AI, investment and female founders take centre stage at Mind the Tech in London

UK and Israeli investors and innovators were out in force at the Calcalist Mind the Tech London conference, which returned to the capital for its seventh year last week.

Hosted by Calcalist and LeumiTech, the event reaffirmed its place as a bridge between Israeli high-tech ambition and global capital. It brought together close to two hundred business leaders, entrepreneurs and policymakers from the UK, Israel and beyond to explore the future of AI, technology and investment.

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There were talks from a selection of high-profile investors, executives and founders from various industries, including Yaron Inger, co-Founder and CTO of Lightricks, a unicorn revolutionising visual content creation through generative AI.

The audience also heard from Galia David, the mother of kidnapped Evyatar David, who is being held hostage by Hamas.

Julia Hoggett, chief executive of the London Stock Exchange said it had been a been “a dramatic year” for the Group. She said: “We (the LSE) have changed our listing rules to maximise eligibility for companies going public.

“We are accelerating the inclusion of companies in the FTSE index, and we have also allowed companies that report in euros and dollars to enter the index. This provides strategic flexibility for companies. In addition, we have seen a meaningful reform in our retail market. Europe had a retail policy that diluted companies, and we are eliminating it. We will also introduce changes next year that will allow companies to better tell their stories about where they are heading.”

Also taking the stage was Yazamiyot – Women Entrepreneurs, championing female entrepreneurship within AI and deep tech and the global impact of women founders.

There were speeches from Noa Tamir, CEO of Calcalist, Debbie Shapiro, Israel director at the UK Department for business & trade, and Michal Freeman-Shor, head of Primary Markets – Israel, at the London Stock Exchange, who said: “Women must demand a seat at the table, and then make the table longer so that others can join.”

She added: “When I think about deep tech and AI, I don’t just see algorithms and patents. I see possibility. The possibility of solving humanity’s hardest problems, and of building technologies that reflect the diversity of our world. Without women at the table, we risk building systems that mirror yesterday’s biases instead of tomorrow’s vision.”

Freeman-Shor noted that female founders and investors bring “something unique: resilience born of challenge, creativity sharpened by underestimation, and a determination not only to build successful companies—but to build meaningful ones.”

Her sentiments were echoed during a panel discussion moderated by Jewish News Business and Tech editor Candice Krieger, featuring Ella Goldner (Levy) – co-founder, Zinc, Ornit Shinar – managing partner, Sanchi Capital, Noa Havazelet – head of Google Accelerator, EMEA and Thuria Wenbar– CEO and co-founder, Evaro.

Krieger presented some “sobering yet important” data on women’s involvement in the high-tech industry. “In 2024, female-only founding teams received just 2.3% of global venture capital funding. While in Israel, the figure was double the global average, it was still very low. Between 2021 and 2024, only 4.3% of global venture capital funding flowed to startups with female CEOs. Yet studies consistently show that companies with women at the helm deliver higher returns of investment and stronger team performance,” she said, noting that “this contrast highlights both the gap – and opportunities – in front of us.”

The panel explored the unique perspectives women bring to AI and deep tech with practical advice for securing funding and balancing high burn rates with profitability.

There was also a fireside chat between between HERmesa founder Marla Shapiro and Startup Grind and WeWork’s Elinor Honigstein, who spoke about what it takes to succeed as a female founder.

This was followed a speech from Keren Riber Abrahami, winner of the Yazamiyot AI and deep-tech competition, with her startup URIna, a revolutionary single-use urine diagnostic device designed for women.

Maya Eisen Zafrir, CEO of LeumiTech, said: “Israeli startups are not only showing resilience in the face of uncertainty, they are demonstrating anti-fragility: not just withstanding pressure, but actually growing from it.”

Eisen Zafrir made the comments while opening the Dream Team event, which saw 12 promising start-ups pitch their ideas to a panel of judges.

She added that it “is more important than ever to showcase the power of Israeli entrepreneurs and the technologies they develop” and “highlight the unique ecosystem of Israeli high-tech. For global investors, and especially for British investors, Israel is an opportunity you can’t afford to miss.”