies, and investors from Israel and the U.S., to be held from May 11 to 13.
The conference, which was postponed from March to May following the war between Israel and Iran, is being held for the eighth time this year, against the backdrop of a complex security reality and its implications for the economy and markets. Amid this reality, Mind the Tech Week will highlight the strength of Israeli high-tech and its ability to continue operating and growing even under conditions of uncertainty, while strengthening its presence in the international arena by creating business connections, expanding global activity, and presenting Israeli innovation to investors, companies, and strategic partners from the U.S. and around the world.
During the week, senior executives, investors, and entrepreneurs from Israel and the United States will meet for a series of discussions, panels, networking events, and roundtables, focusing on the future of the industry, new investment opportunities, strengthening business ties between the countries, the most important trends in the technology world today, and the Israeli companies leading them.
"In early March, under missile fire, we decided not to skip our most important conference of the year and to hold it in May," said Yoel Esteron, publisher of Calcalist. "This is our mission, in calm days and in challenging times, to continue promoting Israeli high-tech in global business centers. Startups don’t give up, so we don’t give up either."
"How to Leverage AI"
"Precisely now, in this challenging period, it is especially important that we come to New York to promote Israeli tech," said Bank Leumi CEO Hanan Friedman. According to him, "Even during the campaign against Iran, as in previous conflicts, we saw the Israeli economy remain stable and continue to grow. Alongside the economy, the AI revolution has not stopped, and it will continue to disrupt the existing order in many ways. The uncertainty is still great, but one thing is clear: those who do not join the AI revolution will quickly become irrelevant. At the conference, we will address the dilemmas facing business organizations worldwide, how we analyze the impact of the AI revolution, and how we at Leumi leverage it."
One of the keynote speakers at the conference is Josh Wolfe, founding partner at Lux Capital. The fund manages $5 billion in venture capital investments, focusing on deep tech and defense tech. It has invested in companies across AI, aerospace, robotics, and national security, and since October 7 has increased its commitment to the Israeli ecosystem.
Other speakers include serial investor and entrepreneur Rakesh Loonkar, one of the most prominent figures in the global cyber ecosystem. He is a partner of Israeli entrepreneur Mickey Boodaei; together they founded Trusteer, which was sold to IBM for $700 million, and Transmit Security, now a unicorn with hundreds of millions of dollars in annual revenue. Loonkar was also an early investor in Palo Alto Networks and is currently a partner at Picture Capital, a cyber-focused fund.
Amanda Herson is a partner at Founder Collective, an early investor in companies such as Uber, Airbnb, The Trade Desk, and BuzzFeed. The fund focuses on supporting entrepreneurs from day one.
Seth Rosenberg is a general partner at Greylock Partners, one of Silicon Valley’s leading firms, which has invested in companies such as Airbnb, LinkedIn, Dropbox, Stripe, and Palo Alto Networks. Rosenberg focuses on enterprise software and AI.
One of the most notable sessions will focus on the intersection of sports, entertainment, and technology, featuring an in-depth interview with Sam Zussman. As CEO of Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment, which includes the Brooklyn Nets, New York Liberty, and the Barclays Center, Zussman has helped reshape sports into a broader entertainment platform integrating media, live events, and cultural experiences.
From aircraft to the startup Dream Team
Paul Fogel is the chief engineer of Skunk Works, the advanced development division of Lockheed Martin. The division develops experimental and classified systems, including stealth aircraft and advanced defense technologies, primarily for the Pentagon.
Yotam Segev, co-founder and CEO of Cyera, represents a new generation of entrepreneurs redefining data security in the AI era. Founded in 2021, Cyera has raised over $1.7 billion and is valued at approximately $9 billion. The company focuses on protecting sensitive organizational data through deep analysis of complex data infrastructures.
A central focus of the conference will be showcasing the next generation of Israeli high-tech through two complementary tracks. A total of 23 Israeli startups, from early-stage ventures to growth companies, will be presented, offering a comprehensive view of the Israeli innovation pipeline.
