On 14 February 2024, WELT, an Axel Springer media group company, and The Jerusalem Post, an Israeli daily newspaper published in English and French, invited government representatives and other experts to Berlin to discuss current developments in and around the Middle East conflict.
The conference included a panel on ‘Innovation & Economics’, featuring Yaron Ashkenazi, Founder and Managing Partner of Awz Ventures, Dr. Dan Deviri, Co-Founder and CEO of CarbonBlue, Omer Keilaf, Co-Founder and CEO of Innoviz Technologies, and Heiko Thoms, State Secretary at the German Federal Ministry of Finance.
‘In a world where the population is growing and resources are scarce and limited, innovation is the only way to ensure that conflicts can be avoided in the long run,’ said Dr. Dan Deviri, CEO and founder of CarbonBlue. The start-up is developing a scalable ‘ocean capture’ method for removing CO2 from the atmosphere.
According to Avi Balashnikov, CEO of the Israel Export Institute, finding new markets for Israeli products and services is key to the economic success of Israeli industry, especially in these troubled times.
Yaron Ashkenazi highlighted that Awz Ventures – a Canadian-Israeli venture capital firm with 9 deep tech funds – has also decided to take support for the Jewish state a step further.
‘We are one of the few venture capitals that decided to immediately establish a philanthropic foundation, in strategic collaboration with Jerusalem Post,’ Ashkenazi said. ‘The foundation is advancing causes like ensuring mental health care for October 7 victims and financing initiatives to restore and grow Southern Israel’s economy.’
Omer Keilaf, CEO and founder of Innoviz Technologies, a company that produces LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) sensors for autonomous vehicles, highlighted the close ties of his venture with the German automotive industry. ‘We work in collaboration with companies like BMW and Volkswagen throughout the year, constantly busy creating new opportunities,’ he said.
State Secretary Heiko Thoms emphasized how important supporting the Jewish state is for Germany:
‘We stand in full solidarity with Israel and that is non-negotiable for us,’ he said. ‘I am very pleased that German companies have expressed their full support for Israel and continue to do business with Israel.’
Both the individual videos of the speeches and the recording of the live stream are available on the WELT website.
Sources: WELT & The Jerusalem Post