Invested by Aleph

On this episode of Invested, Michael hosts Omri Casspi. Omri was a trailblazing Israeli professional basketball player, becoming the first Israeli-born athlete to play in the NBA. He enjoyed a 11-year career in the league, playing for teams including the Sacramento Kings, Houston Rockets, Golden State Warriors—where he won an NBA championship in 2018—and Memphis Grizzlies, among others.After retiring Omri immediately transitioned into venture capital, co-founding Sheva in 2022 with $36 million to invest in early-stage startups, followed by Swish Ventures in 2024, raising $60 million to focus on cybersecurity, cloud infrastructure, and AI. Managing $200 million in assets, he backs standout companies like Upwind, Eon, and many others.Please rate this episode 5 stars wherever you stream your podcasts! KEY TOPICS  [00:00:00] Intro [00:01:10] On Being the First Israeli NBA Player [00:03:30] Why Trailblazers Inspire Other People [00:09:02] Sports Experience Helps Omri Support Founders [00:11:15] Omri’s Pursuit of Excellence [00:14:51] Investing in Ohio Real Estate [00:19:10] Preparing for the Future [00:20:38] The Team Omri Wanted to Play For [00:22:20] Dealing With Setbacks [00:26:27] Omri’s Venture Fund & Understanding Investing [00:31:24] Founder Hesitations to Omri as an Investor [00:36:13] Different Investing Styles in VC [00:38:50] Why Do Israeli Startups Fail? [00:43:14] Omri’s Favorite Investors and Funds [00:45:02] Growing Jewish Identity in the U.S. [00:48:50] Omri’s Parenting Style [00:50:15] Admiring This Generation of Israelis [00:52:27] Bringing Elon Musk to Israel [00:54:46] Antisemitism in the NBA [00:55:27] Living in the Public Eye and Starting a Podcast [00:59:00] Parenting Children as a High-Achiever [01:01:35] Closing Questions RESOURCESFollow Omri on LinkedIn Follow Omri on XSubscribe to InvestedLearn more about AlephSubscribe to our YouTube channelFollow Michael on TwitterFollow Michael on LinkedInFollow Aleph on Twitter‍Follow Aleph on LinkedIn‍Follow Aleph on InstagramCREDITSExecutive Producer: Erica Marom Producer: Yoni MayerVideo and Editing: Ron BaranovMusic and Creative Direction: Uri Ar Content and Editorial: Kira GoldringDesign: Rony Karadi

On this episode of Invested, Michael hosts Amir Shevat. Amir is a General Partner at Darkmode Ventures, investing in early stage startups. Before joining the dark side, Amir held executive roles at Microsoft, Google, Slack, Amazon, and Twitter. Amir is the author of Designing Bot, and Building Web API both published with O'Reilly media.Please rate this episode 5 stars wherever you stream your podcasts! KEY TOPICS  [00:00:00] Intro [00:04:30] What MSFT Didn’t Get About Developers [00:07:40] Building Good Products & Dev Communities [00:12:00] Which DevRel Job Do You Wish You Had? [00:14:45] How is AI Changing the Game for Developers? [00:25:20] Personal Values Vs. Innovation [00:27:30] Twitch Controversy [00:31:20] Elon Musk’s X Takeover [00:36:40] Pivoting to Seed Investor [00:40:45] Investing Philosophy & Mentorship [00:48:45] Core Difference Between Israeli & U.S. Founders [00:53:45] What Did Oct. 7 Change for You? [00:54:40] Writing a Fantasy Book & Closing Questions RESOURCESFollow Amir on LinkedInFollow Amir on XSubscribe to InvestedLearn more about AlephSubscribe to our YouTube channelFollow Michael on TwitterFollow Michael on LinkedInFollow Aleph on Twitter‍Follow Aleph on LinkedIn‍Follow Aleph on InstagramCREDITSExecutive Producer: Erica Marom Producer: Yoni MayerVideo and Editing: Ron BaranovMusic and Creative Direction: Uri Ar Content and Editorial: Kira GoldringDesign: Rony Karadi

