The Spiro Circle

In the mythology of company leadership, founders are expected to trade stability for scale. Long hours, constant travel, personal sacrifice. Family life is often framed as something to be balanced later, once the company is big enough to afford it.This week, I spoke to Zack Levine from Checkout.com, who tells a different story.Levine leads Checkout.com’s North American and Israel operations and moved to Israel two years ago from the United States. Today, he is preparing to return to the United States, this time to Dallas, Texas, ahead of the birth of his second child, another son.We spoke about family and how he sees it not as a constraint on leadership, but as the condition that makes leadership possible. His recent decision, he explained, was driven less by ambition than by a belief that professional performance depends on personal grounding.“If I feel good about where things are in my family life, in my personal life, my outcomes at work are way better,” he said. “Family comes first for me. Making sure that my wife and my kid are feeling good and happy. That’s the most important. And then from there, I can build the best professional version of myself.”Checkout.com is a fintech company that provides payment processing services for enterprise clients in the media, technology, and e-commerce space. The company is growing fast, with thousands of employees across more than 20 countries. Levine’s role demands constant travel between offices in the United States, Europe, and the Middle East. So when it came to leaving Israel, many elements came into consideration.“I need the security and stability in my personal life in order to create the best work outcomes and for my kids to have a chance to be raised next to their grandparents,” he explained. This proximity to extended family and being in a manageable travel hub were not personal luxuries. They were operational requirements.I found this framing to run counter to how leadership decisions are often discussed. Moves are explained, especially from Israel to North America, as market access opportunities or strategic positioning. The personal lives and the support systems that allow leaders to function rarely make it into public narratives. But our discussion made them explicit.Parenthood, in particular, reshaped his understanding of leadership - something I could understand on a personal level, too. Running a company while navigating young children and distance from family forced a recalibration of priorities. It’s only natural.The lesson I gleaned from our chat is not that every founder should move closer to family, or that ambition should be softened. But it made me think about how performance can depend on the foundations behind the scenes that are rarely visible to outsiders. Offices, travel schedules, and support networks matter as much as strategy decks and growth targets.For Levine, family stability is not something he protects from work. It is what allows the work to function at all. Get full access to The Spiro Circle at www.thespirocircle.com/subscribe

This week, I spoke with Isaac Heller, the Founder and President of Trullion, an AI-powered accounting platform that automates financial workflows for accounting and audit teams.It’s a sector long-viewed as conservative and slow-moving, but one that is increasingly vulnerable to disruption. The stakes are high, not just for young professionals entering the workforce, but also for the legacy firms that have dominated the accounting industry for decades and may assume their scale makes them untouchable to change.Institutional firms like KPMG, PwC, Deloitte, and EY still loom over city skylines - but history offers a cautionary tale: dominance has a shelf life.“If you drive down the highway in Tel Aviv on the Ayalon, or you’re sitting in Times Square and you look up, the biggest buildings have EY, PWC, or Deloitte, right at the top of the pearly white tower. These are massive companies that are critical to the financial ecosystem,” Heller explained.Then he drew a comparison that cut close to home. “When I grew up in America, there were four dominant TV channels: Fox, NBC, ABC, and CBS. Then something called Netflix came along,” he said. “Now Netflix dominates.”The lesson, Heller argues, isn’t that incumbents inevitably lose. But we can see how disruption doesn’t discriminate in who it dethrones. The accounting sector, he believes, is entering a similar moment. AI could either become the Netflix of the industry, or these companies will integrate this technology to keep their names on the tower.Trullion has raised almost $34 million in funding from investors that include Stepstone Group, Aleph, Third Point Ventures, and Greycroft. The company was also voted as one of Calcalist’s Most Promising Startups in 2024.The conversation then turned to young people and how AI adoption will transform these sectors and career opportunities. According to Heller, success will always rely on having a deep, foundational understanding of technology, culture, and business.“If you’re entering into law, accounting, or engineering, there may be some cynicism about trying to learn some of the basic tasks that those industries are founded on,” he said. “However, if you learn and focus on those tasks before you get to the AI-powered stuff, you can actually be more powerful long-term.”Those who work with AI tools will be at an advantage when faced with the problem of when those technologies ultimately fail. “When you work with AI tools in the industry, and they don’t work, which happens one to five percent of the time, you actually have to go back and fix the code, right? You have to keep going deeper to understand why it didn’t execute. So if you don’t know the fundamentals, you’re only going to be stuck on the shallow layer in accounting.”In other words, AI won’t replace expertise. But it will expose who actually has it. Get full access to The Spiro Circle at www.thespirocircle.com/subscribe