In the first half of the day, the Qumra Capital growth company selection will be unveiled, featuring 11 companies at advanced stages of market development and seen as potential future leaders of Israeli high-tech. Now in its seventh year, the project identifies companies with strong potential to scale globally.
In the second half of the day, the Dream Team, 12 startups selected in collaboration with Showcase IL, will present their technologies on the main stage.
The startups are supported by the Leadership Board, a group of senior executives providing on-stage feedback. Members include Yafit Keret (CEO of ERB Proximo), Justin Borus (CEO of Ibex), Jenny Fielding (Everywhere Ventures), Maya Eisen Zafrir (CEO of LeumiTech), and Michal Tsur, a serial entrepreneur behind Cyota, Kaltura, and Remepy.
The Dream Team companies, Catch, Gyro, April, Guardian7, Edventure, Finally Foods, Shopeaks, Pink Star Technologies, AgriPass Robotics, Sequent, Modelyo, and TrackiMed, participated in an intensive bootcamp ahead of the conference, preparing them for engagement with the U.S. market.
In New York, entrepreneurs will gain direct access to industry leaders, investors, and strategic partners through a structured roadshow of one-on-one meetings. Companies will also benefit from media exposure, professional support, and networking opportunities aimed at accelerating their expansion in the American market.
Alongside the main conference, Mind the Tech Week will include a range of content and networking events. These include a dedicated gathering for female investors and entrepreneurs in collaboration with the Yazamiyot organization; the annual Founders Club event by Israeli Mapped in NY; a discussion on 2026 Wall Street trends led by Sullivan & Worcester; a LeumiTech roundtable on AI, cybersecurity, and risk management; one-on-one meetings between Dream Team startups and U.S. investors; and a session on AI company valuations led by Shibolet Law Firm. As in previous years, the week will conclude with a closing cocktail event.
Additional participants in the conference and Mind the Tech Week events include Uri Alon, Chairman of Bank Leumi; Josh Potter, Global Partner, Private Equity, KPMG Worldwide; Russell Barrett, COO, Valley Bank; Shai Babad, CEO and President of Strauss Group; Levy Halevy, CEO of El Al; Yoni Hantis, CEO of Doral; Lee Moser, Founding Partner of the DefenseTech Fund Protego; Erez Shachar, Managing Partner, Qumra Capital; Prof. Ran Balicer, Chief Innovation Officer, Clalit Healthcare; Keren Danziger, CEO of Pagaya Investment Funds in Israel; Oded Har-Even, Managing Partner, Sullivan & Worcester; David Bocchi, Co-Founder and Head of Investment Banking at AGP; Amir Iliescu, Managing Partner in the High-Tech Department at Shibolet & Co; Nir Omer, Head of the Cyber and Infrastructure Division at Leumi; Rachel ten Brink, General Partner, Red Bike Capital; Liron Freind-Saadon, Director at Nvidia; Noy Levinson, GM at AI startup Decart; Iren Reznikov, Partner at Vintage Fund; Hilla Ovil-Brenner, Founder of Yazamiyot and Showcase IL; Hila Rom, Founding Partner, FutureFirst; Dina Pasca Raz, Partner and Head of Technology at KPMG Israel; Dr. Gal Noyman Veksler, Partner at LionBird Ventures; Ally Golan, Managing Partner at Trust Capital Partners; Yanai Oron, Managing Partner at Vertex Ventures; Hila Zigman, General Partner at Cyberstarts; Galia Beer-Gabel, Managing Partner at Team8; Eyal Bino, Founding Partner at 97212 Ventures; Itamar Friedman, Founder and CEO of Qodo; Guy Franklin, Founder of Israeli Mapped in NY; Elyor Zitalni, Deputy CEO of ESOP Phoenix; Galit Meyran, CEO of the Israel-America Chamber of Commerce; Batell Blaish-Sultanik, CEO of AID Coalition; and Mariuma Klein, Founder and CEO of Shanti House.