On this episode of Invested, Michael hosts Dan Davidi, a distinguished scientist and entrepreneur known for his groundbreaking work in computational and synthetic biology. Davidi earned his Ph.D. from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, where he developed expertise in systems biology and metabolism. Following his doctoral studies, he served as a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard Medical School and then joined as faculty to establish the Synthetic Biology Center, advancing research at the intersection of biology and technology. After Harvard, Dan worked as a strategy and design lead at the Amazon Moonshot Factory, where he applied his scientific insights to real-world challenges. Dan currently serves on the steering committee of the National Israeli Synthetic Biology program.In 2023, he joined Aleph, a venture capital fund, as an Entrepreneur in Residence, focusing on the convergence of artificial intelligence, synthetic biology, and physical sciences to address pressing global issues like climate change and manufacturing security. Dan is currently the Founder and CEO of OHR, a company which uses primordial chemistry and synthetic biology to fashion rocket fuel and other strategic chemicals.Please rate this episode 5 stars wherever you stream your podcasts! KEY TOPICS  [00:00:00] Intro [00:02:10] - How Dan became the EIR at Aleph [00:05:10] - Harvard vs. Weizmann [00:09:20] - What is Synthetic Biology? [00:13:25] - Core Values [00:14:20] - Returning to Israel and the Experience of an EIR [00:18:30] - Dan’s Company: OHR [00:25:00] - Reverse Engineering Chemistry, or Anti-Darwinism? [00:28:30] - Israel Needs to Learn How to Scale [00:34:30] - Research Happens Outside of Academia Nowadays [00:38:50] - Making Israel the Silicon Valley of Biotech [00:40:23] - What’s the Next Big Area For Scientific Development? [00:43:47] - How is Science Improved by AI? [00:46:00] - Trusting Data to Accelerate Life Science Development [00:50:45] - Why Do Some Ideas Fail as an Entrepreneur? [00:54:00] - What Should Students Study? [00:58:30] - Closing Questions  RESOURCESFollow Dan on LinkedInFollow Dan on XSubscribe to InvestedLearn more about AlephSubscribe to our YouTube channelFollow Michael on TwitterFollow Michael on LinkedInFollow Aleph on Twitter‍Follow Aleph on LinkedIn‍Follow Aleph on InstagramCREDITSExecutive Producer: Erica Marom Producer: Yoni MayerVideo and Editing: Ron BaranovMusic and Art: Uri Ar Content and Editorial: Kira GoldringDesign: Rony Karadi

On this episode of Invested, Michael hosts Noam Bardin, an Israeli entrepreneur and high-tech executive. He is best known as the CEO of Waze, leading the company from its early days in Israel in 2009, through its acquisition by Google for $1.15 billion, and later serving as a Vice President at Google until 2021. Under his leadership, Waze grew to 150 million monthly users and became a globally beloved brand.Since leaving Waze, Bardin has returned to Israel, and is active in technology entrepreneurship, mentoring young entrepreneurs and startup investments.Please rate this episode 5 stars wherever you stream your podcasts! KEY TOPICS  [00:00:00] Intro [00:02:50] Founding Waze [00:08:00] Reacting to Google Maps: Waze Mistakes [00:10:45] Competition in the Startup World [00:12:15] Fitting in to Google’s Culture [00:14:30] Building Community-Based Business Models [00:24:40] UX/UI Of Waze [00:28:45] Waze Vs. Google Maps [00:31:50] Do You Regret Selling to Google? [00:34:50] What Could Have Been Improved in the Beginning of Waze? [00:38:15] Founding in a Small Country [00:40:00] Noam’s Controversial Letter About Google Culture [00:45:00] Should Companies Have OKRs and KPIs? [00:49:20] An Insider’s Critique of Google [00:58:25] Impact of Oct. 7th [01:05:22] Reimagining Government Structures [01:11:45] Tension Between Transparency and Security in Government [01:14:00] Israel Needs to Double Down on Tech [01:16:00] How to Bring Talent to Israel [01:17:45] Closing Questions RESOURCESFollow Noam on LinkedInFollow Noam on XSubscribe to InvestedLearn more about AlephSubscribe to our YouTube channelFollow Michael on TwitterFollow Michael on LinkedInFollow Aleph on Twitter‍Follow Aleph on LinkedIn‍Follow Aleph on InstagramCREDITSExecutive Producer: Erica Marom Producer: Yoni MayerVideo and Editing: Ron BaranovMusic and Art: Uri Ar Content and Editorial: Kira GoldringDesign: Rony Karadi

