Mind the Tech NY
"Our challenges are the secret behind Israeli high-tech’s success"
Maya Eisen Zafrir, CEO of LeumiTech, added at the Mind The Tech New York 2025 conference: "In a country of just 10 million people, we have produced more unicorns per capita than any other nation."
Maya Eisen Zafrir - Mind the Tech NY
(Tomerico - Live Focus)
"Our challenges have become the secret to the success of Israeli high-tech," said Maya Eisen-Zafrir, CEO of LeumiTech, at the opening of the Mind The Tech New York 2025 conference, hosted by Calcalist and Bank Leumi. In her remarks, she addressed Israel’s challenging reality and the ongoing war.
"I am excited to open this special event dedicated to Israel's most promising growth companies. Growth companies are the heartbeat of the Israeli ecosystem. Built on ambitious ideas and bold visions, these companies are already proving their value to customers worldwide. They have established business models, strong teams, and organizations that create jobs and opportunities, and they are on a clear path to making a global impact."
Eisen-Zafrir highlighted the resilience and maturity of Israel's high-tech industry: "I usually stand on this stage to present the latest data on growth and deals, but today I want to take a step back and offer a broader perspective. The Israeli high-tech market is now more mature, stable, and resilient than it was five or ten years ago. The number of growth-stage companies is increasing, and more Israeli firms are committed to building large-scale, global organizations than ever before."
She shared impressive statistics: "Between 2020 and 2022, more than 70 new unicorns emerged in Israel—companies operating at a scale that allows them to tackle major challenges effectively. In a country of just 10 million people, we have produced more unicorns per capita than any other nation. Israeli technologies empower Fortune 500 companies, secure critical infrastructure worldwide, and are reshaping global medicine."
Despite global market challenges, she emphasized Israel’s on going success in attracting investment: "In 2024, growth companies attracted 68% of all foreign investments in Israeli technology, totaling over $4.2 billion."
According to Eisen-Zafrir, the maturity of Israel’s high-tech sector is also evident in the increasing number of repeat entrepreneurs: "We now have more founders launching second and third companies, leveraging insights gained from previous successes and failures. Israeli firms have also undergone a transformation—from being acquisition targets to becoming acquirers. In 2024, Israeli companies made a record number of acquisitions, totaling nearly $6 billion—more than in 2022 and 2023 combined."
She also referenced a Stanford University study analyzing the national origins of 500 non-American unicorn founders, noting: "Israel ranks second globally in this category. Our challenge now is to ensure that these growth companies continue to scale significantly within Israel while expanding globally."
Eisen-Zafrir then posed key questions about the future: "How can we ensure the continued growth of these companies? How do we nurture Israeli startups at all stages and position them for global success in the era of AI, despite ongoing uncertainty and geopolitical pressures? How do we update education and training paths for the next generation of entrepreneurs?
"These questions concern every part of our technology ecosystem—from government agencies to educational institutions, from military units to institutional investors," she added.
Toward the end of her remarks, Eisen-Zafrir quoted IBM CEO Ginni Rometty: "Growth and comfort will never coexist."
She concluded with a call to action: "I want to lean into our discomfort and remind all of us that, while we did not choose the complex reality we face in Israel—especially over the past two years—these challenges have also made our entrepreneurs and innovation leaders more determined, sharper, and more precise.
"We bring rare abilities and strengths to our companies—managing teams, overcoming obstacles, and breaking boundaries. In many ways, our challenges have become the key to our success. Let’s embrace uncertainty and push ourselves to strengthen and harness our ecosystem."
Watch her full remarks in the video above.
