In this week’s episode of Inside Israeli Innovation, Maayan Hoffman takes listeners all over the innovation landscape.

We start with a conversation with Michael Fertik, managing director and founder of Heroic Ventures, who shares his insights on investing in Israel during the Gaza war. We discuss the challenges and opportunities of investing in Israeli startups during geopolitical tensions.

Fertik highlights the resilience of the Israeli high-tech industry despite adversity but does note a decline in new Israeli startups and startup investments in Israel. However, Fertik says that despite warnings, risks and rockets, he remains “bullish” on Israel’s economy and encourages others to invest, too. 

We then talk to Cplus, a company that has developed a new type of dynamic textile capable of responding to environmental and physiological cues. We don’t want to give it all away, but your clothing might one day know more about how you feel than you do.

We also speak to Optimove, a company specializing in personalized marketing using artificial intelligence and big data. The company’s CEO, Pini Yakuel, talks about how to effectively market to existing clients, especially during times of crisis. 

Then, we wrap up with a conversation with Ari Ben Dror, vice president of sustainability and operations at the Good Food Institute Israel, about the growing food technology landscape in the Jewish state.