Read my 'Mind The Tech' remarks from London

Last week I was in the UK for Calcalist and Bank Leumi's flagship tech conference. Here's what I told the crowd.

Over the years I have been fortunate to moderate Mind The Tech, this time in London for its 6th consecutive year. Since 2021 I have been hosting conferences in London, New York, Athens, Tokyo, and soon Miami [you can register for tickets now!]. It is a gratifying part of my work and a great time to connect with entrepreneurs and founders face-to-face around the world.

This year’s conference took place as we approach the first anniversary of the Hamas attacks on October 7, so there was an additional layer of resilience and sadness among the usual optimism felt at these events.

Here are the opening remarks I made to the 500-person audience as the day started.

Good morning everyone.

My name is James Spiro and it is an honor to be back in London to moderate Mind The Tech, the flagship conference brought to you by Calcalist and Bank Leumi. It has been roughly a year since I last stood at this podium, but it suffices to say, a lot has changed since then. 

Being back in London is always nice for me. I have lived in Israel for seven years now, but I was raised in this city, born not too far from here in Westminster. These last few years have seen extraordinary change for both of these countries - and many of those changes brought with them tremendous challenges, too. 

But let us not despair! This year alone has seen our countries embark on record collaboration. In the summer, the UK’s new Labour government announced it would resume negotiations on free trade agreements to reflect the post-EU, high-tech potential of both nations. 

In Israel, we are seeing the slow return to a high-tech industry impacted by the horrors of the Hamas attack on October 7. Startup Nation has raised $7.8 billion since the war broke out, with July seeing 28 deals - more deal flow than any other month this year and a sign of steady recovery in the months ahead. 

So for me, this year’s Mind The Tech in London is a testament to the resilience of our countries. Because challenge is inevitable; but how we respond to these challenges is not. 

And now, we are honored to have with us Michael Levy, the brother of Or Levy, who is currently held hostage in Gaza. Michael’s presence symbolizes this resilience, and we thank him for his time today.

Thank you.

Paid subscribers are also invited to explore my hand-picked favorite moments from the conference, including remarks from hostage relatives, London’s Deputy Mayor, and a presentation by someone whose TED talk was ranked the 4th “most inspiring” ever by viewers.

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