DUBAI, United Arab Emirates —
When Israeli entrepreneur Ziv Aviram went on stage in Dubai to launch his foundation's first-ever Aviram Awards event, he said that his goal is simple yet complex at the same time: to find a technological solution to human problems.
He said his finalists have come up with ideas that can change the world we live in right now, from technology-based pollination in beehives to portable refrigerators in the Sahara; from waterless sewage treatment that fertilizes crops to lab-made red blood cells.
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Unlike other visionaries who set their sights on breaking records, flying in space, or "disrupting" industries, Aviram's goal was modest, yet potentially much more transformative.
He was speaking from experience. As the co-founder of the Israeli company MobilEye, which revolutionized the way drivers can get instant alerts if they are at risk of collision, he managed to take a human-made problem and give it a technological solution.
Creating the Aviram Family Foundation was meant to replicate this success on a yearly basis by attracting the best and brightest to a first-of-its-kind contest. It is also his way of memorializing his late wife, Idit Aviram, who died from cancer. To top things off, he saw this as an opportunity to celebrate technology's borderless effect, by making sure the competition's contestants come from the Middle East, thus building on the momentum of the Abraham Accords from 2020, in which Israel normalized ties with four Arab countries. In that regard alone, the contest was a success: With over 600 contestants from the region entering its various stages, including from countries that have no official ties with Israel, the event in Dubai was the farthest thing from politics yet political in the very best sense, reminding everyone that technology, just like our public servants, serves the people who create them.
"I hope you have the same passion and hunger to move your project as I had with MobilEye," he said at the first plenary of the contest in Dubai's Jumeirah Mina A'Salam. He quoted Albert Einstein and Mahatma Gandhi in describing how one can use their skills to contribute to humanity, hence the name of the competition: "Tech for Humanity."
The fact that the Aviram Awards seek to promote technology while making peace a reality in the Middle East, made Dubai an obvious venue for the final event. The UAE, after all, was the first Arab state to join the Abraham Accords, and even before that it had good unofficial relations with Jerusalem.
And with Dubai being the host city, hundreds of attendees arrived for the event, making it a true celebration of the newly found friendship between Israel and the Gulf nation. What added even more gravitas was the fact that Aviram partnered with Forbes to make it into a truly international event.
Steven Bertoni, who is Forbes' assistant managing editor, was one of the judges in the competition, alongside Aviram and two others. I asked him how the partnership between Forbes and Aviram was made. The answer, to judge from his response, was that it was simply a perfect match: "Forbes is thrilled to partner with the Aviram Family Foundation. This contest encompasses so much of what Forbes does. We celebrate success, capitalism, and innovation. Those who are doing it, and also those who could be inspired by it. This is a great experience," he said.
"Forbes is the media partner. We worked with all of the finalists and our experts from Forbes, whether the journalists or executives helped coach and refine people's pitches … and we are thrilled to get behind this because Forbes is such a global brand, we do events, especially under-30 events all over the world, from the Middle East to America, Europe and we are going to Africa in a few months, we are about bringing people together and just using the power of mentors and mentees for good and this is a living breathing example of what Forbes like to do."
With the Middle East being the Middle East, I asked him whether he was worried the competition would eventually be politicized by those who oppose normalization with Israel and the peace process.
"I don't know, I can't comment on that. I just know that we are here in Dubai from all over the world and for many folks, it's the first time they have been here … and I think it's never bad to get people from different cultures together. But I don't know the politics," he responded.
Q: How do you make people relate to this in the first place, how do we avoid a situation where people are suddenly against new technology, as some have suddenly become against COVID vaccines despite being pro-vaccine all their lives?
"That is a very deep question. You can take a cynical view that technology created the vaccine and that's why we are here right now and we are not stuck at home and not dying. You can take any view, but you are not going to stop technology, so by putting people together and bringing minds together and focusing on positive change, that's an incredible way to make sure that it's going in the right direction."
Q: Why people should care about this in the first place?
"Ziv Aviram is basically an innovator, but he is also about innovation that makes the world better. He makes people safer, cars safer, transportation safer, and cuts down deaths. And what we do here with Aviram and Forbes is the same thing. Tech for Humanity is using innovative technology to bridge gaps between cultures, and also push innovation forward. This is all technology that they are great businesses but it is even better for the world. You look at these contestants, they are helping with sanitation, with healthcare, with bees, in Forbes we love the power of technology and the power of capitalism to create success but also to advance humans forward and we think this is a great example of that."
