French tech shows its support for the Israeli “startup nation”

2023-10-10 19:15:00

Sunday October 8. In the followingmath of the Hamas attacks in Israel, the unbearable images of mutilated bodies of all ages and the heartbreaking calls from the relatives of those kidnapped by the terrorists are flooding social networks and television channels. On WhatsApp, some horrified entrepreneurs share their emotion. “ First four, five people, then around fifteen, and quickly around a hundred people » join this spontaneous group, describes Benjamin Bitton, investor for the 2CFinance fund and member of the board of directors of the professional association France Digitale. “ As is often the case in the face of horror, communities come together. And as we did for Ukraine, those of French tech entrepreneurs and investors said they had to show their support for Israel », he adds to The Tribune.

Humanist and apolitical commitment

From this mobilization a text was born, published in the form of an page in the newspaper The echoes. « Through these dead civilians, it is humanity in its universality that has been struck, just as through Israel, all democracies and their values ​​are being put to the test. We might not stand idly by: the values ​​of entrepreneurship are inseparable from commitment », write the signatories, who claim to want to bring their “ support ” and their ” concrete help to this young democracy today threatened in its flesh ».

The forum is supported by more than 500 signatures from entrepreneurs “ from all political sides and from all origins whose only desire is to show their solidarity in the face of a people who are experiencing their September 11th or their Bataclan there », Specifies Benjamin Bitton. Among them the founder of Meetic Marc Simoncini, the former Secretary of State for Digital Cédric O, the investor and founder of Sista Tatiana Jama, the president of France Biotech Franck Mouthon, the general director of France Digitale Maya Noël, and even author and entrepreneur Benoît Raphaël. But also some more politically engaged personalities, like the ultraliberal essayist Olivier Babeau, or even Laurent Alexandre, founder of Doctissimo and new advisor to the number two of the RN, Jordan Bardella, on digital subjects.

From one “startup nation” to another

The emotion is all the more vivid for French Tech entrepreneurs, because of the sometimes personal links they have with the Israeli “startup nation”, whose name Emmanuel Macron took over for France in 2017. Like all entrepreneurs around the world, we have been inspired, shaped, by the values ​​of Israeli tech. They draw their roots from the famous chutzpah (i.e. audacity), from which arise resilience, adaptability, creativity and the desire to develop internationally from day one », They emphasize in the text.

Her voice still trembling, Isabelle Amiel-Azoulai, founder of Sienna Ventures Capital and one of the first mobilized on the initiative, spent the last 48 hours ” to get news from 70 tech companies » in which it has invested in recent years. “ Two parents, both employees of the company UBQ Materials which is one of our investments, were killed by terrorists at their home, just following having been able to hide their two babies in the cellar who were fortunately found alive but did not have more parents. Young daughters of employees of other companies were kidnapped and the terrorists posted messages on their own Facebook accounts “, she recounts, two examples among “ a flood of stories, each more horrible than the last ” the last days.

“I also think of the Palestinians because they are not Gaza. We also work with the Palestinian tech community and many are horrified by what is happening,” adds the investor.

Faced with the impotence of terrorist barbarity, the letter from French tech entrepreneurs has no other purpose than to display moral support. Financial support is not planned at this stage. On the other hand, the signatories wish to direct possible outpourings of generosity towards local associations which come to the aid of the population, such as the Israeli Red Cross.