Building Successful Startups During War (Israeli v Global Founders) | David Shore of OurCrowd [Video]

Just over 6 months ago, Israel was brutally attacked by Hamas terrorists resulting in the worst single day massacre of Jewish people since the Holocaust. With the country now at war, how does civil society cope with 10-15% of its labour force being called up to military reserve duty.

David Shore, a Partner at OurCrowd, the most active venture capital investor in Israel and one of the most active globally, joins us to discuss the situation in Israel and how his portfolio companies continue to build and succeed throughout this difficult time.

Israel is one of the largest startup ecosystems in the world, consistently punching above its weight given its small population and hostile neighbours. For context, in Q4 2023, VC investments in Israel were US$1.4 billion compared with Canada’s ~$1.1 despite being in the middle of a war and having only 1/4 the population.

In this episode, we delve into David’s journey from an equity analyst on Bay Street (the Canadian Wall Street) to venture capitalist. David has decades of experience analyzing, supporting, building and investing in startups. His insights into what is required for success is invaluable for any entrepreneur.

We also discuss what Canadian entrepreneurs can learn from their Israeli peers. We address the war, learn how Israeli startups are managing, and discuss how those lessons can be applied in Canada and elsewhere.

Learn more about OurCrowd: ourcrowd.com
Connect with David Shore: linkedin.com/in/davidshore/

How to connect with me:
X: twitter.com/MatanHazanov
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/matan-hazanov-a9755416/

00:00 Introduction
03:03 Venture Capital v. Equity Analysis
04:40 The venture capital mindset
07:23 What is OurCrowd
09:45 Importance of diversification in VC
12:27 The due diligence process
13:50 Biggest challenge for startups in getting funding
16:26 Most important characteristic for entrepreneurs
18:55 Difference between Canadian & Israeli startups
25:42 Improving the entrepreneurial spirit in Canada
28:08 Building & supporting startups during a war
34:17 A life changing trip to Israel
37:50 Why invest in Israel now