Why are 400+ multinational companies basing their research and development centers in Israel?

Alejandra Castellanos Bar Av

A native of Mexico, Alejandra Castellanos Bar Av has lived in different parts of the world, most recently settling in Israel with her husband and children. While friends back home questioned how she could live where there was war, she fell in love with the richness of people, technology, and collaboration that was present in Israel. In fact, it was this discrepancy between how people saw the region and her real life experience that lead her to spread the amazing stories she discovered in Israel.

Applying her background in engineering and television, Ale became the founder and CEO of HOLALAND, a holistic platform that helps bridge the gap between Latin American emerging markets and the growing wave of technological solutions from Israel.  She also co-founded Cantera Capital with partners from Mexico, in order to cross-fertilize both ecosystems. Cantera Capital is a venture capital fund specializing in startups that focus on innovation in agriculture, health and education.

In her conversation with us today, Ale describes the explosive growth that is happening in Israel, in terms of technology, women-led businesses, and what the rest of the world can learn from their commitment to innovation, globalization, and collaboration. We explore technological advances that will be transforming the market over the next 20+ years, the opportunity of AI, and why we need to know our history in order to build a brighter future for the next generation.

Key Takeaways

1. Israeli companies are born to be global companies from day one. Out of necessity, they focus on addressing global problems, including agriculture, mobility, and digital health.
2. Israel is one of the few countries in the world that has a 100% digital health system.
3. Over 400 multinational companies have their research and development centers in Israel.
4. There is a strong spirit of collaboration among Israelis and for the rest of the world. Israelis are very open to sharing what they did, what worked, what didn’t work, and how they can help.
5. AI will take over many functions however there is still the desire for human connection that comes with soul to soul relationships.
6. The thinkers around the world need to get together and think through what we have developed so far and the kind of world that we really want to build.
7. A people that doesn’t know their history cannot look forward to a bright future. Our history is what we build on and leave to the next generation.

Connect With Alejandra Castellanos Bar Av

• http://holaland.com
• Agriculture, health or education startups, visit Cantera Capital: http://cantera.co

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