Assaf Elovic

Our posts about ivrit.ai are usually (surprise surprise) written in Hebrew. Today, we're making an exception to accomodate our global viewers as we share our experience with the ElevenLabs' scribe-v1 Speech-to-Text model. As most of you know, we maintain a Hebrew Transcription leaderboard on Huggingface (link in first comment). This was needed as fleurs and common-voice are low-quality datasets with regards to Hebrew. When ElevenLabs launched scribe_v1, we were eager to try it out. The initial results were a mixed bag: some benchmarks where scribe_v1 provides best-in-class results, others where it fumbles significantly. Our analysis mostly hints at issues with long-form transcriptions, where it simply "drops" large parts of the text after 1-2 minutes. We had a quick discussion about this with ElevenLabs support, but the end result is still subpar performance on Hebrew transcription, and we suspect this may be true for other low-resource languages. We think scribe_v1's technology is best-in-class, and are hoping to work together with the ElevenLabs team to fix this. So, if anyone at EL wants to chime in and make this happen (Mati Staniszewski Piotr Dabkowski :)), please reach out to us. We believe this might make scribe_v1 much better at not just Hebrew, so it might be worth your time. Our benchmarks are open, we're a non-profit, and in the last few weeks we open-sourced >5000 hours of speech with high-quality transcriptions. If anyone here has friends at EL and wants to help, please tag them! Kinneret Misgav, PhD Yoad Snapir Yanir Marmor

95

‏1‏ ‏תגובה‏

Some interesting nuggets about Israeli fintech from "The State of Israeli fintech 2025" report by Viola Ventures: - FinTechs make up nearly half of the top 15 highest-valued private tech companies in Israel, including Rapyd ($15 billion), Deel ($12 billion), and Tipalti ($8.3 billion) - FinTech remains the second-largest category in Israel's tech ecosystem, accounting for 12% of total capital raised in Israel in 2024 - Israeli FinTech funding peaked at $6.4 billion across 216 deals in 2021, then dropped to $1.1 billion in 2024, with only 81 deals recorded There are reasons for fintech startups to be optimistic in 2025: "AI will disrupt traditional banking, embedded finance will redefine customer experiences, and vertical FinTech will revolutionize industries like healthcare, travel, and real estate." The map was added to my 2025 Israeli landscape collection on VC Cafe. Links in the first comment 👇

70

‏3‏ ‏תגובות‏

𝐁𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐞 '𝐏𝐫𝐞' 𝐒𝐀𝐅𝐄 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐒𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐲...⁣ ⁣ Over the past few years, I’ve mentored and advised dozens of early-stage startups in Israel - many during one of the toughest periods to raise money and build new ventures.⁣ ⁣ One pattern I see far too often is 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐀𝐅𝐄 𝐚𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 - especially in the very first pre-seed/seed round — without fully understanding the impact of pre-money vs post-money caps.⁣ ⁣ At this early stage, founders hold their only real leverage: they control if and how the company starts. But they’re also at a serious disadvantage, facing investors with much more experience. That’s why you must bring in a sharp, founder-aligned lawyer — one who’s commercial, strategic, and transparent.⁣ ⁣ Unfortunately, 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭. And many lawyers simply pull out a 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐚𝐮𝐥𝐭 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭-𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐲 𝐒𝐀𝐅𝐄 because that’s what became standard after YC’s 2018 update.⁣ ⁣ 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭-𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐲 𝐒𝐀𝐅𝐄𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬 — 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬.⁣ ⁣ Let’s break it down:⁣ You raise $1M at a $5M 𝐩𝐫𝐞-𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐲 𝐜𝐚𝐩 → Investor gets 𝟏𝟕%.⁣ Same round, but with a $6M 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭-𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐲 𝐜𝐚𝐩 → 𝐒𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝟏𝟕%.⁣ But now...⁣ If you later raise another $1.5M by extending this SAFE round:⁣ 𝐏𝐫𝐞-𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐲 SAFE total dilution = 𝟑𝟑%⁣ 𝐏𝐨𝐬𝐭-𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐲 SAFE total dilution = 𝟒𝟐% (!)⁣ ⁣ 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝟑𝟎% 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐝𝐢𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 — all because of the SAFE structure.⁣ ⁣ 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞:⁣ It’s not just the label "pre-money" or "post-money" that matters - 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐀𝐅𝐄 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫’𝐬 𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩, and this is buried in the details of the agreement itself.⁣ ⁣ The two real differences are:⁣ In true post-money SAFEs, investors lock in a fixed ownership percentage and are 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐝𝐢𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐝 by additional SAFEs or grants until conversion.⁣ ⁣ In pre-money SAFEs, investors 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐝 by any new financing that happens before conversion — making it much more founder-friendly.⁣ ⁣ 𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐠𝐚𝐩 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐰𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐛𝐞 𝐡𝐮𝐠𝐞.⁣ ⁣ Founders:⁣  Don’t just take the SAFE your lawyer drops on you.⁣  Make sure both cap types are on the table.⁣  Push for pre-money when you can.⁣  Post-money can snowball into painful dilution if you're not careful.⁣  And if investors are pushing to lock in a fixed % — consider a priced round instead.⁣ ⁣ 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐲.⁣  𝐁𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐫, 𝐛𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐜 — 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐚𝐩 𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞.⁣ ⁣ #Startups #Founders #VentureCapital #StartupFunding #SAFEagreements #startupnation #Entrepreneurship #Fundraising #EarlyStageStartups #ycombinator #execumentoring