The world of biotech and drug development has long relied on trial and error and statistical averages. While we often associate this approach with diseases like cancer or autoimmune disorders, it has left the immune system, one of the most important systems in the human body, among the least systematically understood in medicine.That gap is becoming harder to ignore. In the United States, funding cuts threaten to slow basic research at the very moment when the complexity of biological problems is increasing. As public support tightens, the pressure grows to build new kinds of infrastructure that can help translate scientific discovery into long-term medical progress.To understand some of these challenges more, I spoke with Noam Solomon, the co-founder and CEO of Immunai. The Israeli company has raised almost $300 million with the mission to create “the Google Maps of the immune system.”And that mission is massive - requiring time and patience on a mathematically enormous scale. Immunai aggregates and analyzes vast amounts of single-cell data to understand how the immune system behaves over time and across conditions. The work may not deliver immediate breakthroughs, but it could shape how medicine, industry, and governments make decisions in the future.Ultimately, it will create what Solomon describes not as a dataset, but as a functional map of the immune system. The distinction matters: A map allows prediction, whereas a spreadsheet does not. Solomon is unusually candid about the structural constraints shaping biotech innovation. He shares how public funding bodies like the National Institutes of Health (NIH), a part of the US Department of Health and Human Services, remain essential - but their incentives often reward safety over speed. Venture capital fills the gap, but this can push companies toward milestones that don’t always align with biological truth or expectation. So Immunai, he argues, sits in the tension between those worlds: trying to build long-term infrastructure in an ecosystem optimized for short-term validation.The company today has raised $297 million from earlier investors TLV Partners and Viola Ventures, as well as later players Koch Disruptive Technologies, Alexandria Venture Investments, 8VC, Piedmont, and ICON. It has also secured partnerships with top pharmaceutical and academic centers such as Teva and AstraZeneca. Solomon describes the hardest phase in biotech not as a scientific challenge, but as a structural one. Between early discovery and real clinical impact sits what he calls the Valley of Death: the phase where promising research struggles to secure funding, data, or industrial backing. It’s where academic breakthroughs lack the funding, data, or industrial backing to move forward, and where companies are forced to prove value long before biology is fully understood. In this sector specifically, “the Valley of Death takes longer, and it's bigger, and more companies die,” he explained. This is not because it’s wrong, but because the system isn’t built to support long-term understanding. Bridging that “Valley of Death,” he argues, requires infrastructure, patience, and incentives that reward learning — not just results. “We are a tool or a technology that can support biotechnology companies and biopharma companies to bring their drugs to the market faster, better, and cheaper,” Solomon explained. The broader implication is clear: as biological challenges become more complex and resources more constrained, the future of biotech may depend less on ‘breakthrough’ moments and more on whether the industry is willing to invest in understanding before certainty.You can learn more about the company and some of the long-term biotech challenges in the video above. Get full access to The Spiro Circle at www.thespirocircle.com/subscribe

This week I spoke to Noa Eshed about all things AI, marketing, podcasting, and branding. Our chat highlighted how the media landscape has transformed over the years. She noted that while print media was once king, the shift to digital has redefined how content is consumed and monetized. The emergence of social media as a primary traffic source has created challenges for traditional publications, as they now compete for attention in a crowded online space. This change emphasizes the importance of adaptability for brands and marketers.As the conversation progressed, the discussion turned to the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in shaping the future of marketing. Noa emphasized that AI has altered how brands must approach visibility, as many consumers now rely on language models for information rather than traditional search engines. This shift necessitates a change in strategy for brands to remain relevant. Engaging in platforms like Reddit can enhance a brand’s presence, as these discussions are often scanned by AI models.“Demystifying Success” through Storytelling: We also touched on the guest’s own podcast, “Real Life Superpowers,” co-hosted with Ronen Menipaz, which aims to “demystify” the narratives surrounding success. By sharing stories of individuals who have navigated unconventional paths, it challenges the notion that success is reserved for a select few.Watch a preview: AI's Impact on Media & Marketing in the LLM Era Get full access to The Spiro Circle at www.thespirocircle.com/subscribe

Last week, I sat with Lior Dolinski, co-founder and CPO of Agora, to discuss how a team of veterans of Israel’s Unit 8200 is modernizing the traditional world of real estate investment. “It’s important to understand the real estate sector is the biggest asset class in the world,” he said. “And it’s not only the biggest asset class, but it’s also the most complex one and the most old-fashioned. It’s a business that is built on handshakes, communication, and relationship building. And the biggest technological advancement in the real estate space over the last 50 years was Excel.”Agora was founded in 2019 as a proptech/fintech SaaS platform to modernize how real estate investment firms manage capital, investors, reporting, and operations. It addresses a historically manual, “Excel-heavy” industry by automating core processes and providing a unified platform for both investment managers and their investors.Real estate is one of the largest asset classes globally, but tech adoption has been slow compared to industries like finance or software. Agora is part of a broader wave of digital transformation in proptech, where technology is pushing efficiency gains into entrenched, offline processes.Today, the company serves real estate investment firms globally, but particularly in the US, Europe, Australia, and Israel, and manages tens of billions in assets on its platform.Dolinski shared the journey from a failed blockchain idea to building an operating system that manages billions of dollars in assets. “We were fascinated by the realm of possibilities of what tech could do to real estate,” he added, thinking back to what inspired him to establish the company with co-founders Bar Mor (CEO) and Noam Kahan (CTO). “So we started with this intersection of blockchain and real estate with a totally different idea - talking about liquidity: how can we provide liquidity to real estate asset owners?”Agora has raised almost $64 million, including a $34 million Series B last year led by Qumra Capital with participation from Insight Partners and Aleph. In 2025, it was named as one of Israel’s Most Promising Startups by Calcalist, and each founder was included in Forbes’ "30 Under 30” for their innovation. We then discussed the challenges of scaling a company from Israel to the US, and the importance of maintaining a ‘Day One’ mentality in company culture, an idea inspired by Jeff Bezos. “You’re small, you’re scrappy, you’re moving fast, decisions are made super‬ fast, there’s no bureaucracy. What you have in mind is only the customer. You’re not thinking about internal challenges. You’re thinking about the challenges the customer has, and everything just happens,” he said.Dolinski then elaborated on how ‘Day Two’ mentality is the exact opposite. “Decisions are slow, with large teams… that mentality is where companies die, according to Bezos. So we’re really trying to stay in that ‘Day One’ mentality.”You can catch the entire interview above. Get full access to The Spiro Circle at www.thespirocircle.com/subscribe