Another judge was Diana Wilde, the founder of Aurora50, a social enterprise working with leading organizations in the Middle East to accelerate gender balance in corporate boardrooms.
For Wilde, startups are not so much about innovation as they are about opportunity. In fact, Wilde believes that those two go together, not just because it is morally right, but also because it makes business sense.
"When it comes to success measures I don't think it's dollar value anymore and it's not just 'how much do I raise?'. It's not just getting that trajectory, it's important that we also look at the board. One of the things within the culture of the company that is going to make it successful is the team. I think this is the key here. All of those companies have so much purpose, your entrepreneurs are not going to give up when they are completely purposeful."
Q: So you are either an average company or a successful one?
"Or you are a laggard…What we do is ensure that women that are coming into the early stages of the board careers are supported by getting them across the network gap. We [women] network differently … and when the board has to decide between a man and a woman, they are typically looking [at who has more experience] and what we are trying to do is remove this friction point, so that in the years that follow, you will be choosing her with 15 years of experience, or him, with 15 years of experience. There is a friction point: Do we want diversity within that ecosystem. So where we [Aurora50] come in is we say, 'You join the program, you get board experience, you get support into how you should [do things to get more experience]."
Q: Do you think gender diversity in the application process was suitable in the competition?
"We didn't specifically look at Forbes. But I think that from the way the process has been managed, the reality is that even with the entrepreneurial ecosystem … female founders don't get funded. Not in the same way that you have with men. It's something that needs to shift. We need to actually build that pipeline. The reason why this matters is that it makes money. Diversity of thought means your value proposition is far more likely to succeed and that is where this becomes a business opportunity. So when you are thinking about any sort of minority, if you don't have representation you miss the opportunities that exist there because they [women] experience the world in a different way and it is those people they have to ask questions that make such a big difference. You want people to behave authentically because if they ask questions you are so much more likely to succeed. Whether that's understanding your client, being able to improvise with that client, or whether that product goes to market strategy. You know, we [women] live different experiences."
Q: In the Middle East, success is measured differently than anywhere else. What would you consider a success?
"I think that is something that is shifting, and this isn't just within the middle east. But what is shifting is that impact matters too. And I think that the new generations that are coming through, you see this within ESG (environmental, social, and governance) parameters. If you want to have that sustainability you want to attract the best talent, you are going to have something compelling since there is a lot of opportunity and there is a real talent war, if you will, that is the difference between your organization being the very best because you need the best talent or being average. It's a real issue and this is where the inclusion piece comes in again, you are not going to get the best talent if you don't have any concerns."
An example of how gender equality could be moving forward with the peace process in the region could be in the presence of two female entrepreneurs from Morocco in the final. Sara Benlafqih and Boutaina Mounir have both just turned 25.
The two studied at the EMINES School of Industrial Management in their home country and upon graduation created the agro-food startup BMTA&C. At the final round of the competition in Dubai, they pitched what they said is a revolutionary (and patent-pending) storage unit that helps farmers extend produce freshness from two days to 20 days, potentially saving up to one-third of their harvest. What's more, the solar-powered unit can store up to six tons and does not use cooling fluids that would harm the environment, potentially making the farmers richer and the world less hungry.
Before their pitch, Benlafqih spoke with me.
Q: If you are asked to come and visit in Israel, or work with Israelis, what would you say?
"We are taking part in an Israeli contest [smling and laughing], it's an Israeli foundation," she said with bemusement.
Q: Sometimes there is resistance to that in Arab countries to participating in Israeli events, what would you say to that?
"I am not into political problems, this is not my concern. I am working for an independent foundation and I like what they are doing, and I like Aviram Family Foundation, so we don't care about this."
The winner of the first Tech for Humanity awards was the Israeli entrepreneur Ari Gargir, the founder and CEO of RedC Biotech, who will get $500,000 as well as professional guidance to move his startup forward. His company is developing universal red blood cells (RBCs) for life-saving blood transfusions, which could eventually replace the need for blood donations. "All of you have been amazing, it was a true honor to be with you on this journey," Aviram told the finalists just before revealing the winner, Gargir. He also noted that the winner may have been Israeli, but the true beneficiaries are the people of the region, saying he was "excited" that the startup finalists were from Jordan, Morocco and Israel. He also did not explain how the decision was made, and how the voting was done. But it didn't matter. "Who could have imagined this a few years ago. It shows the great potential of the minds our region can provide. When I was watching your presentations what impressed me most is your passion to your ideas and your desire to succeed, Although winning is just the peak of this event, our journey doesn't stop here."
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