Israel Tech Mission bridges a divide for pro-Israel leaders in tech
Israel Tech Mission bridges a divide for pro-Israel leaders in tech
“Our goal is to drive tens of millions of dollars into Israel's economy by creating and deepening relationships between investors, innovators, and changemakers,” said founder David Siegel.
For many tech leaders, especially those in the United States, balancing their professional roles with their support for Israel can be isolating. David Siegel, founder of Israel Tech Mission, believes that creating a space for pro-Israel tech leaders to connect is essential for both their personal and professional well-being. "There's a loneliness that exists for people who are pro-Israel and in tech," Siegel explained. "Tech in the US is so left-leaning... if you're a pro-Israel tech leader or middle-level manager, that's lonely. Finding your people who are other tech leaders and who are also pro-Israel is deeply meaningful for people." This sentiment underpins the mission of Israel Tech Mission, which aims to bridge that gap while fostering economic growth and innovation in Israel.
“Israel's economy is completely dependent on tech. Without tech, Israel's economy falls apart,” Siegel said, emphasizing the sector's role in the country's economic resilience. Following the October 7 attack by Hamas and the subsequent war, Siegel was motivated to mobilize his network, seeing economic engagement as a means to support Israel's recovery. “I've always believed in capitalist Zionism,” he said. “A strong economy for Israel is probably the biggest impact that I could have in helping Israel.”
Israel Tech Mission intends to host roughly 7-8 trips to Israel annually, one per month except for the peak summer months and holiday periods. Each trip will consist of roughly 45 people lasting 3-4 days and be full of tours and gatherings across the country. This includes meeting startups and founders in Tel Aviv, politicians and IDF soldiers in Jerusalem, and local families down south in the war-impacted kibbutzim and Nova site. There is also an added emphasis on the north to increase exposure to the country’s growing but neglected tech scene in Haifa as the wider region opens up again.
The idea is that each participant covers their own cost - totaling approximately $5,000 - and Israel Tech Mission facilitates the flights, accommodation, tours, and events letting “manufactured serendipity” take over, leaving the delegation to meet and collaborate on projects and business. Each delegation is dedicated to a specific ‘brand’ of tech executive: In January, the group consisted of legal experts; in February the fifth delegation was arranged in partnership with J-Ventures, and next month will see a group of post-exit founders. In May the participants will belong to the e-commerce sector, and so on.
Israel Tech Mission has been indirectly responsible for improved investment and client partnerships and has even inspired some of the participants to move to Israel. It brought over 150 trip participants in 2024 and plans to double that number this year. “In 2025, our goal is to drive tens of millions of dollars into Israel's economy by creating and deepening relationships between investors, innovators, and changemakers - Jews and non-Jews alike," said Siegel.
Siegel is the former CEO of Meetup and Investopedia, and Israel Tech Mission is “a direct outgrowth of fundamental principles” that steered his career, notably the power of in-person meetings and the impact of community building. “It's very cool to me that the professional career I had has morphed into my life passion that I'm focused on right now,” he said.
CTech was invited to one of the trips to the south where the delegation visited the Kfar Aza and the site of the Nova festival massacre. It was one of the three arranged days where legal executives from companies like Mattel, Bloomberg, JFrog, and Cox Media Group met with survivors and understood better the current state of the country after one year of war. They also learned more about the ICC, ICJ, IDF lawsuits, and legal reform from people who were directly involved.
“The beauty of these trips is that it shows investors or executives, or influential decision business leaders that not only is Israel a place where your money is safe, but it shows that it's a place that's worth investing in,” said David Nakar, who serves as Executive Director. “The beauty of Israel is that not only is it resilient, but it's also dealt with a lot of issues outside in a neighborhood that are really difficult. But because of the issues that they have, that's what makes them successful.”
Aside from formal tours and visits, delegations are also encouraged to use downtime to connect and meet local Israeli talent. Days are often filled with drinks and dinner events to boost collaboration opportunities, which Siegel confirms to have led to an increase in community back in the US once the trip is complete. For example, WhatsApp groups will remain active to increase meetup opportunities back home, and one participant has invested almost $10 million in another organization after meeting on the trip.
Another participant was so moved by what he experienced at Nova that he quit his job to become the CEO of the Nova exhibition, exposing more than one million people to the horrors that took place that day.
Israel Tech Mission is currently preparing for its March trip. The process of taking part includes a short application via a Google Form that is shared across the community and then follow-ups that seek to select a group that fairly represents different management levels, religious faiths, and each gender. The hope is that the network built over time creates significant economic boosts and quantifiable social impact initiatives for Israel as it recovers from the war.
“Tech and business leaders are probably a more important constituency than any other constituency,” Siegel concluded. “They're all important, but there was kind of a gap.”