In a world where AI is transforming industries, Israeli startup Verbit stands out by operating in the legal transcription space. Founded in 2017, Verbit has been at the forefront of AI-driven transcription and captioning, offering accuracy and insights.Today, Verbit’s technology is tailored for the legal sector, a field that’s famously slow to innovate and that demands precision and accountability. By leveraging AI, the company provides real-time transcription services that help legal professionals navigate complex cases by acting as a ‘second chair’ in the room. The platform, Legal Visor, can capture voice signatures and provide multilingual support, unlike generic transcription tools, and flag inconsistencies in testimonies. The technology is also being used at The Peres Center for Peace and Innovation Visitor Center, which features subtitles in four languages ​​with transcription using Verbit’s AI-based technology.The Impact of AI in Legal TranscriptionThe integration of AI in legal transcription has been a game-changer, but not without its complications. Verbit’s tools allow for real-time editing and insights, making it an invaluable asset in courtrooms and legal proceedings, but it never claims to make decisions on behalf of humans. The technology ensures that legal professionals can focus on their core responsibilities while AI handles the transcription with precision.“It doesn’t make any decisions,” explained Amsterdam. “It only transcribes in real time and provides insights like a ‘second chair’. Everything is done by the lawyer. The tool has zero aspects of replacing the lawyer or [making] any decisions for the lawyer.”As AI continues to evolve, Verbit remains committed to enhancing its offerings, ensuring that legal professionals have access to the best tools available. It’s a tool, Amsterdam claims, that beats out traditional transcription services. “Zoom doesn’t let you edit in real time. It doesn’t let you have a voice signature,” he added. “It doesn’t let you do many things that this tool allows you to do. This is a professional transcription tool. And that’s why we see the users really vote for this kind of tool. So while I have a lot of respect for what Zoom, Teams, and the rest of the platforms are doing, it’s not good for a court use case.”Beyond The CourtroomWe also spoke soon after the company announced an expansion of its dubbing offerings. Verbit Dub, in partnership with Deepdub, is designed to help content creators, broadcasters, and enterprises reach audiences worldwide — faster, at scale, and with more control than ever.For the content creators and podcasters out there, it helps them expand globally while keeping up with production schedules. “With Verbit Dub, we give creators the freedom to choose the level of AI dubbing, human refinement, and studio production they need, whether they’re tapping into new markets or delivering fully localized cinematic content, said Doug Karlovits, General Manager at Verbit. “The dubbing suite is designed for control, speed, and expanding audience reach without compromise.”Learn more about the tool in the video, and see for yourself how its Legal Visor can change the courtroom. Get full access to The Spiro Circle at www.thespirocircle.com/subscribe

When S Capital first backed Run:ai in 2018, there was no AI boom to ride. Large language models weren’t part of the mainstream vocabulary and ChatGPT was still far into the future. GPUs were powerful but inefficient, and the problem Run:ai set out to solve, orchestrating and optimizing GPU usage at scale, was largely invisible.“The word of AI was not as it is considered today,” investor Aya Peterburg recalled. “No one knew to say even ‘LLM’ or what that means.”Seen through that lens, NVIDIA’s ultimate 2024 acquisition of Run:ai was not a bet on hype, but the continuation of a strategy that began four years earlier with its purchase of Mellanox Technologies. It first embedded NVIDIA into Israel’s engineering ecosystem, anchoring its data-center, networking, and high-performance computing capabilities in the country. Run:ai and others would then extend that footprint into the software layer that determines how AI actually runs at scale.Together, the two acquisitions tell a coherent story: Israel is not just a distant satellite office for NVIDIA, but where some of its most critical infrastructure problems are solved.Run:ai identified a structural inefficiency at the heart of AI computing. Companies were paying for expensive GPUs while extracting only a fraction of their potential. As Peterburg explained, customers were “pay[ing] more money to NVIDIA… but they got back in the day only 15% of what they paid for” because GPUs running large workloads couldn’t communicate efficiently.The challenge was timing. “You couldn’t sell to startups as design partners,” Peterburg said. “You have to sell to those large organizations.” With no direct competitors and no clear market category, Run:ai had to wait for the AI world to grow into its necessity.That patience required a specific kind of investor. “We see ourselves as helping them to understand what they have in their hand,” Peterburg said. “It’s the founders who will be able to tell the story.” For her, that partnership is built outside formalities. “I never learned something new in board meetings,” she added. “We sometimes do a lot of walks on the beach… it makes you think of problems differently.”Like many companies in Israel, they faced a challenge during the war. Run:ai employees were called into reserve duty, some into active combat. Yet NVIDIA proceeded with the acquisition: a sign that its commitment to Israel is not contingent on stability, but on capability.That commitment is bearing fruit with a new 10,000-employee campus in Kiryat Tivon and plenty more expansion in the future. From Mellanox to Run:ai, NVIDIA has effectively stacked Israel into its core architecture: networking, hardware efficiency, and AI workload orchestration. For Peterburg, the lesson is clear. “As an investor, I believe that our role is being measured in the bad days,” she said. “Helping the founders find their way to a safe zone.”Run:ai’s story shows what happens when that philosophy aligns with corporate strategy. Israel is no longer just a place where companies are built. As NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang puts it, it is a “second home” where the future of global AI infrastructure is taking shape.Prefer YouTube? You can watch the same interview here: Get full access to The Spiro Circle at www.thespirocircle.com/subscribe

