Axis TLV 2021 — One for the records
The 8th Axis Tel Aviv event (yes 8th — crazy to believe!) was our biggest yet. Our packed agenda included industry leading keynote speakers, tier 1 investors and corporations, some of Israel’s top startups, and masterclasses taught by global experts. Moreover, this year we hosted the conference 100% virtually through our proprietary event platform Axis Spin, bringing the best aspects of our physical events online.
From over 20 sessions, here are a few key highlights and takeaways from the event:
Digitization is the future of mobility. We were honored and proud to host Ola Kallenius, the CEO of Daimler and Mercedes-Benz as a keynote speaker at Axis Tel Aviv. During our one hour long session together, Ola presented to our audience on the future of mobility — focused on the two D’s — Digitization and Decarbonization — which are driving Daimler and the mobility industry forward. “From development and production to the car user experience, digitization is the key to our success and is present in everything we incorporate in our cars today. Artificial intelligence, algorithms and everything that can be learned and analyzed is the future of mobility.” Kallenius shared during his opening presentation. I had the pleasure to moderate the Q and A session from startups, as well as ask a few of my own. What struck me throughout his presentation and Q and A was the emphasis on everything digital and the importance of digital services for the driver experience as well as for Daimler’s financial revenue and growth. It was exciting for me to hear his passion and dedication, as this is an area I have focused tremendously on, having written the In-Car Experience Report and hosted multiple events on it.
Israel is the hottest place right now. That’s not just me saying that, but the words of Alan Patricof, founder of Apax Partners Private Equity, Greycroft VC, and currently Chairman of Primetime Partners in New York. Patricof is one of the pioneers of venture capital in the US with a career spanning nearly 50 (yes 50!) years and was an early investor on Apple, Office Depot, Audible, Venmo, and dozens of other successes. Patricof shared that Israel “is more than a Startup Nation, people are very respectful of what Israel brings to the world.”
Gaming is the next platform. Another keynote speaker at the conference was technology and media expert Michael Wolf, CEO of the consulting firm Activate, who presented his annual forecast for technological developments in the media and entertainment fields and estimated that “everything we do today digitally — will move to gaming, this is the field that will be growing at the sharpest rate in the coming years. The amount of time we spend in front of technology media is growing at a dizzying pace. Tiktok was the surprise of the year when the time spent using the platform overtook Instagram and other leading platforms.”
Cyber Security is moving to cyber resilience. In the afternoon, I moderated a session on the new era of cyber security by Ramses Gallego, Professor of Cybersecurity at the IE University in Spain. Even though he was sitting in his office in Barcelona, we could feel his passion and energy throughout the entire presentation! In a world where everybody has become a target, Professor Gallego challenged viewers to rethink our mindset and perspective of security. How can we properly protect and prepare for new kinds of cyber attacks? While there were more questions than answers, Professor Gallego challenged us to focus on mitigating business risk while managing technology risk.
For full coverage of Axis Tel Aviv, check out this article on Calcalist Tech here and www.axistelaviv.com.
