Israel is bringing an event to Miami Beach looking for more ties in tourism and tech

A popular Israeli business conference is coming to South Florida for the first time in November, a sign of the region’s continued appeal to tech entrepreneurs, investors and those working in global tourism.

Miami Tech & Invest, organized by Tel Aviv-based newspaper Calcalist, runs Nov. 13-15 in Miami Beach. Calcalist, a business daily with a robust digital presence and English language website, is owned by the Yedioth Ahronoth Group, one of Israel’s largest media companies. Bank Leumi, the country’s largest bank, is also a partner. Speakers include the head of El Al, Israel’s flagship airline.

“It’s a huge celebration of entrepreneurs and investors. Each year we have a conference in London and one in New York, and we try to add a new location each year,” said Noa Tamir, CEO of Calcalist. “Everyone ... said, ‘You have to do a conference in Miami.’ They said there’s old money but a new scene and people who want to invest in tech and startups.”

The conference focuses on topics for people working in tourism, real estate, healthcare, climate change or national defense, and will also feature what it dubs a Dream Team Showcase, giving new Israeli startups a chance to pitch themselves.

And in what’s likely to be an emotional moment, Ruby Chen, father of the Israeli-American hostage Itay Chen who was killed in Gaza, will also speak.

The event will also offer a competition for entrepreneurs, many of whom are women.

“It’s hard to be an entrepreneur. It’s harder to be an entrepreneur in Israel. The hardest is to be a woman entrepreneur in Israel. Then you have to be like a superhero to make it happen, Tamir said. “We have a lot of women entrepreneurs which is something I’m very proud of. Usually, you don’t see that.”

Another reason Calcalist chose South Florida was the comfort level Tamir and other Israelis have in the area. When she visited earlier this year to scout the area, “I felt like we had a warm welcome which I don’t get in Europe or in other places,” said the executive. She cited a strong Jewish community, many local businesspeople connected to Israel, regular flights on El Al and an increasing number of Israeli startups opening offices in the Miami-Dade County.

“When I was in Miami, I didn’t feel like I need to hide the fact that I’m Israeli,” Tamir said.

For Miami entrepreneurs, Israel’s stamp of approval is an important endorsement. The Miami tech hype has faded a bit since its peak in late 2022 and investment dollars have plummeted, especially when compared to traditional tech hubs like Silicon Valley or New York.

But Israel is one of the world’s most successful countries in creating tech companies. This year, even amid the war, it has drawn $3.2 billion in venture capital invested across 355 deals, according to research firm PitchBook. It’s on pace to raise only 7% less than it did in far more peaceful 2023.

If the conference succeeds in Miami Beach, Tamir said there’s every possibility it could return, which would also be a boon for the local tourism industry.

What to know about Miami Tech & Invest

When: Miami Tech & Invest starts 7 p.m. Nov. 13 with a cocktail reception at HaSalon Miami, a South Beach restaurant run by Israeli chef Eyal Shani. The main sessions start 9 a.m. Nov. 14 at at the Faena Forum, 3300 Collins Ave. in Miami Beach..

Registration: The event is open to the public for a registration fee and organizers are expecting the 500-person event to sell out.

Panels: Topics include “Miami’s Tech Evolution: A New Era of Opportunities” and “The AI Future is Now: Transforming Industries and Minds #1,” which examines AI in agriculture and healthcare.

Another one called “Real Estate Imagined: Innovation, Investment, and the Future Landscape of the East Coast” includes Russell Galbut, chairman of GFO Investments, which owns the recently opened Gale Miami Hotel & Residences downtown. The hotelier, born in Miami Beach in the 1950s, developed The Alexander, The Casablanca, and luxury condo complex The Decoplage in Miami Beach with partners through another firm he co-founded, Crescent Heights. He is expected to provide a rich, long-term perspective, a rarity in this bust and boom metro. His family roots run deep in the region: His grandparents arrived in the early 1930s.

In addition to real estate, the event will have panels on cybersecurity and defense as well as green tech or climate tech.

Speakers: Other scheduled speakers are Dina Ben-Tal Ganancia, CEO of El Al, South Florida-native Melissa Medina, Co-founder and CEO of eMerge Americas and Melissa Rose, Senior Managing Director at commercial real estate services firm JLL. Israel’s flagship airline has regular flights from Miami International Airport and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport to Tel Aviv. In 2022, the carrier moved its U.S. headquarters from New York to Margate in Broward County.

Yaki Noyman, CEO of renewable energy company Doral, will speak. The Israeli company’s customers include farms in more than 20 U.S. states, encompassing most of the Midwest.

Miami Tech & Invest will examine Miami’s ascent as a tech and finance global hub, dissect its key strengths and hear from its hottest startups. Keith Rabois, managing director of venture capital firm Khosla Ventures and one of the earliest Miami cheerleaders during the COVID-19 pandemic, is speaking. Conference organizers say they are highlighting themes that are strengths for Israel’s tech community but are also highly relevant to South Florida’s economy.