Today’s episode looks at HS2 — the UK’s massive high-speed rail project that promised to connect London with major cities across the country.HS2 was meant to boost economic growth, cut travel times, and modernize the transit network. Instead, it became a lightning rod for political debate: skyrocketing costs, environmental concerns, shifting government commitments, and fierce disagreement about whether the benefits justify the price.For those who haven’t been following: In 2009, HS2 was sold as a £40 billion high-speed railway connecting the Northern cities of Leeds, York, and Manchester with Birmingham and London.But almost 17 years later, the route will only be a fraction of the original, linking the suburbs of Birmingham with London.According to the government, HS2 has already spent £40.5 billion in nominal prices, but once adjusted for inflation, financing costs, and subsidies, experts project HS2’s total cost will be significantly north of £100 billion.The move from fixed-price contracts to cost-plus contracts has caused a 90% cost increase since 2020, allowing developers and contractors to profit enormously at taxpayers’ expense with an extraordinary human toll: 20,000 people were forcibly displaced from their homes and businesses, facing inadequate compensation and intimidation.One of them is Michael Gross, a self-made real estate billionaire and founder of Sydney and London Properties. He owned the Euston Station estate when it was compulsorily purchased by HS2, making him the largest CPO claimant in British history.Michael says he experienced firsthand how major institutions involved in the project tried to bury mistakes, silence criticism, and push ahead at any cost. Our talk begins by explaining what Michael lived through, what he tried to expose, and what his experience reveals about how billion-pound national projects can go wrong — and how ordinary people can get hurt along the way.We then speak about what this means for the decline of the UK more generally. At the time of recording:* Half of Britons support scrapping HS2 to plug budget shortfall - The Times* UK unemployment rate rises to 5.1% - BBC News* Its economy shrank unexpectedly, and GDP fell by 0.1% - The Guardian* A net 110,000 British people aged 16 to 34 emigrated - The Telegraph* 45% of Britons believe the UK is ‘an unsafe place for Jewish people’ - The Jewish ChronicleWhether you’ve never heard of HS2 or think you already know the story, Michael’s perspective will make you rethink everything. And hearing what impact all of this is having on the future of the country will make you concerned for how we can ultimately turn things around. Get full access to The Spiro Circle at www.thespirocircle.com/subscribe

Recently, I spoke to Yonatan Sela, Partner at Square Peg. Today, he invests in Israeli companies, but he used to be an entrepreneur and founder himself. Before Square Peg, Yonatan helped build YouNow into a consumer live-streaming platform; he co-founded Props, a decentralized protocol designed to give users ownership in consumer apps; and he worked across early-stage investing, consulting, and product leadership roles.I could relate to that idea of ‘crossing the picket fence’ - starting your career in one area and then flipping it to the other. Before I was a journalist, I was in public relations; I can understand how those two worlds work together and complement each other.In some ways, we are two of the same: not only do the investors and founders look for good stories, but the journalists and the public relations professionals also work on crafting stories for clients or tech companies.“In my view, the personal story is the icing on the cake, and that can separate someone from a 9/10 to a 10/10 and touch emotionally in a deeper way,” said Sela. “I think the story must relate to tectonic shifts that are happening in the world.”We also spoke about the Israeli tech scene more generally, and I really benefited from hearing his unique perspectives about it. Together, we explored the nuances of Startup Nation and the transformative power of storytelling in business. Specifically, Sela highlighted the innovative spirit that positions Israeli startups for success in the AI era - and the resilient qualities in local founders that are fostered in this unique environment. “Because of the level of uncertainty you experience here, I think people are just better suited for that than most of their counterparts in other parts of the world,” he explained. “If you don’t know if you’re gonna live next week, of course, you operate differently than if you’re operating in a perfectly stable environment: If you don’t know if you need to get a funding round done before a war breaks out, you operate differently with a different sense of urgency.”The resilience that Israelis demonstrated in these last few years has amounted to historic deals like the $32 billion acquisition deal between Google and Wiz, or the IPO for eToro. “The tech ecosystem held up during the war and came out a lot stronger. And I think there’s renewed interest from international investors in Israel,” Sela said.I gleaned valuable insights hearing about Yonatan’s journey from entrepreneur to investor, and how it mirrored my own trajectory. For anyone navigating the tech landscape, you can watch the entire exchange in the video above. Prefer YouTube? You can watch the same interview here: Get full access to The Spiro Circle at www.thespirocircle.com/subscribe

