Women Leaders Push for Equality in Tech and Venture Capital in Israel
During a gala in Tel Aviv this week, the women executives from the high-tech and venture capital sectors in Israel made no bones about it: the gender disparity in decision-making is still too significant and should be dealt with. The event “Looking Forward” that was held by Calcalist and Poalim Tech coincidentally attracted top management, investors, and creators from the whole industry.
Noa Tamir, the CEO of Calcalist, in her opening remarks for the evening, admitted that the talk about women in business and tech has changed, but still not enough. She mentioned that even women who have achieved success are still underrepresented in the circles of power. To the critics who said to her why an event centering around women was needed, she replied that a try for inclusion may result in even more voices being ignored.
Tamir stated that this occasionwas not just a symbolism but rather an emphasis. Its purpose was to establish relationships, raise opportunities, and empower women to lead those sectors which were solely men-dominated so far. The participants were of the opinion that both, business and moral, reasons are the same in the case of the gender gap being closed.
Michal Kissos Hertzog, Chief Executive Officer of Poalim Tech, narrated about her personal experience that the movement was built on. She recounted a situation that depicted the not-so-obvious barriers that women encounter while trying to get promoted. Her perspective was that a leader is not simply the one who does his job right, but also the one who gets the opportunity to affect the result and be part of the strategic talk.
The dialogue has also made it clear that women represent a considerable power in the economy of Israel that is the mostly ranked country for investment and startup activity this year. Nevertheless, this does not mean that the number of women in top positions would be equal to that of men. Hertzog emphasized the duty of top female management to facilitate access to others, mostly in those cases where the industry is reluctant to do so by itself.
Business center director at Poalim Tech Genya Krupnik acknowledged the tech ecosystem’s resilience in spite of the recent hardships. She pointed out that the fields such as cybersecurity and artificial intelligence are going to be growing in 2026. Her message to businesswomen was short: set high goals, take up risks, even in the areas where women are still a minority.
Other speakers shared their experiences and the times when support and visibility from women made a change. Mentoring, mutual help and community were the characteristics of the theme that came up as the main ones for progress. The leaders also concurred that the idea of systemic change taking place only through building up individual confidence and providing structural support at the same time is still valid.
The gala, as a whole, sent out an unmistakable message: talent can be found anywhere, but not all the places provide equal opportunity. The industry leaders present at the event demanded the creation of more platforms for women to flourish in whatever capacity they choose- as founders, investors or corporate executives. Their aim is not grand; they want to transform the technology and venture capital spaces into the ones where women are not only surviving but also succeeding.
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