Editor’s Note: This story is part of Facing the Middle East, Episode 14 [1]. We encourage readers to watch the full episode.
Israel’s tech industry has shown resilience since the war in Gaza began nearly two years ago, but a rising chorus of boycott calls and international disapproval raises hard questions about the Startup Nation’s future as a tech hub. Fortunately, optimists remain among entrepreneurs and investors.
I spoke with Israel Tech Mission founder David Siegel, a technology executive with a bachelor’s degree in in philosophy, politics, and economics and an MBA from the Wharton School. He taught leadership at Columbia University, served as CEO of Investopedia and Meetup—both successful exits—hosts the Keep Connected podcast, and wrote Decide and Conquer: 44 Decisions That Will Make or Break All Leaders.
Siegel said he and his wife made aliyah after all three of their children moved to Israel. A lifelong Zionist, he often visited and encouraged “living like locals” on trips, which he believes influenced their decision to settle.
Pressed on whether his move might encourage others, he said many already see it that way. Dozens have contacted him after posts about aliyah to say they’re rethinking plans. “If I can convince one person to decide to make aliyah, then that would be a real beautiful thing,” Siegel said.
If I can convince one person to decide to make aliyah, then that would be a real beautiful thing
David Siegel gets ready to move to Israel. (Courtesy)
On why he founded Israel Tech Mission after two exits, he pointed to the war’s aftermath. “I’m definitely not an October 8th Jew,” he said, noting he’d long supported Israel, though his engagement rose five- to tenfold after Oct. 7.
He recalled a push from his son in Israel: “He told me, Dad, you have a role to play also in helping Israel as someone who’s very connected to the tech community.” Calls to leaders such as Michael Eisenberg, Gigi Levy-Weiss, Jeff Swartz, and Chemi Peres turned a small idea into a 65-person first mission of major investors, CEOs, and CFOs.
The impact was immediate. A CFO briefed hundreds of employees; another arranged a 1,000-person viewing of the documentary October 7th; one participant even switched careers to lead the NOVA Festival exhibit.
Momentum followed. “We’ve brought over 350 tech executives in less than two years, and the impact has just been incredible,” Siegel said. On the sixth mission, more than 40 founders who had previously exited companies worth $5 billion came to spur investment, and tens of millions of dollars have since flowed into Israeli firms.
Siegel emphasized Israel’s outsized dependence on technology for GDP and exports. If the sector falters, he warned, political and social systems could be shaken.
Israel Tech Mission founder David Siegel speaks with The Media Line’s Felice Friedson in Jerusalem. (Screenshot: The Media Line)
Looking one to five years ahead—especially with boycotts and investor hesitation—he said the outlook turns on how people read the crisis. He cited a “deep … double standard” toward Israel: some investors see opportunity even in wartime; others will “never … get it.”
He argued that conflict often catalyzes innovation, pointing to US post-World War II growth. Israel, he said, now advances not only defense tech but also health and lifesaving tools.
The amount of cybersecurity and intelligence that’s being developed now in dozens, hundreds of different startups in Israel is beyond what I’ve ever seen anywhere else
Cybersecurity stands out. “The amount of cybersecurity and intelligence that’s being developed now in dozens, hundreds of different startups in Israel is beyond what I’ve ever seen anywhere else,” he said, calling the struggle both military and digital.
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Some consumer-facing businesses may lag as global engagement dips, yet Siegel sees broad resilience. “By and large, investors who get it are going to end up making 10, 20, 50x their investments … as a result of the war that we have and the innovation that’s required when your back is against a wall,” he said.
Having observed multiple executive delegations to Israel, I noted that each trip differs but remains consistently powerful. Siegel said they show how the country adapts and still draws investment during conflict.
When I asked Siegel about the lack of women in tech, he pointed to his teaching to show the gap. At Columbia University, women comprised a majority in his entrepreneurship and strategy classes: “We had about 60 to 65% women in our classes,” he said, adding that he begins teaching at Tel Aviv University this year.
Despite women’s strong representation in higher education, venture capital still lags. “There is a massive underrepresentation of women in venture capital, and it needs to change. It’s changing, but very slowly, and it’s a challenge,” he said.
To address the gap, he and his partners organized a women-only business and tech mission for Oct. 26–29. “We have some incredibly influential women from some major companies,” he said, citing Aliza Licht of the Influencer Group; more names are coming. Over 40 women have already signed up.