In today’s tech landscape, deeptech has emerged as a critical player in shaping the future.To understand this better, I recently sat down with Doron Zauer, General Partner at Earth and Beyond Ventures. Together, we discussed the significance of deeptech and its growing influence, particularly in Israel and Startup Nation.Deeptech refers to technologies based on significant scientific advances and engineering innovation. Unlike ‘traditional’ tech, which often focuses on software or consumer gadgets, deeptech leans heavily on core scientific concepts in areas such as quantum computing, biotech, spacetech, or materials science.“There’s more demand around bandwidth, connectivity, energy, data storage, because of generative AI, ChatGPT, all those companies,” explained Zauer. “They need masses of electric power, processing power, and amounts of storage. At the end of the day, software sits on something; it sits on something physical and we’re really pushing the boundaries of what we’re demanding of software in other use cases such as driverless cars and connectivity in the areas of communications.”For Zauer, the need for robust physical hardware is what will drive the call for these solutions. “It’s not as if we in Israel just came up with deeptech and decided it was a good thesis. Around the world, you can see more deeptech funds being raised, more allocations to deeptech from generalist funds. You can see all sorts of AI companies that are buying amounts of hardware and processing power because that’s what they know they’re going to need in the years to come.”Zauer explained that deeptech companies possess a unique competitive advantage derived from their technologies, rather than just their business models. The fund invests at the early stage, and portfolio companies include QuamCore, Spiral Photonics, SkyPearl, and CoolVOC, among others.The rise of deeptech was partly a response to the overvaluation of software companies during the tech boom, he claimed. As the market shifted towards a more substance-based approach, investors began prioritizing companies with sound business models and stronger advantages over their competitors. This shift has positioned deeptech as a vital sector for future investment and growth.During our chat, Zauer highlighted various sectors that heavily utilize deeptech, including compute, climatetech, new energy, and defense. He also noted how even though Israel has long been recognized as a leader in sectors like cybersecurity and software, deeptech is equally critical to Israel’s future in the tech landscape.“In terms of where the Israeli market is and how we’re bringing foreign investors… we’re not just selling specific technology, we’re selling the Israeli market,” he said. “We’re telling them that Israel’s open for business again. More open for business than it was before, because we never closed… We’re very optimistic. There are a lot of studies that show that economies come out of war and conflict bigger, better than ever.”While software might dominate current investment trends, the balance is shifting, with more funds being allocated to hardware and deeptech solutions.You can listen to all the insights in the conversation above.Prefer YouTube? You can watch the same interview below: Get full access to The Spiro Circle at www.thespirocircle.com/subscribe

Exciting news has hit The Spiro Circle: We have partnered with Forbes to broadcast stories from Israel’s high-tech sector. We start with Salt Security. Meet Co-Founder and CEO Roey Eliyahu: he turned a meeting with Sam Altman into a $1.4 billion cyber company.In 2016, Salt Security Co-founder and CEO Roey Eliyahu spotted a risk few others were focused on. As the internet evolved and companies became increasingly dependent on APIs to power their digital services, he recognized that vulnerabilities hidden in those interfaces would soon become one of the most significant threats facing businesses across every sector.Read the whole article on Forbes Israel… You can watch the full discussion in the video above. Get full access to The Spiro Circle at www.thespirocircle.com/subscribe

In the evolving world of healthcare and pharmaceuticals, the intersection of AI and drug discovery has become a focal point for innovation - especially in Israel. This week, I spoke to AION Labs CEO Mati Gill, who shares insights on how the venture studio is transforming the landscape of drug development through collaboration and cutting-edge technology. Founded by global pharmaceutical partners Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Merck, and Teva, AION Labs is located in Israel and leverages AI while fostering collaboration among legacy giants, emerging startups, and local government support. Israel’s unique position as a center for biotech innovation is underscored by its scientific research capabilities and strong tech ecosystem. We discuss how the country’s rich history of Startup Nation and advancements in life sciences create an ideal environment for new ideas to flourish. The collaboration between academia and industry is paving the way for breakthroughs in drug discovery, positioning Israel as a key player in the global pharmaceutical landscape.Learn more about them in the video above. Get full access to The Spiro Circle at www.thespirocircle.com/subscribe