On this episode of Invested, Michael hosts Sender Cohen. Sender was previously the Chief Investment Officer at Schusterman Family Investments where he managed a multi-billion dollar portfolio including the assets of the Charles & Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation. Sender's prior roles include President of Soros Capital, Director of Research and Head of External Allocations at Soros Fund Management where he also co-headed SFM’s Venture portfolio, and Managing Director at Duquesne Capital Management. Sender currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Fulbright Israel, and as a trustee of the Harlem Children's Zone and the Leadership Enterprise for a Diverse America (LEDA). He is a trustee emeritus of Yeshiva University, a founding board member of the Birthright Israel Foundation, and the founder of the Natan Fund. Sender is also the Co-Managing Partner of ExB Group, KH2's strategic affiliate in New York.Please rate this episode 5 stars wherever you stream your podcasts! KEY TOPICS  [00:00:00] Intro [00:04:15] Core Personal Value [00:05:05] Learnings from Stan Druckenmiller [00:09:20] Learnings from George Soros [00:11:45] Personal Investing Style [00:12:18] Investing in 2nd Waves of Tech Innovation [00:20:20] Motivating Investors to Fund Tech Underpinnings [00:23:20] Bubble Bursts Can be Great for Innovation [00:28:44] Nevo Labs and the Future of Israel [00:35:18] Investing for Longer Durations [00:37:15] Bell Labs and the Investing Mindset [00:40:30] Why Researchers Should Move to Israel [00:44:00] Why Leave Schusterman and Focus on Israel [00:48:20] Advancements in Saudi Arabia [00:52:15] Tel Aviv Needs an Asset Management Industry [01:00:00] Increasing Israel’s Tax Base [01:02:12] Sender’s Sliding Door Moment [01:04:35] International Reactions to Oct. 7 [01:07:35] College Campuses [01:09:10] Business Professionals in Trump’s Administration RESOURCESFollow Sender on LinkedInSubscribe to InvestedLearn more about AlephSubscribe to our YouTube channelFollow Michael on TwitterFollow Michael on LinkedInFollow Aleph on Twitter‍Follow Aleph on LinkedIn‍Follow Aleph on InstagramCREDITSExecutive Producer: Erica Marom Producer: Yoni MayerVideo and Editing: Ron BaranovMusic and Art: Uri Ar Content and Editorial: Kira GoldringDesign: Rony Karadi

On this episode of Invested, Michael hosts Katherine Boyle, a General Partner at Andreessen Horowitz. She is the co-founder of the firm’s American Dynamism practice, which invests in companies supporting the national interest across aerospace, defense, manufacturing, energy, logistics, and critical infrastructure. She sits on the boards of Apex Space and Hadrian Automation and is a board observer for Saronic Technologies and Castelion.Katherine was previously a partner at General Catalyst, where she co-led the firm’s seed practice and invested in the inception rounds of defense technology companies including Anduril Industries and Vannevar Labs. Prior to General Catalyst, she was a general assignment reporter at The Washington Post. Katherine holds a BA in Government from Georgetown University, an MBA from Stanford and a Masters of Public Advocacy from the National University of Ireland, Galway.Katherine believes that free speech is essential to promoting American Dynamism. She is a proud champion of new media companies and academic centers that promote free speech and free thought. She serves on the boards of The Free Press and the Mercatus Center at George Mason University.Please rate this episode 5 stars wherever you stream your podcasts! KEY TOPICS  [00:00:00] Intro [00:04:20] Reaction to Zuckerberg’s Announcement [00:08:40] Global Shift in Free Speech [00:11:46] Why Move to Florida? [00:14:05] How are Florida’s Values Different Than Silicon Valley? [00:19:33] Importance of Family Over “Transhumanism” [00:25:05] Future of the Relationship Between Man and Machine [00:31:53] Importance of Family in Facing Criticism [00:35:50] The Importance of Children for Building Societies [00:40:58] Why it’s Good to be Bored in Church [00:46:17] TikTok Needs to be Banned [00:49:12] Do Your Values Need to Align With Your Work? [00:53:05] Katherine’s Core Value [00:54:39] Belief vs. Data in Investing [01:01:12] Investing in Hallow, the Catholic Prayer App [01:04:45] Leaving Silicon Valley is Better for Investing [01:10:15] Relationship Between Defense and Tech [01:13:52] Google Employees Against Working With Defense [01:15:20] The Future of Media [01:23:50] Most Surprising Tech Innovation of 2024 [01:27:40] Closing Questions RESOURCESFollow Katherine on XSubscribe to Invested here: https://content.aleph.vc/investedLearn more about Aleph: aleph.vc Sign up for Aleph’s monthly email newsletter: https://newsletter.aleph.vc/Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@aleph-vc/Follow Michael on Twitter: twitter.com/mikeeisenbergFollow Michael on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mieisenberg/Follow Aleph on Twitter: https://twitter.com/mikeeisenberg‍Follow Aleph on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aleph-vc/‍Follow Aleph on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aleph.vc/CREDITSExecutive Producer: Erica Marom Producer: Yoni MayerVideo and Editing: Ron BaranovMusic and Art: Uri Ar Content and Editorial: Kira GoldringDesign: Rony Karadi

