Is the Middle East the Next Global Tech Hub?

Yitz Applbaum is a philanthropist, international bon vivant, and accomplished venture capitalist specializing in Israel and the Middle East. He began his career building a banking software company (acquired by Bank of America) before joining Lightspeed Ventures and later founding MizMaa Ventures. In this episode, he discusses how Israel transformed from a nation of impoverished refugees into an innovation powerhouse. Looking ahead, he explains how the Abraham Accords are reshaping the Middle East economically and culturally — Yitz, an orthodox Jew, is currently Chairman of a genome sequencing company in Saudi Arabia!

He also expounds on some of the most important recent archeological discoveries in Israel, given his role on the Board of the Western Wall Heritage Foundation. Moreover, Yitz is a prolific collector of whiskey and Kosher wine — we open our favorite bottle of scotch in this episode!

00:00 Episode Intro
05:08 Israel's Economic Miracle
11:28 Incredible Opportunity in Middle East
18:57 Why Talent Is Going to UAE
21:25 Orthodox Jew Building Companies in Saudi Arabia
26:42 Opening a $5k Bottle of Scotch!