This week, I spoke to Keshet CEO Maya Natan about Israel’s philanthropic efforts and how it helps citizens and corporations donate money and assets.Keshet is a donor-advised fund that offers a wide range of services to facilitate philanthropic giving, including advisory, operational, and strategic services. In 2024, it reached NIS 880 million ($270 million) of assets managed, and helped 155 donors grant NIS 420 million to more than 1,100 Israeli organizations.Our conversation explores the significant role of the civic sector in Israel following the events of October 7, highlighting how NGOs and philanthropy stepped up to support the nation during a time of crisis.We also discuss the unprecedented financial contributions made to address urgent community needs and the impact of these efforts on the country’s recovery.Some takeaways:* The civic sector was crucial in supporting Israel post-October 7th.* Individuals and NGOs filled the gaps left by the government.* Philanthropy recognized the urgent need for support in Israel.* There was a significant increase in financial contributions to NGOs.* The response from the community was unprecedented in scale.* Organizations mobilized quickly to address national needs.* Collaboration between NGOs and individuals was vital.Watch a preview here: Get full access to The Spiro Circle at www.thespirocircle.com/subscribe

In this episode, Founder and CEO of Foodini, Dylan McDonnell, shares his journey from being a corporate lawyer to founding a tech company focused on providing transparency in food ingredients for those with dietary restrictions. There are 33 million Americans who live with a variety of dietary restrictions, whether it’s an allergy, a religious choice, or even women who are pregnant. Dylan himself has Celiac disease, an autoimmune condition where the immune system reacts to gluten, sometimes causing damage to the small intestine, along with 3.2 million Americans.Foodini has created a Dietary Intelligence Platform that creates AI-driven ingredient transparency and tagging solutions for foodtech and hospitality, from dining rooms to stadiums. Its API helps large menu datasets and empowers food delivery and hospitality platforms to cater to diners with specific dietary needs. Together, we discuss the challenges faced by individuals with food allergies, the tech behind Foodini, and the importance of compliance with food safety regulations. Dylan also touches on the political landscape surrounding food safety legislation, such as the new California law requiring establishments with more than 20 locations to list all nine allergies. If you’re reading this from the EU, you might think it’s obvious that menus would list allergies, but no mandate in the US requires this. The California legislation may be the catalyst the country needs to expand that obligation to other US states, similar to how California copied Europe’s GDPR law with its own CCPA, only for it to trickle down into other states as well. Finally, Dylan offers advice for aspiring founders looking to make a similar leap into entrepreneurship - something that resonated with me strongly due to my recent move from traditional media into a fully independent creator.Highlights* Dylan’s transition from a corporate lawyer to a foodtech entrepreneur.* How Foodini addresses the lack of transparency in food ingredients by using AI to personalize dining experiences based on dietary needs.* 33 million Americans have food allergies, highlighting a significant market. * Lobbying for California’s new legislation, which may pave the way for more states to follow.* Personalization is key to customer loyalty in the food industry, especially among those with allergies.* The importance of passion in entrepreneurship.You can learn more about Foodini here: https://foodini.co/PREVIEW: Lobbying the American Political System: California food bill & MAHA The Spiro Circle is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to The Spiro Circle at www.thespirocircle.com/subscribe

I’ve been interested in deepfake technology recently.We’ve all been exposed to it: fraudulent audio or video content usually created by AI. Our aunts and uncles might believe every meme they see on Facebook or other social media channels, but it can be a lot more nefarious. Deepfakes can trick us into believing fake news, they can mimic our voices to trick banks or insurance companies, or they can create untrue documentation designed to destroy the reputation of politicians, business leaders, or celebrities. But then there are more traditional use cases. This week, I spoke to Michael Matias, co-founder and CEO of Clarity. The AI cybersecurity startup protects against deepfakes, as well as new social engineering and phishing attack vectors in the context of recruitment: it makes sure that companies hire people who really are who they claim to be. “You have nation states that are targeting enterprises in other states where they want to learn information, they want to steal money, they want to disrupt critical infrastructure,” Michael explained. “One of the reasons hiring fraud has become top of mind for many companies is that a lot of Fortune 500s over the last few months have discovered that they accidentally hired North Korean IT workers… Those specific talents did not disclose they were from North Korea, and they posed as US citizen employees earning critical access to sensitive information.”This week, we discuss the evolution of deepfake technology and AI voice duplication, highlighting the advancements made in the last three years, basically when ChatGPT was launched. This isn’t the first time that Michael and I have connected with a podcast. For a few years, I helped publish his podcast, 20 Minute Leaders on CTech - over the years we produced more than 100 episodes together.It was a pleasure to speak with him today on my new platform. I hope you enjoy it. Learn more about Clarity here: https://www.getclarity.ai/More ways to watch/listen: Get full access to The Spiro Circle at www.thespirocircle.com/subscribe

