Solution Nation

This fascinating podcast discusses the pros and cons of plant-based alternative proteins compared to cell-cultivated protein replacements. Issues discussed include:

• What are the capital requirements of plant-based alternative proteins compared to cell-cultivated protein replacements? How do the incremental production costs compare?
• How do the regulatory pathways compare?
• Do plant-based proteins have a significantly larger addressable market given that vegetarians may be more favorable to plant-based proteins versus cell-cultivated protein?
• What is the shelf-life of plant-based proteins?
• What does “clean labeling” mean and what is the significance?
• To what extent can different crops be mixed and matched in producing plant-based protein?
• How feasible is countertop 3D printing of plant-based meat alternatives over the next several years?

Chanan Schneider also introduced us to promising Israeli foodtech companies such as Phytolon, SavorEat, TIPA, TripleW, ansa, and Egg’n’up.

Danielle Abraham discusses how Israeli know-how is being directed to boosting agricultural output in Africa. She discusses the state of African farming infrastructure, the role of extension officers and the magnitude of minimizing post-harvest losses. The podcast addresses the importance of government stability, involvement of China in Africa and Africa’s receptivity to Israeli knowledge transfer.  

Danielle Abraham is the Executive Director at Volcani International Partnerships. Danielle has spent her career in Israel dedicated to connecting Israeli expertise to needs in developing countries. She has previously served as a senior policy advisor in MASHAV, Israel’s agency for International Development Cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and represented Israel as a guest speaker at the UN, OECD and the German Development Bank. 

Much of the solution to the world’s food insecurity can be found in fish. Fish are more efficient at converting feed to protein than any other animal. No other animal can be raised at a density even approaching that of fish. Unlike raising chicken, pigs and cows, no efforts need be undertaken to provision wild fish with water.

Listen to this unique podcast and learn the answers to questions such as:

• Besides fish, what products are produced by Israeli aquaculture? What end markets do these products serve?
• How are Israeli companies making use of ammonia discharge from aquaculture to grow crops?
• How capital intensive is land-based aquaculture?
• Do fish raised in land-based aquaculture realize that they are not being raised in a natural environment? If so, does this realization affect their behavior?
• Are the fish raised in Israeli aquaculture genetically modified?
• How does using solar power reduce electricity requirements and evaporation?
• What role do regulators play in aquaculture?

Among the Israeli aquaculture companies discussed were Aquatech Fisheries, Pure Blue Fish, and AquaMaof.

Roni Hochman Sussman is the AquaculTech Managing Director at the Israel Innovation Institute. Previously, Roni was a biology specialist at Algatechnologies and a project manager at Hazera Seeds.

Listen to Oculus VR’s former Co-Founder and Chief Engineer talk about the Oculus story, from inception to exit. Jack McCauley discusses Oculus’s initial team, Kickstarter success, role of its venture capitalists, manufacturing in China, and sale to Facebook. Jack also shares his thoughts on the future of virtual reality, augmented reality and the metaverse.

Jack McCauley has over three decades of experience with inventing and technical engineering. As an engineer at Activision, he designed the guitars and drums for the Guitar Hero video game series. Jack was the Co-Founder and Chief Engineer at Oculus VR which was sold to Facebook for $2 billion in 2014. Jack serves as a Board Trustee at University of California, Berkeley. Jack is now venturing into automotive technology, building cars at his private R&D facility and hardware incubator in Livermore, CA.

Companies considering reshoring to Mexico really should realize that Mexico isn’t the same thing as China.

Production can be completely outsourced to China. However, companies that contract with maquiladoras must provide their own management and secure their own supply chains. Chinese view gaps in the supply chain as an opportunity to profitably solve a problem while Mexicans view such a situation as an unacceptable risk.

Listen to this unique and timely podcast to learn about the following:

• Why are there two minimum wages in Mexico? Which one applies to your business?
• What services do maquiladoras offer? Which services don’t they provide?
• How does the quality of the labor force found in maquiladoras compare to a Chinese workforce?
• How do negotiating practices differ with Mexicans and Chinese in terms of pie-expanding efforts, acceptance of ambiguity, creativity and decisiveness?
• What law governs dispute resolution in the maquiladoras?
• What is the quality of the infrastructure between the maquiladoras and the U.S.-Mexico border?
• Are companies that manufacture in maquiladoras expected to furnish living accommodations to their employees?

Andrew Hupert lives and works in Mexico where he helps international businesses get their supply chains under control. After over 20 years in Asia (Shanghai, Taipei, Hong Kong, Saigon), Andrew decided to follow his own advice and move his operations closer to home. He is now based in Saltillo, Coahuila, the ‘Detroit of Mexico’, where he shows companies how to expand or adjust their supply chains.

Where else can you learn about New Zealand’s Jewish history? Where else can you learn about the special relationship between New Zealand’s indigenous tribes and Israel? Where else can you learn about New Zealand’s rocky diplomatic relationship with Israel?

The following are among the issues discussed during this dynamic exchange with Josh Brown and Sheree Trotter:

• Why doesn’t New Zealand have an embassy in Israel?
• Why aren’t New Zealand and Israel better aligned at the United Nations?
• Are New Zealand’s indigenous people considered one of Israel’s lost tribes?
• What is the basis of the special relationship between New Zealand’s indigenous people and Israel?
• How effective is the New Zealand BDS initiative?
• Why might Israeli customs repel the importation of goods from New Zealand?
• Why might New Zealand be an ideal location for Israel to launch its rockets?
• Which Israeli technologies are most needed in New Zealand?

