Bank Hapoalim Chairman: "This is Israeli high-tech’s finest hour"
Bank Hapoalim Chairman: "This is Israeli high-tech’s finest hour"
Ruben Krupik spoke at the Calcalist and Poalim Tech Roadshow+ event, which brought together entrepreneurs and investors from the country's leading funds.
"This is Israeli high-tech's finest hour. I was an entrepreneur for many years, and I’ve learned that there is no environment more inspiring than a good crisis," said Bank Hapoalim Chairman Ruben Krupik at the Calcalist and Poalim Tech Roadshow+ event held Monday at Expo Tel Aviv. According to Krupik, "The whole point of high-tech is to identify problems and come up with solutions. Times of crisis make high-tech not only more necessary but also more creative. Technology is the best guarantee for a better life. I am a great believer in this industry, even in today's complex circumstances, and want to echo our commitment to it."
About 200 companies applied for the event, and 18 startups were selected to present their pitches to senior partners at Israel's leading venture capital funds. The goal: to try to raise investments during a complex period of war and instability that is particularly challenging for Israeli tech.
"The goal of the event is to give entrepreneurs a significant opportunity to be exposed to leading investors," said event host Neta Li-Binshtock from Calcalist. "Now more than ever, it is important for us to create the right climate for investments."
Bank Hapoalim Chairman Krupik stated that five years ago, the bank defined a strategic goal "to enhance our presence in high-tech." According to him, "The goal is not only the business derivative but also presence, influence, and impact in this important sector." He emphasized that Bank Hapoalim "is characterized by the fact that we want to do more and talk less."
Krupik also addressed various trends in the tech industry, driven in part by the AI revolution and the open-source era: "The business equilibrium in almost every field has shifted, and the trend does not spare even the most stable and traditional organizations, such as banks."
He highlighted the important role of Israeli high-tech, especially during the current crisis: "Working in high-tech is driven by challenges that inspire creativity. Technology is the guarantee of a life of value and ambition." He added, "Especially these days, against the backdrop of great uncertainty, we see entrepreneurship as a business and social-ethical opportunity. I am here to renew and echo our commitment to the industry, to entrepreneurs, and investors in it."
Poalim Tech CEO Michal Kissos Hertzog shared an intriguing headline she had read: "JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon said the next generation is going to live to be 100, work 3.5 days a week, and have a better balance between work and home. He described a better future that we’ll all sign up for. I think not all of us think that the feasibility of this future really exists today. There is some difficulty. There are forces in the world fighting over what version of the world there will be. I feel that we are at a crossroads, and then the question is, what do we do about it?"
According to her, "When I talk about this, I try not to be overly dramatic, but what we are all trying to do here is navigate towards a better world than what exists today, and that is what you are doing," she addressed the entrepreneurs and investors in the room. "All the technology you are developing is to create a better world for us – more equal and better. It is terribly difficult and challenging. I wish us all the best of luck, and that we remember the true meaning of the things we do."