There is so much in life that can be broken down into the simple understanding that everything is a form of storytelling - and that communication rests on the ears of the receiver. It was a lesson I first learned while I was reading Surrounded by Idiots: The Four Types of Human Behavior by Thomas Erikson. And it was reinforced this week when I spoke with Ben Wiener, Managing Partner at Jumpspeed Ventures. What is something we have in common? We both get pitched by tech founders!But one of us is an investor and the other is a journalist - so it’s only normal that we look for different things and expect different messaging. We are the same coin, but on opposite sides. We both know from experience how wrong a pitch can go if it’s not tailored for the right ears. So Ben has developed the H.E.A.R.T framework to help founders perfect their pitches. He is also the author of Fever Pitch: A Novel About Selling Your Vision, Raising Venture Capital, and Launching Your Startup. It’s a business-fiction novel that follows founder Mark Edmond and his journey to launch his startup while avoiding the mafia - two high-stress environments!I read the book over the recent holiday period, and we discussed why he felt he could best teach these insights in the form of a novel. We also discuss storytelling, communication, and the importance of understanding the ‘why’ behind a founder’s story. Takeaways: * The H.E.A.R.T framework is a five-part structure for pitching startups.* Journalists and Investors both get pitched; the trick is tailoring your message to the right ears. * Storytelling is crucial in both business and personal contexts.* The protagonist’s struggles in ‘Fever Pitch’ reflect real entrepreneurial challenges.* Founders often struggle to communicate their ‘why’ effectively.* Investors are looking for specific elements in pitches that resonate with them.* Effective pitches can be condensed into a one-minute format.Those interested in learning more about the H.E.A.R.T method can access the playbook here: https://feverpitchbook.com/ You can also buy Fever Pitch on Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/Fever-Pitch-Selling-Raising-Launching/dp/B0F72ZR4RS Get full access to The Spiro Circle at www.thespirocircle.com/subscribe

This episode is sure to raise a few eyebrows.I wanted to better understand society’s reaction to feminism, but through the experience of women who are balancing their work and personal life. No better person expressed concern for the current infrastructure in place more than Dr. Stephanie Wilson, founder of She’s In Business, a global not-for-profit business platform.Dr. Wilson is a PhD in Business, an autistic domestic abuse survivor turned award-winning entrepreneur, and her platform has helped more than 14,000 women across 85 countries move “from welfare to wealth” through fully funded, accredited business training.Her work specifically takes aim at the rise of what she describes as “performative” female empowerment: think the glossy panels, hashtags, and campaigns that claim progress but rarely deliver real backing. UK government data shows women-led businesses have dropped from 19% in 2021 to 15% in 2023. Instead of true innovation, many women are pushed into franchises or survivalist side hustles that function more as jobs than scalable enterprises.Dr. Wilson argues that this performance feminism doesn’t just fail women, it actively segregates men and women, fostering a false narrative of empowerment while leaving systemic inequities untouched. She describes how we, as a culture, are happy to celebrate women on stage but fail to fund them in practice. And with only 2% of global venture capital reaching women, the cost isn’t just to women themselves but to society, innovation, and GDP growth.In our chat, Dr. Wilson discusses the complexities of female empowerment and entrepreneurship, highlighting the challenges women face in the business world. She shares her personal journey of overcoming adversity and the systemic issues that lead to gender disparities in business and critiques performative empowerment initiatives that fail to address the genuine needs of women entrepreneurs, emphasizing the importance of recognizing women’s contributions beyond their monetary value. The discussion also explores “survivalist entrepreneurship”, which is a term I had never heard of, and the role of policy and societal change in fostering authentic female leadership.Takeaways:* Dr. Wilson’s journey began in an addictive household, leading to her advocacy for women’s empowerment.* Many women start businesses out of necessity rather than innovation, termed ‘survivalist entrepreneurship.’* Performative empowerment initiatives often fail to deliver real support for women entrepreneurs.* Women contribute significantly to the economy through unpaid labor, which is often overlooked.* The narrative around women’s roles in the economy needs to shift from monetary value to holistic contributions.* Women face systemic barriers in accessing funding and support for their businesses.* The majority of women entrepreneurs operate in low-profit sectors, making them vulnerable to economic crises.* Societal expectations often place a dual burden on women to balance work and caregiving responsibilities.* Data shows that women are often at a financial disadvantage compared to men, especially in retirement.* Policy changes are needed to create a more equitable environment for women in business.This episode addresses some hard truths that many people may find uncomfortable… but if you think someone may enjoy it, then please share it with a friend or family member. Get full access to The Spiro Circle at www.thespirocircle.com/subscribe

I’ve been thinking a lot about trauma recently.As we reach the second anniversary of the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, we can see now the effect and damage that the war is having on the country and its people, not just on a macro level, but on the single, granular level felt by each person.Trauma can manifest both collectively and individually, and how we respond to that trauma comes in how we can identify and treat it to avoid it getting worse. When our body fails to register its ‘fight or flight’ reflex, trauma can set in and activate symptoms such as anxiety, sweats, that lump in your throat, or even OCD.Personally, I found the days after October 7 incredibly traumatic: not only in the sense of the physical safety for myself and my loved ones, but also by seeing the response in the West to Israel’s reaction, the explosion of antisemitism that followed, and the disassociation between Israel and its allies. We felt alone.On today’s episode, I’m joined by Gina Ross, a trauma specialist, author, and founder and president of The International Trauma Healing Institute. Her new book, October 7: A Call to Action for Israel, Jews, and the World, explores how the Hamas attacks were not just a national tragedy, but also a turning point for Israel, the Jewish people, and the broader world. Drawing on her expertise in trauma, Gina frames antisemitism and radical violence as cycles of unhealed collective trauma—and argues that October 7 offers a chance for healing, unity, and moral clarity.In this conversation, we talk about what redemption looks like in practice, the transformations she believes are necessary for Israel and its allies, and how ordinary people can play a role in answering this call to action.Some key takeaways:* How trauma can manifest both collectively and individually.* Healing trauma is essential for peace.* The October 7 attack highlighted unresolved issues.* Collective trauma can repeat across generations.* Understanding trauma helps in addressing violence.* Israel’s military strength contrasts with its historical vulnerability.* Awareness of antisemitism is crucial in today’s context.You can order a copy of Gina’s book, October 7: A Call to Action for Israel, Jews, and the World, here: https://www.amazon.com/October-Action-Opportunity-Redemption-Century/dp/1956381899If you or someone you know is suffering from trauma, you can watch Gina’s free 10-minute EmotionAid video, teaching how to release stress and trauma on the spot quickly. Follow the link here: https://emotionaid.tabs.designThe Spiro Circle is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.More ways to watch: Get full access to The Spiro Circle at www.thespirocircle.com/subscribe