Josh Brown, Founder, New Zealand Israel Innovation Hub

Sheree Trotter, Co-Founder, Holocaust & Antisemitism Foundation of New Zealand; Founder of the Indigenous Coalition for Israel

As Arizona’s Treasurer, Kimberly Yee safeguards roughly $30 billion in assets and is the steward of Arizona’s $63 billion state budget. During her term, Treasurer Yee has conservatively managed the state’s assets while generating impressive investment returns.

Kimberly Yee is a staunch and effective foe of the BDS campaign against Israel. She divested Arizona’s $143 million investment in Unilever when Ben & Jerry’s, its subsidiary, severed its ice cream sales in Judea and Samaria. Ms. Yee placed Morningstar on Arizona’s list of prohibitive investments due to that company’s subsidiary, Sustainalytics, using antisemitic sources to negatively rate companies transacting business in Israel. Under her watch, Arizona’s investments in Israel bonds surged three-fold.

The following are among the other issues discussed during this dynamic exchange with Treasurer Yee:

• What are the sources of inflows and outflows of the assets that fall under Arizona’s Treasurer’s management?
• Why did Treasurer Yee stand at the forefront of implementing programs in schools to teach students how to manage money?
• Why is the ESG movement detrimental to Arizona’s taxpayers and returns on assets under management?
• What can Arizona’s treasurer do to thwart institutions that deprive access of right-of-center and religious citizens to the financial system?
• What is Kimberly Yee’s stance on Joe Biden's plan to forgive student loans?
• How can Treasurer Yee help protect Arizona’s citizens from the huge surge in IRS agents?
• What policies does Treasurer Yee support to mitigate the rapacious inflation crushing Arizona’s families?

The Honorable Kimberly Yee, Arizona State Treasurer.

Kimberly Yee is a graduate of Pepperdine University where she earned a bachelor's degree in political science and a bachelor's degree in English. She also holds a master's degree in public administration from Arizona State University's School of Public Affairs.

She was elected to the Arizona House of Representatives for the 10th legislative district from 2011 to 2013 and the Arizona Senate for the 20th legislative district from 2013 until 2019. She was elected as Arizona’s Treasurer on November 6, 2018.

FemTech is a broad field, encompassing everything from heart disease to reproductive treatment, from oncology to menopause, and from breast feeding to menstrual cycles. We learn that the two genders require different treatment regimens and demonstrate different symptoms for the onset of various diseases.  

This podcast discusses issues such as:

• How should medical devices be designed to best suit women practitioners?
• To what extent do women’s health therapies need to be modified according to the patient’s ethnicity?
• What are the pros and cons of diagnosing women via telemedicine?
• To what extent is technology from Israel’s military utilized in furthering femtech?
• What aspects of menopause are targeted for treatment?
• What advances are being made in enhancing fertility and in detecting complications with fetuses?

Sharon Handelman-Gotlib is the Business Development Manager at the Sompo Digital Lab in Tel Aviv. Sharon is a member of the FemTech IL management team.

Israel and Korea have a great deal in common. Both countries received their independence in 1948, have tensions along their borders, have compulsory military service and look after their diasporas. Israel is the largest consumer of Korean automobiles on a per capita basis and Israel looks to Korea as a testing ground for its newest innovations.

Listen to this unique podcast and learn the answers to questions such as:

• How does making financial projections for early-stage companies differ in Israel and Korea?
• What risks are associated with making concessions too early in negotiations with large Korean companies?
• To what extent is Korean culture becoming more receptive to risk-taking and entrepreneurialism?
• What should Westerners expect in terms of socializing during lunches and after work in Korea?
• How did Israel and Korea help each other during COVID?
• How proficient are Korean businesspeople in speaking English?
• What opportunities exist for Israel and Korea to collaborate in the fertility and cosmetics industries?

Ben Weiss is a Venture Partner with SoftBank Ventures Asia and a Managing General Partner at CE Ventures. He is also the Chairman at Alicorn as well as a Director at Glassbox and Pliops.

Compensating business owners in the aftermath of a tragedy isn’t easy. Financial records must be confirmed and reviewed. Financial projections must be taken into account. Apportionment needs to be considered. Valuing lost or impaired human lives is an even more sensitive subject.

This podcast presents a unique opportunity to listen to the world’s foremost compensation expert discuss related issues such as:

• What is the duty of business claimants to mitigate their damages?
• To what extent should insurance recoveries reduce payouts to victims of tragedy?
• Does projected earnings power trump estimated years of remaining life when valuing human life?
• Should receipts of charitable donations cause a reduction in compensation to victims of tragedies (or their families)?
• What are objective surrogates for pain and suffering?
• Why are recipients of compensation often more focused on relative payments versus absolute payments?
• Why might the process of determining victims’ compensation be more important than the extent of compensation paid?

The Honorable Kenneth Feinberg is a preeminent lawyer and mediator. Professor Feinberg served as Special Master for compensation in the wake of America’s most horrific tragedies. He served in this role in the aftermath of the Agent Orange case and British Petroleum’s Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Mr. Feinberg served as Special Master on a pro bono basis for the September 11 Victim Compensation Fund, the Virginia Tech Shooting and the Trouble Asset Relief Program.

Professor Feinberg is a former chief of staff to Senator Edward M. Kennedy and member of two presidential commissions. He is also adjunct professor of law at Georgetown University, the University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University and New York University.