Strong Horse (Cabello Fuerte). Bronze. By Juárez Heriberto. Courtesy of Caesarea Ralli Museum ... [+] collection. / Bronze molded into eruptive force. Each of my stories includes an original artwork. Clicking on them will take you to their websites. I am grateful for all the collaborators, sharing their work. It’s not everyday that one finds themselves speaking about trust with the former head of Mossad , the ultimate artist in instilling trust– and knowing when to break it. “In the espionage world, you are an
Actor on a stage, surrounded by many different actors,” says Yossi Cohen, ex-chief of Israel’s Intelligence Agency (the Mossad), now head of SoftBank Investment Advisers’ activities in Israel . “Building trust is pivotal, it is the core of your interaction with your surroundings. You are constantly examined: by border control, the hotel’s security officer whom you cannot see, the concierge, the bell boy, the innocent citizen or the terrorist; you must create complete trust around you, you cannot be doubted, even for a split second. In essence, you learn to operate in complete opposite to what everyone sees.” As an ordinary woman, I am not used to thinking about trust as a transient façade, but rather as a sincere and unforgeable connection. However, for Cohen, gaining trust is a technique that can be mastered. “You can’t act reliable; you must be reliable,” Cohen explains. “You have to be loyal to your people, your message, your path. Technique will only get you through the door, the rest is up to you.” Can you give me an example? I ask. “If I wanted to create initial trust with you before we ever met, I would first leverage information. Knowledge is power. Then, I would show up at a coffee shop you regularly visit, perhaps bumping into you. You would think it is accidental, but in fact it won’t be. The waiter will be my guy, the table I choose will be the one you like, and I will be ordering the exact pastry you like. The initial contact will be completely orchestrated by me, but – and this is important to understand – all of these techniques are not enough. My personality has to take it from there.” Trusting Cohen, his personality and his judgement is SoftBank. The ex-Mossad chief joined the company in 2021 , aiming to connect the “‘start-up nation” to the tech-oriented investment group, and perhaps leverage his own regional connections to support SoftBank’s presence in the
Middle East. Since Cohen’s joining, the company led an investment in the IoT security company, Claroty , and recently in a SASE cybersecurity company, Cato Networks . “We see a robust set of investment opportunities and are at the final stages of another significant investment in Israel, but I cannot give any specifics yet,” Cohen adds. He forecasts two promising avenues for investments: AI infrastructure and the application of AI technologies to verticals ranging from financial services to healthcare and life sciences. “Israel’s
economy is highly stable, even at times of crises, such as the current war or the internal struggles over the judicial reform–and this stability is an attractive landscape for investors,” says Cohen, who remains unfazed by Moody’s cut of Israel’s credit rating this year , in a drastic first-time occurrence, or by the reported decline in Angel investments in the country. “Israel’s local economy has survived the major economic downfalls of our time with flying colors, whether it’s the ‘08 crisis, the COVID financial instability and other smaller fluctuations. Our diverse makeup, opinionated nature, and survivor-mentality make us natural go-getters, entrepreneurs. The number of start-up companies per capita is unparalleled. We are a leading force in emerging technologies, many of which are AI-based in fields such as cybersecurity and HealthTech.” And the AI-focus of the
Israeli ecosystem might be the big draw for Masayoshi Son’s SoftBank’s, only recently returning to profit after five quarters , largely thanks to its holding in the chip design company, Arm . Son’s vision of investing in AI-supporting technologies has recently made additional headlines, with a reported investment in a nuclear fusion startup Blue Laser Fusion, which just completed its 37.5 million dollars Series Seed funding round . The company, led by the Japanese Nobel prize winner in physics Shuji Nakamura, aims to provide clean energy amid the expectant growing power demands of AI-based systems. Brett Rochkind, Managing Partner for SoftBank Investment Advisers: "Over the past year, the Israeli market and our SoftBank portfolio has shown remarkable resilience in the face of a terrible tragedy. The entrepreneurial spirit, unwavering work ethic and unique technical skills built from the IDF and Israel's world class research institutions enables the country to remain at the forefront of technology innovation. We at SoftBank have tremendous conviction to invest in the generationally defining companies that emerge from Israel and its amazing ecosystem." What’s next for Softbank’s Israel lead? Rumor has it that Cohen is aiming for the Prime Minister’s office in yet another career twist. “I haven’t decided yet,” he looks at me and smiles. “Time will tell.”