Episode 15/ Full Interview + Postscript: Jonathan Medved on how Israel's dynamism in tech could be a game changer in the Middle East

Published September 6, 2021Jonathan Medved is a serial entrepreneur and according to the Washington Post (2007) "one of Israel's leading high-tech venture capitalists". In the 2008 NY Times Supplement "Israel at 60," Medved was named one of the top 10 most influential Americans who have impacted Israel.Medved is the founder and CEO of OurCrowd, the leading global equity crowdfunding platform for accredited investors and angels. OurCrowd has $1.7B in commitments and has made investments in more than 240 companies, in 25 funds and has seen 46 exits since its launch in February 2013. OurCrowd exits include: Jump Bikes sold to Uber, Briefcam sold to Canon, Argus sold to Continental, Crosswise sold to Oracle, and Replay sold to Intel. Bloomberg Businessweek said in the May 7, 2015 edition that "OurCrowd is hands down the most successful equity-crowdfunding platform in the world right now." The Street.com described OurCrowd as "Crowdfunding for Real Investors."Prior to OurCrowd, Medved was the co-founder and CEO of Vringo (Nasdaq:VRNG) and the co-founder and General Partner of Israel Seed Partners, with $262M under management. Recorded April 2, 2021.Show Notes01:15 JM on his educational and career path and what attracted him to Israel03:14 JM on the early days of VC in Israel06:16 JM on how he started OurCrowd08:55 JM on the role played by venture investments in a portfolio11:45 JM on OurCrowd’s star performers, including Beyond Meat16:14 JM on the role that Asian investment has played in the development of the Israeli startup ecosystem23:36 JM on seeing Israel as part of Asia and the economic implications of the Abraham Accords24:40 JM on an emerging perception of the Middle East beyond conflict and as an economic powerhouse in its own right26:51 JM on how the Middle East is the bright spot on the economic horizon and OurCrowd’s moves to take advantage of this growth opportunity28:51 JM on how the changes in the Middle East appear to be coming from the bottom up as well as top down31:36 JM on the common heritage of Israelis and Arabs34:04 JM on how the business culture of the Middle East differs from that in the West37:50 JM on the small country advantage41:33 JM on Israel as a leader in agricultural technologyIn Notes from Utopia, The Tropicalist: discusses a truly surprising bit of Jewish history in AsiaIn the Postscript, hosts Jesse and Madhavi discuss:the unique confluence of factors that have led to Israel being dubbed a start-up nationthe possibility of conceiving of Israel as an Asian powerLinks:Israeli show is a hit in Arab countriesDavid Marshall, Singapore's Jewish first chief ministerIn its early years, the state of Israel, conceived similar grounds as Pakistan, faced many similar problems, yet 70 years later, Israel has succeeded where Pakistan has not.Afghanistan's last jew?Why Israel must win over its Arab population (maybe lessons here for India?)That's right, the ex-wife of the current Pakistani PM is JewishAnd whither Iran in the ongoing reconciliation?Behold the rise and rise of the UAEUnderstanding Israel post-NetanyahuTraditions of Israeli descent among certain Muslim Groups in South AsiaAfridi Pathans of Uttar Pradesh: another lost tribe of Israel?The Afghan Pashtuns and the the missing Israelite exilesThe Israelite connections of the Taliban? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.