On this episode of Invested, Michael argues that TikTok needs to be banned, looking back at pivotal discussions from the Invested podcast over the past year with key business leaders, security experts and former TikTok employees. The guests featured, in order of appearance: Sam Lessin, General Partner at Slow Ventures Jacob Helberg, Commissioner of the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission Jon Pelson, Author of “Wireless Wars” Stefan Tompson, Founder of Visegrad 24 Barak Herscowitz, Former employee of TikTok & Political Advisor Izhar Shay, Venture Partner with Disruptive AI Bradley Tusk, Co-founder of Tusk Venture Partners Please rate this episode 5 stars wherever you stream your podcasts! KEY TOPICS  [00:00:00] Intro [00:02:18] Sam Lessin on TikTok as National Security Threat [00:02:57] Jacob Helberg on Leading the TikTok Ban Legislation [00:05:48] Jon Pelson on Danger of TikTok Content [00:07:45] Stefan Tompson on TikTok Vulgarity  [00:10:32] Barak Herscowitz on TikTok Moderation Problems [00:14:17] Izhar Shay on How TikTok Must be Regulated  [00:16:32] Bradley Tusk on TikTok’s Influence on Young Minds  [00:18:18] Closing  RESOURCESFollow Sam on XFollow Jacob Helberg on XFollow Jon on XFollow Stefan Tompson on XFollow Visegrad24 on XFollow Barak on XFollow Izhar Shay on LinkedInFollow Bradley Tusk on LinkedinSubscribe to InvestedLearn more about AlephSubscribe to our YouTube channelFollow Michael on TwitterFollow Michael on LinkedInFollow Aleph on Twitter‍Follow Aleph on LinkedIn‍Follow Aleph on InstagramCREDITSExecutive Producer: Erica Marom Producer: Yoni MayerVideo and Editing: Ron BaranovMusic and Art: Uri Ar Content and Editorial: Kira GoldringDesign: Rony Karadi