75

‏23‏ ‏תגובות‏

Wix just made a huge move. They acquired Base44 for $80 million. This is a game-changer for Israeli tech. Base44 is transforming app development. It allows anyone to create apps using simple language. → No code. → No dev teams. → Just ideas that come to life. Maor Shlomo built Base44 all on his own. He started it after reserve duty in October. In just a few months, he achieved the impossible: → Closed deals with eToro and Similarweb. → Turned a profit fast. → Outgrew every expectation. Now, Base44 joins forces with Wix. This partnership isn’t just about tech. It’s about a shared vision for the future. Wix sees AI as the heart of creation. Base44 will be their new AI engine. Wix President Nir Zohar said it best: ↳ “This wasn’t just about features. It was about DNA.” Even in tough times, innovation shines through. → This is resilience. → This is vision. → This is execution. Kol hakavod to everyone involved. 🔥 Have you used Base44 yet?

99

‏12‏ ‏תגובות‏

Decart hits $3.1 billion valuation on $100 million raise to power real-time interactive AI. The Israeli startup’s Mirage and Oasis models aim to cut GPU costs and bring human-like interaction to enterprise AI agents. https://lnkd.in/eh684mby

144

‏2‏ ‏תגובות‏

Moving to the US could be a startup's best move    Relocation to the US significantly increases the chances for international startups to become unicorns, according to our research.    For example, 44 Israeli VC-backed startups that moved to the US reached unicorn status. By contrast, only 3 unicorns in a comparable US-based sample were based in Israel. This suggests that Israeli startups relocating to the US are about 15 times more likely to achieve unicorn status.    We observed similar trends for other countries:  – India-founded startups relocating to the US are 6 times more likely to become unicorns (12 vs 2).  – UK-founded companies see an 8.5 times greater chance of achieving unicorn status after moving to the US (17 vs 2).    These numbers indicate that the US offers unique advantages for high-potential startups from around the globe, particularly from countries like Israel, India, and the UK.    Thank you to the Stanford University Graduate School of Business Venture Capital Initiative for support.    Note: all unicorns in our sample must be US-based at the time of their first unicorn round. 

1,224

‏79‏ ‏תגובות‏

Operations vs Strategy - which is more important? My answer has always been operations. Strategy is simply a smart operational process to figure out the right strategy. When we started the Israel Tech Mission nearly 1.5 years ago our focus was on action, operations and impact. And see impact to date: https://lnkd.in/e95Z92wZ

148

‏20‏ ‏תגובות‏

Interview on Channel 10 – The Economy Channel with Danny Roup. Boosting productivity in the Israeli economy starts with inclusive participation in the labor market. It’s not just an economic necessity – it’s a moral one.

