PALM COAST, Fla. – Highlighting the economic relationship between the United States and Israel, November Flagler Tiger Bay Club luncheon speaker Aaron Kaplowitz shared an astonishing list of who’s who in the business world connected to Middle Eastern nation.
As the President of the United States – Israel Business Alliance, Kaplowitz has a front row seat to the true value and talent pipeline the so-called Start-Up Nation’s innovation economy brings to cutting edge industries and multi-national companies globally.
“If you’re a global corporation and you want to compete, Israel is one of the countries you’re going to look at to source know-how and talent,” said Kaplowitz.
Building the Talent Pipeline: Tiny Country, Academic Powerhouse
Starting from a young age, it is clear the role education plays in the success of Israeli innovation and Kaplowitz said that recruitment for specialties like cybersecurity begins in middle school.
“The Israeli military’s elite cybersecurity units begin recruiting the best talent in middle school,” Kaplowitz said. “And since Israelis typically attend university after their army service, they’re entering their university experience more mature, having already worked with advanced technology, and they’ve also worked with teams to solve major challenges under pressure.”
“This leads to a very different look and feel than universities in the U.S.,” he said, adding that Israeli university students tend to be “laser focused” on their studies in the field in which they want to work, whereas American students often use their higher education experience to figure out what they want to do.
“When you’re done with the army at 21, you’ve done a lot. They’re working on real issues, under pressure. These are literally matters of life or death. You can only imagine that if you’re able to use technology to figure out a way to safeguard your community or protect your family, then you can probably figure out how to build a marketing technology company in which the stakes are way lower. Necessity is the mother of invention, because Israel is forced to build amazing technology just to survive,” he said, adding a nod to reservists who also contribute to the start-up ecosystem.
“A lot of these reservists, many of these reservists, are going into the military or reserve duty, seeing a problem, leaving, and building a company based on that problem. It’s a really interesting element to this whole ecosystem.”
From these experiences, vibrant minds are solving the problems of tomorrow, today. Foresight and innovation in leading industries make Israeli startups attractive acquisitions and fertile ground for venture capital funding support, which American VC and angel investors are taking full advantage of.
Tough Neighborhood Necessitates Global Partnerships
“When Israeli tech entrepreneurs think about entering the U.S. market or positioning their companies for global growth, New York City is at the top of the list,” said Kaplowitz in a LinkedIn post.
“One of the key takeaways from our New York – Israel Economic Impact Report is that NYC remains the most important city outside of Tel Aviv for Israeli founders. With more than 90% of their statewide economic impact concentrated in NYC, Israeli-founded companies are making a significant mark on creating jobs and generating revenue for the city.”
Looking beyond the traditional locations of California’s Silicon Valley and the financial hub of New York City, an expansion to locations like Miami are helping connect the next generation of Israeli start-ups to American venture capitalists, as they continue to make significant economic impacts in key sectors like cyber security and defense technology, according to Kaplowitz, who shared a recent Florida economic impact report on Israeli businesses in the Sunshine State.
It was the question from Community Foundation/United Way of Volusia and Flagler Counties’ Senior Philanthropic Advisor Jason Stewart that was selected for the month’s Fang & Claw Award for best question.
Kaplowitz spent time answering questions from Young Tigers – high school and college age students whose attendance is sponsored by Flagler Tiger Bay Club members after the luncheon.
“I want people to understand the U.S.-Israel relationship is very dynamic in ways that people don’t expect, and that this isn’t just an international issue, this is actually something that impacts us at home,” shared Kaplowitz.