On this episode of Invested, Michael hosts Jessica Lessin. Jessica is the founder and CEO of The Information, the publication known for original, in-depth reporting about technology and business. In eight years, Lessin has grown The Information into one of the largest subscription journalism communities in the world, attracting an influential audience of business leaders globally. Lessin has covered Silicon Valley and the technology industry for almost two decades and was previously a reporter and editor at the Wall Street Journal. She lives in the Bay Area, with her husband and three boys. When not trying to keep up with her children, she enjoys surfing and skiing.Please rate this episode 5 stars wherever you stream your podcasts! KEY TOPICS  [00:00:00] Intro [00:01:50] Motivation for Founding The Information [00:04:25] Why Leave the Mainstream Media Model [00:07:55] What Causes Legacy News to Become “Clickbaiters” [00:12:50] “Selling Your Soul to the Devil” [00:15:52] Will News Organizations Go Out of Business? [00:21:10] Business Models vs. Journalism Quality [00:23:56] The Free Press vs. The Information [00:26:35] Modern Media and Community Building [00:31:30] How Tech Reporting has Evolved [00:34:25] Does Modern Journalism Need Specialized Experts? [00:36:55] Is The Information Mainstream Media? [00:38:00] Why “Citizen Journalism” Won’t Replace Traditional Media [00:44:23] How to Regain Trust in the Media [00:51:40] The Information’s Media Startup Accelerator [00:53:30] What’s Next for The Information [00:57:08] Mistakes in Running The Information [00:58:10] Message to Younger Self [00:59:25] What is Your Core Value? RESOURCESFollow Jessica on X: https://twitter.com/Jessicalessin Subscribe to Invested here: https://content.aleph.vc/investedLearn more about Aleph: aleph.vc Sign up for Aleph’s monthly email newsletter: https://newsletter.aleph.vc/For the transcript of this episode, go to: www.aleph.vc/content/jessica-lessinSubscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@aleph-vc/Follow Michael on Twitter: twitter.com/mikeeisenbergFollow Michael on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mieisenberg/Follow Aleph on Twitter: https://twitter.com/mikeeisenberg‍Follow Aleph on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aleph-vc/‍Follow Aleph on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aleph.vc/CREDITSExecutive Producer: Erica Marom Producer: Yoni MayerVideo and Editing: Ron BaranovMusic and Art: Uri Ar Content and Editorial: Kira GoldringDesign: Rony Karadi

On this episode of Invested, Michael hosts May Piamenta, the co-founder and CEO of Vee. May started her first business, Pineapple, at 14 years old and sold it right before she turned 17. She was a community services manager at RoboActive, followed by a role as an international project lead at First, a global robotics community. May then joined the IDF, where she was an electronics warfare commander and started working on her current company, Vee. After her military service, May mentored at Google Activate and took Vee full time. Following a sharp pivot in 2021, Vee now enables nonprofit teams and founders to grow their teams efficiently without hiring people, by giving them AI agents that can do everything from hiring to grant writing, social media management, bookkeeping and admin work, etc. Please rate this episode 5 stars wherever you stream your podcasts! KEY TOPICS  [00:00:00]  Intro [00:03:25]  Impact of Losing a Best Friend to Cancer [00:06:20]  May’s Role Models  [00:09:05]  The High School Robotics Team  [00:11:54]  May’s First Business [00:15:14]  Israeli Military Experience  [00:16:28]  May’s Core Value  [00:17:45]  The Story Behind May’s Company, Vee [00:25:00]  Finding Co-Founders and Investors [00:27:00]  Pivoting Vee and Layoffs [00:37:25]  Is Non-Profit a Lucrative Sector? [00:40:55]  How the Tech Industry Has Evolved for Female CEOs [00:44:10]  Does Age in Leadership Matter? [00:45:40]  What Changed in May after Oct. 7 [00:48:28]  What Changed in Michael After Oct. 7 [00:50:17]  On Speaking Out About Anxiety [00:53:45]  Her Belief That Changed in the Last Year [00:54:20]  Closing RESOURCESFollow May on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maypiamenta/Subscribe to Invested here: https://content.aleph.vc/investedLearn more about Aleph: aleph.vc Sign up for Aleph’s monthly email newsletter: https://newsletter.aleph.vc/For the transcript of this episode, go to: content.aleph.vc/podcast-episodes/may-piamenta---episode-36Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@aleph-vc/Follow Michael on Twitter: twitter.com/mikeeisenbergFollow Michael on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mieisenberg/Follow Aleph on Twitter: https://twitter.com/mikeeisenberg‍Follow Aleph on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aleph-vc/‍Follow Aleph on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aleph.vc/CREDITSExecutive Producer: Erica Marom Producer: Yoni MayerVideo and Editing: Ron BaranovMusic and Art: Uri Ar Content and Editorial: Kira GoldringDesign: Rony Karadi

Adam Fisher, a seasoned partner at Bessemer Venture Partners, brings over 20 years of experience in the Israeli tech scene. He discusses the unique advantages of being an immigrant VC, likening it to having fresh perspectives in investment strategies. Adam dives into his early investments in Wix and Fiverr, noting their distinct branding and pricing evolution. He also touches on the importance of speaking out against anti-Semitism and the need for intellectual honesty in the venture capital landscape, urging for a more representative academic discourse.