115

‏3‏ ‏תגובות‏

Trying to map Israeli companies that: - Pivoted from B2C to B2B - Expanded their TAM by moving between the two - Pivoted from B2B to B2C So far here’s what I’ve got: 1. B2C → B2B Pivot FeeX / Pontera - started by helping consumers find better trading rates, now enables advisors to manage client 401ks FairFly / Oversee - from flight price assurance for travelers to enterprise travel price assurance Via - began as an on-demand ridepooling app, now provides fleet optimization for cities and operators Monday - started as “just” a personal productivity tool and pivoted to “pure” smb productivity tool Empathy - arguably fits here, shifted from a direct-to-consumer bereavment and legacy support to a platform distributed through employers and insurers 2. B2C + B2B TAM Expansion Guardio - launched as a consumer security extension, started pulling in SMBs about two years into their journey Fiverr - launched Pro in 2017, targeting business buyers with vetted freelancers and higher-end project support 3. B2B → B2C Pivot Still drawing a blank here

54

‏9‏ ‏תגובות‏

I'm proud to unveil our groundbreaking report that Greenfield Partners, Dealigence, and Poalim Tech have put together to shed light on Israel's dynamic tech ecosystem. This first-of-its-kind, fully dynamic platform goes beyond numbers, providing actionable insights that founders, investors, and ecosystem leaders can leverage. Here's a preview of what you'll find inside: 🔹 Employment Growth – Startups added 4,500+ net new positions YoY, with Cybersecurity and Enterprise Software leading the charge. 🔹 Surprising Q4 Momentum – Despite challenging conditions, Q4/24 marked one of the strongest fourth quarters in total funding raised and deals completed. 🔹 Repeat Founders – Driving 46% of total 2024 funding, showcasing their resilience and impact. 🔹 Capital Demand – Q1 2025 will be pivotal, with 657 startups projected to fundraise. Explore the fully interactive platform where you can filter data by sector, funding size, founder experience, and more in the link below. For those building category-defining companies: the comprehensive benchmarks and insights await in the full report linked below. A huge thank you to our partners Adam, Gil, Yaniv of Dealigence, Elad, Adi, Iris and team at Poalim Tech, and our own Raz Mangel, Lior Sulkin Levy, and David Ohana from Greenfield for helping bring this report to life!

65

‏1‏ ‏תגובה‏

My friend shared this hot take about Israeli startups and I can't stop thinking about it. That first US hire almost never works out. They all blame different things, but ultimately? It's culture. Sure, they come with a very impressive GTM background and you count on them bringing that skill to your team. But there's this whole other job no one talks about in the interviews: Being the bridge. Do they actually get Israeli culture? Can they help Israelis adapt to American business? Can they convince great American talent to work with Israeli founders? It's such a tough balance to strike. My friend's take (which I totally agree with): Stop obsessing over finding the "top marketers" in New York. Look for people who can build bridges. Yeah, maybe their marketing skills aren't quite as polished. But they'll stick around. They'll grow. And most importantly? They'll help you build the right team. Sometimes the perfect resume isn't what you need. You need someone who can speak both languages (and I don't mean Hebrew).

206

‏54‏ ‏תגובות‏

Collage AI is buying the Israeli startup StudyWise.io, which created an AI platform to help prepare and grade exams and assignments in schools and universities. After the acquisition, StudyWise will grow its team, hire more developers, and serve as Collage AI’s main global hub for educational technology. The deal is estimated to be worth several million dollars, and StudyWise has never raised outside funding since it started. Chen Berger | Guy Aronson 🔗 Read full article link in comment #collageAi #studywise #acquisition #startupnews #businessupdate

45

‏1‏ ‏תגובה‏