Note: This episode is the final of three recorded interviews conducted on the same day using a new platform. Some growing pains were expected, and this final edit is a bit rougher than I’d like, including some intermittent sound issues that could not be removed. Thanks for your patience as we refine the process — future episodes will appear smoother. - JS.A few weeks ago, I spoke with Erel Herzog, co-founder of Combatica, a company specializing in advanced tactical training simulators that utilize VR technology. We discussed the evolution of training technologies, the impact of VR on defense training, partnerships with law enforcement, and the potential for dual-use applications in entertainment.The conversation was, in some ways, an update to some time we spent together last year, when I first became aware of the company and its devices. I visited its offices in Israel and experienced firsthand how the technology can help armies and soldiers in training. One of the perks of being a tech journalist in Startup Nation!I was thrown into a virtual school and had to react to a live shooter, who was attacking students in several classrooms. It was pretty impressive (and, I’m told, it has only improved). Those interested in reading my in-depth review can see more on CTech, but here is a preview:Whereas the Vision Pro was an impressive piece of technology, I wouldn’t rush to walk around with it on my face. The device is heavy and cabled, immersive but somewhat disorientating. Here, Combatica’s Quest technology and AI scenarios are the complete opposite: the light headpiece is barely noticeable and I felt no problems running, ducking, and navigating the artificial environment. It felt like I was inside the computer games I used to play or as if I had upgraded from the laser tag playgrounds I used to visit as a child.More: Soldiers are getting an XR boost for training on the battlegroundThis time around, Erel shared insights on the future of immersive technologies more generally, as the company is expanding into the gaming space - think paintballing without all the bruising! We also spoke about Israel’s role in the growing industry, and emphasized the importance of real-world applications and community engagement.Some takeaways from our talk:* How Combatica aims to enhance tactical training for military and law enforcement.* VR technology allows for realistic training scenarios without physical consequences.* His time in the IDF helped him recognize a gap in simulation training technology.* The company has a high satisfaction rate among users - 97%!* Israel is positioned to lead in applied AI and immersive tech.Feel free to check out the interview above, and follow them for more updates. Get full access to The Spiro Circle at www.thespirocircle.com/subscribe

Anyone who knows me understands just how much I love food. Good cuisine is nice, but bad dishes are sometimes even better! Anything from dining out with friends to ordering in on a lonely evening gets me excited to try new things.But another thing people know about me is that I absolutely hate to cook!It’s not that I don’t appreciate it, but I just find it too stressful, creative, and consuming. I leave it to close family and friends to explore a kitchen on my behalf. I’ll enjoy some time operating a BBQ, but my expertise stops there. But there’s so much more to food than just mealtime. It can offer insight into someone’s heart, mind, and heritage. It can form a community and connect with culture. I wanted to speak with someone who truly understood this. This week, I spoke with Maricel Gentile. In this episode, she shares her journey from growing up in the Philippines to becoming a celebrated chef and culinary educator in the United States. She can claim to be Hulu’s Recipe Rumble Holiday Champion as well as the author of Maricel’s Simply Asian Cookbook. Over the years, she has also appeared on Food Network and PBS, and served as a Chef Ambassador for Korea’s Ministry of Fisheries (K-Seafood).In our conversation, we discussed the deep connections between food, culture, and personal history, emphasizing how her grandmother's influence shaped her passion for cooking. Maricel highlights the uniqueness of Filipino cuisine, her decision to leave a corporate career to pursue her culinary dreams, and the recognition she has received in the food industry. We then discuss the role of food in building community and preserving cultural identity.Some takeaways include:* How food encompasses migration, parenthood, and belonging.* Simplicity in cooking can lead to better dishes.* Teaching Filipino cuisine is a way to share culture.* How food triggers emotional memories.* Quitting a corporate job can lead to personal fulfillment.* Cooking can be a bridge between generations.* How her cookbook can simplify the process of learning Asian cuisine.Those interested can check out her website or purchase her cookbook, both of which can be found below. https://maricelskitchen.com/chef-maricel/ https://www.amazon.com/Maricels-Simply-Cookbook-Maricel-Gentile/dp/B0F79Q684CFollow Maricel on social media: Get full access to The Spiro Circle at www.thespirocircle.com/subscribe