Aleph

This is one of the best episodes of Invested that we’ve ever released. (Seriously, everyone at Aleph has been buzzing about it.) Sam Lessin - GP at Slow Ventures, Co-Founder of Fin Assistant. (2015 - 2019) and Drop.io, and "intern" at The Information - joined Michael for an in-depth-VC-insider discussion on the state of…the world.  We’ve got insights on how to handle “bad” investments, business lessons that come from skiing, why Sam has beef with the Silicon Valley “elite," what he saw in Venmo that no one else did, what Pavel Durov's arrest means for the future of free speech and trust (and how crypto is involved), and whether Harvard is redeemable - with lots of banter in between. Link to listen in the comments 👇🏼

Noam Toister is a force to be reckoned with. He was a shy child. The worst student in his family - failing tests, trying again. Entrepreneurship wasn’t a thing in his home, but a travel blip on his honeymoon in the Philippines gave him the idea to sell online tickets to and from different locations, and he started making money within two weeks. Together with Omer Chehmer and David Yitzhaki, he was on track to building the largest ground and sea transportation platform in the world. And then…COVID hit. This is the story of Travelier - in all its grit and glory. We're immensely proud of your journey and to be traveling on it with you. Watch, listen, and learn what it really means to live resilience as a founder.  

The wins keep coming! Congratulation to Trullion's VP Product, Gil Marx🎗️, Melio's VP Product and Analytics Sivanne Goldfarb, and Travelier's Product Manager Noa Shaked on being recognized as some of N12 News Israel's Product People of 2024. "It's an exciting time at Trullion as we push the boundaries of accounting tech. We're turning complex processes into simple, intuitive experiences, making finance more transparent and human-centered," says Gil about his nomination. More about how Trullion, Travelier and Melio are pushing boundaries in the comments 👇 Isaac Heller | Amir B. | Noam Toister | Omer Chehmer | David Yitzhaki | Matan Bar | Ilan Atias

Sometimes being a founder starts in the bones. And you'll do anything - including walking away from millions of dollars - to continue innovating as an entrepreneur. Listen to Alon Arvatz's full story on Invested with Michael Eisenberg, linked below 👇

So many incredible founders to congratulate on making N12 News Israel's Top 21 Most Promising Startups in Israel for 2024 with IVC Data and Insights, especially on the heels of such a difficult week/month/year. Give it up for Sequence, Waltz, Spines and daily.dev (pictured) - and go read about how they're changing the world. Link in the comments 👇 We couldn't be prouder Gilad Uziely | Tom Reuveni | Oren Reuveni | Yuval Golan | Yehuda Niv | 🚀 Lev David ❇️ | Niv Ovdat | Nir Kenner | Nimrod Kramer | Tsahi Matsliah | Ido Shamun

When was the last time you saw a product that innovates for failure? Unit's new Business Continuity Tool does just that - providing a lifeline to customers whose funds are tied up in failed fintech companies. The tool allows banks to connect directly with those end customers, making sure that those customers never lose access to their funds. "This is the first time that banks have the ability to continue the relationship with the end customers if the fintech company is winding down," says Unit Co-Founder and CEO Itai Damti. "They have almost fully functional banking experience that doesn’t rely on [the fintech’s] ability to keep serving them." On the heels of the collapse of a huge BaaS that shall not be named - this is a gamechanger. Read why with the link in the comments. Doron Somech

Time to talk Israeli cybersecurity - a first on Invested.  But it turns out that we can’t talk about cyber without also talking about the elite army unit 8200, and financial literacy, and hubris, and God. Alon Arvatz, Co-Founder and CEO of PointFive and author of the cyber deep-dive “The Battle for Your Computer,” joined Michael for a discussion that confronts all of the above - and encompasses the spirit of what it means to be Israeli. (Namely: we refuse to wait in line, but we’ll decide to open a startup with the guy we’re jostling in front of us.) What is Israeli cyber getting right - and getting wrong? What’s important enough to make you walk away from millions of dollars? How do you combine entrepreneurship with social impact? Link to listen in the comments.

Life insurance is crucial in providing financial support for families, but it’s just the first step after losing a loved one. True peace of mind comes from having the right support to navigate the daunting challenges that follow in the weeks and months after a loss. That’s why we’re honored to extend our support to millions more families through our new partnership with Lincoln Financial Group, a Fortune 500 company. Now, more beneficiary families will have access to holistic bereavement care they might not have had otherwise—ensuring that when the inevitable happens, Lincoln and Empathy will be there every step of the way. Read more about the partnership here: https://lnkd.in/ek9dauev

What are we getting wrong about LLMs? AGI? Are we really as far in the evolution of AI as everyone thinks? Listen to the latest episode of Invested with Yoav Shoham, Co-Founder of AI21 Labs and Michael Eisenberg for some insider takes. Linked below 👇

Another strong H1 from Windward, and we are definitely here for it: ✅ 37% YoY revenue growth ✅35% YoY ACV growth ✅Launch of MAI Expert™ "Our investments into new products, including our highly innovative MAI Expert™, are paving the way for new opportunities through an expanded addressable market," says Windward Co-Founder and CEO Ami Daniel. "Innovation remains at the core of our focus, and our cash reserves enable continued self-funded growth across our offering to meet the needs of our customers across maritime and logistics." Keep doing what you're doing, Windward. Full H1 report with the link in the comments 👇 Matan Peled