He called the effort a necessary push. “Much like anything else, if you focus hard on something that’s hard to achieve, you will get the results,” he said. A dedicated women’s mission, he believes, is drawing the attention that is long missing.
Past delegations skewed male—often 80–85%. Hearing women echo concerns their spouses once voiced has been revealing. “We now have a number of women who are saying, I talked to my husband, and he’s not comfortable with me going,” he noted.
For Siegel, the goal is clear: ensure women play a larger, more visible role in tech engagement with Israel.
He said Israel Tech Mission is also recruiting more non-Jewish participants, whose exposure to Israel is often limited. “It’s more important to have non-Jewish participants than it is to have Jewish participants coming to Israel, because the amount of exposure that they have to Israel is so much less,” he said.
First-time visitors, he added, are struck by the gap between media narratives and Tel Aviv’s daily life. “When people come to Tel Aviv … they’re just shocked about the resilience,” Siegel said.
According to him, those reactions can be the most powerful takeaway. Participants return home with new impressions, and organizers review each mission—“what really worked, what didn’t”—to refine the next.
Israel Tech Mission members visit the Western Wall in Jerusalem. (Courtesy)
When asked about the greatest challenge facing Israel Tech Mission, Siegel pointed to “fear” as the core obstacle.
They’re afraid that if they tell their 50, 100, 500, 1,000 employees that they did a trip to Israel, then they are fully 100% on the side of Israel and there can be backlash from their boards
One issue is safety for newcomers. Another is backlash from boards and employees. “They’re afraid that if they tell their 50, 100, 500, 1,000 employees that they did a trip to Israel, then they are fully 100% on the side of Israel and there can be backlash from their boards,” he said.
Several executives, he said, confided their boards would not permit a visit. “That is incredibly painful,” he remarked. Yet others press on: “I’m not going to let some irrational behavior by … ignorant individuals dictate what I can and what I can’t do.”
He praised leaders like Kevin Ryan, founder of MongoDB, Gilt Groupe, Zola, and Business Insider, who publicly led a mission. “When people do that, guess what happens? They also get rewarded,” Siegel said.
As for how he decides what to feature on trips, the aim is to engage both newcomers and veterans across four days. The goal, he said, is to make it as exciting for a first-timer as for someone on their 20th visit.
“It’s a delicate balance,” he said. “Introducing them to individuals they never would have met before—whether it’s meeting with [Strategic Affairs Minister] Ron Dermer, [Blue and White – National Unity Party leader] Benny Gantz, [former Prime Minister] Naftali Bennett, or President [Isaac] Herzog.”
But star power isn’t the point. The real value is relationships with startups. Delegations visit incubators such as Google for Startups and meet dozens of founders in relevant sectors. “We’ve done a bit of matchmaking,” he said, often introducing attendees to startups ahead of time—from climate tech to ag tech—to seed connections.
These curated encounters can lead to deeper engagement, including investment. Trips also include emotional visits to northern and southern Israel to hear directly from residents affected by the conflict.
Beyond business and tech, Siegel said the most durable outcome is community. “Building community makes an experience last for many, many years,” he said. Participants stay connected, back each other’s ventures, and carry their Israel experience forward.
On the long-term vision for Israel Tech Mission, he compared it to other programs but argued that business leaders remain overlooked. “Birthright does an incredible job of bringing college students to Israel. AIPAC does an amazing job of bringing the biggest political leaders. Tamid brings business school students. No one is focused on solely bringing the cohort of the hundreds of thousands of the biggest business and tech leaders around the globe. No one,” he said.
Siegel noted support from major donors, including the Dell Foundation, the Maimonides Fund, and the Schusterman Foundation. The dream, though, is larger: “Our dream is to enable every single tech and business leader to have a mission to Israel—to see the real Israel, to invest in Israel, and to gain personally and also hopefully professionally and financially as a result of the experience.”
He described the endgame as thousands of missions by top executives—reshaping Israel’s tech sector. “That’s what I’m devoting my personal life to,” he said.
On the most meaningful experiences since moving, Siegel said small moments resonate most—like walking in Jerusalem and reading history on every street sign. “I never can get enough of looking at every single street sign,” he said.
David Siegel leads Israel Tech Mission members in Jerusalem. (Courtesy)
Generosity has stood out, too. During the holidays, even strangers invited his family for meals. “To me, it’s the ability to connect with other people … that’s been my highlight so far,” he said.
As the conversation ended, I wished him and his family success in their aliyah—his story reflecting the resilience of Israel’s tech sector and the personal connections that define life there.