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00:00:00 – 00:17:43
The video features a conversation with Gil Horsky, a founding partner of Flora VC, focusing on Israel's Agri-food Tech community amidst the Israel-Hamas conflict. Gil shares insights into the agtech sector's resilience and impacts, while discussing VC networks and the agtech community in Israel. The speaker's career journey from Pepsi to founding Flour Ventures is described, emphasizing their shift towards Agri food tech investments. The discussion also covers the evolving food industry, the importance of sustainable growth in investments, and the potential for revolutionizing agriculture. Emphasis is placed on investing in Israeli and European agricultural technology companies for global scaling. Additionally, the speaker discusses the significance of food, health impacts, and the agricultural heritage of Israel.
00:00:00
In this segment of the video, Alicia Abendroth introduces Gil Horsky, founding partner of Flora VC, an impact investment fund focusing on the Israeli and European Agri-food ecosystems. They discuss the current Israel-Hamas conflict and the resilience of the Israeli Agri-food Tech community amidst these challenges. Gil shares insights into the emerging situation and its impact on the agtech sector. They also touch on the VC network, agtech community in Israel, and ecosystem building. The discussion shifts to include the political dynamics at play in Israel while highlighting Gil’s background and journey in the industry.
00:03:00
In this part of the video, the speaker discusses their career journey in the food industry. They started at Pepsi in the US, gained valuable experience in commercial roles, and moved to Switzerland to work for Kraft Foods after the Cadbury acquisition. While in Switzerland, the speaker observed the food industry evolving with the emergence of incubators, VCs, and food tech startups. This led them to start mentoring and supporting early-stage entrepreneurs. Eventually, they co-founded the Mandel Snack Futures team in Israel, focusing on corporate ventures and incubating new businesses. After over 15 years in the corporate food industry, the speaker decided it was the right time to build their own fund and co-founded Flour Ventures. The speaker reflects on the incredible journey and the changes in the industry during their career.
00:06:00
In this segment of the video, the speaker discusses their experience working with global corporations like PepsiCo and the impact it had on their decision to focus on Flora VC. They explain their motivation for starting Flora VC, highlighting the emerging trend of new Agri food tech companies and how the ecosystem has evolved over time. The speaker observes that the industry has reached a tipping point where technologies are becoming scalable and efficient, attracting the right talent and entrepreneurs. They emphasize the challenges of the Agri food tech industry and the need for building companies with the right building blocks and valuations. Additionally, the speaker shares their contrarian perspective on valuations in the industry and the importance of sustainable growth rather than quick wins.
00:09:00
In this segment of the video, the speaker discusses why they saw the market collapse as an opportunity to invest in companies focusing on revenue, margin, and competitive valuations. They emphasize the changing trends in talent towards industries like Agri-food and the impact of technology on traditional sectors. The potential in Agri-Food technology due to its low digitization level is highlighted, signaling the right timing for investments. The speaker and the interviewer agree on the challenges and potential in revolutionizing the agricultural industry with the need for specialized skills and industry knowledge.
00:12:00
In this segment of the video, the speaker discusses their focus on investing in both food and agriculture, highlighting the changing trends in the investment landscape. They mention how agriculture has recently gained more attention due to geopolitical events and the climate crisis, making it a hot topic for investment. The speaker emphasizes their fund’s focus on investing in Israeli and European companies in the realm of agricultural technology and food, with a goal to help these early-stage companies scale globally, particularly to the US and Asia. They outline their investment thesis, which includes supporting companies in areas such as planetary health, such as regenerative agriculture and sustainable packaging, as well as human health.
00:15:00
In this segment of the video, the speaker discusses the importance of food and diet in impacting health, and mentions a strong interest in topics such as food as medicine, sugar reduction, and personalized nutrition. They also highlight their focus on agriculture, mentioning Israel’s heritage in agriculture and their funding from Israeli investors with ties to agriculture. The speaker talks about growing up in Israel, a small country with diverse landscapes suitable for various types of agriculture, such as desert, sea, hills, and mountains.