On this episode of Invested, Michael sits down with Nir Zohar, President and former COO of Wix.com, who helped transform the company from a scrappy Tel Aviv startup into a global platform serving hundreds of millions. A former naval officer and Chief Engineer on a missile boat, Nir reflects on how military discipline and his years leading the Israeli Scouts shaped his philosophy that management is service, not status. He recounts pivotal moments in Wix’s journey—from the risky Super Bowl campaign to the bet-the-company decision to rebuild on HTML5—and the creation of Wix’s “companies and guilds” structure to empower teams at scale. Nir also discusses leading through crises, from evacuating hundreds of Ukrainian employees during the war to navigating Israel’s upheavals, and why he believes resilience, empowerment, and values-driven leadership are the keys to building enduring companies.

Please rate this episode 5 stars wherever you stream your podcasts!

KEY TOPICS 

00:00 – Intro

02:17 – Wix’s $10M Super Bowl Gamble

08:52 – Reinventing Retired NFL Legends

13:28 – Being in the Navy Taught Nir to Run a Startup

16:02 – Business Lessons from the Scouts

18:55 – Why Management Should be Service, Not Status

21:43 – Wix Strategy Offsites in the Water

27:25 – Why Wix Employees Bought Their Own Chairs

30:38 – Betting Wix on HTML5

39:41 – The Breakfast That Sparked Wix's IPO

46:18 – How Wix's Leadership Team Stayed Together for 18 Years

50:24 – Why Going Public Gave Wix More Control, Not Less

53:08 – Hiring a Chief Politeness Officer to Say "No"

55:57 – The $80M Bet on Base44 and Vibe Coding

01:02:31 – Cutting Off Russia While Protecting Small Businesses

01:03:33 – Chartering Planes and Building a Kibbutz in Krakow

01:12:22 – How to Lead a Company Through War

01:18:47 – Why Wix Runs on "Companies and Guilds"

01:25:10 – AI Inside Wix: Productivity, Process, and Team Flow

01:26:14 – Why Nir Is Bullish on Small Business in the AI Era

RESOURCES

Follow Nir on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nirzo 

Follow Nir on X  - https://x.com/nirzo 

Subscribe to Invested here: https://content.aleph.vc/invested

Learn more about Aleph: aleph.vc 

Sign up for Aleph’s monthly email newsletter: https://newsletter.aleph.vc/

Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@aleph-vc/

Follow Michael on Twitter: twitter.com/mikeeisenberg

Follow Michael on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mieisenberg/

Follow Aleph on Twitter: https://twitter.com/mikeeisenberg

‍Follow Aleph on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aleph-vc/

‍Follow Aleph on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aleph.vc/

CREDITS

Executive Producer: Erica Marom 

Producer: Myron Shneider

Video and Editing: Ron Baranov

Music and Creative Direction: Uri Ar 

Content and Editorial: Kira Goldring

Design: Rony Karadi

On this episode of Invested, Michael sits down with Gigi Levy-Weiss, a former Israeli attack helicopter pilot turned entrepreneur, investor, and co-founder of the seed fund NFX. Gigi reflects on his journey from combat missions to leading companies like 888 and Playtika, highlighting lessons in leadership, military-style debrief culture, and the value of “good failures.” He shares his founder-first philosophy as a VC, his cautious stance on replacing CEOs, and his thoughts on the ethical complexities of tech - from online gambling to AI. Amid Israel’s political and security upheavals, Gigi also discusses civic responsibility and the vital role of grassroots leadership.

Please rate this episode 5 stars wherever you stream your podcasts!

KEY TOPICS 

00:00 – Intro

02:00 – Why My Name is Gigi: A Personal and National Story

03:10 – From Helicopter Pilot to CEO: Gigi’s Unconventional Career Path

05:05 – The Israeli Air Force Method of Failure

09:30 – Teaching Civilian Teams to Debrief Like Fighter Pilots

11:45 – How to Build a Culture That Embraces (Good) Failure

14:25 – Celebrating Failure at Playtika

16:50 – Experience vs. Fresh Eyes: Who Should Lead After Failure?

20:10 – Why Gigi Rarely Replaces Founders, Even When They Fail

23:59 – Gigi Selling His First Company and Learning What Not to Do

26:45 – 888 and the Crash: From Private Jet Dreams to Crisis Mode

35:30 – Gigi’s Biggest Lessons from Running 888

38:55 – Hire for Talent Over Experience

40:00 – Building Playtika and Accidentally Creating Slotomania

46:50 – Wrestling with the Ethics of Online Gambling

52:20 – Facebook, Games, and Losing Faith in Tech’s “Goodness”

54:10 – If Gigi Were the AI Ethics Czar, He Would…

56:00 – The AGI Arms Race and the Collapse of Trust in Truth

59:20 – Are the Ultra-Orthodox Ahead or Behind?

01:01:00 – Founding NFX: From Angel Investor to Seed VC

01:06:00 – The Startups Gigi is Most Proud of

01:08:50 – Building Line Five: A Response to October 7th

01:10:55 – Why Gigi Took a Public Role in the Judicial Reform Protests

01:13:30 – Israel’s Founders Agreement Problem

01:16:30 – October 7th and the Rise of Civilian Emergency Networks

01:19:25 – Feature or Bug? When Citizens Replace Government

01:20:10 – The Next Generation of VCs That Give Gigi Hope

01:21:53 – Reflections on Responsibility, Legacy, and Leadership

RESOURCES

Follow Gigi on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/gigilevy/ 

Follow Gigi on X  - https://x.com/gigilevy 

Subscribe to Invested here: https://content.aleph.vc/invested

Learn more about Aleph: aleph.vc 

Sign up for Aleph’s monthly email newsletter: https://newsletter.aleph.vc/

Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@aleph-vc/

Follow Michael on Twitter: twitter.com/mikeeisenberg

Follow Michael on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mieisenberg/

Follow Aleph on Twitter: https://twitter.com/mikeeisenberg

‍Follow Aleph on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aleph-vc/

‍Follow Aleph on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aleph.vc/

CREDITS

Executive Producer: Erica Marom 

Producer: Myron Shneider

Video and Editing: Ron Baranov

Music and Creative Direction: Uri Ar 

Content and Editorial: Kira Goldring

Design: Rony Karadi

On this episode of Invested, Michael hosts Micha Kaufman, the founder and CEO of Fiverr - the global freelance marketplace that helped define the gig economy. Since launching the platform in 2010, Micha has led Fiverr from a scrappy, bootstrapped startup into a publicly traded company offering millions of services across hundreds of categories. Before that, he built three other companies and began his career as an intellectual property lawyer, where he was involved in drafting what he describes as Google’s first patent in Israel. A vocal advocate for self-reliance in the age of AI, Micha believes freelancers are better equipped than corporate employees to adapt, automate, and thrive. He recently led Israel’s high-tech delegation to Auschwitz, a personal and national mission to preserve memory and meaning for the next generation.

Please rate this episode 5 stars wherever you stream your podcasts! 

KEY TOPICS 

00:05:40 Why Fiverr Launched With a $5 Price Tag
00:09:28 The Things You Can Do for Five Bucks
00:17:42 The Infamous Four Seasons Debacle
00:24:20 AI and the End of Low-Skill Tasks
00:27:54 Freelancers Upskill Faster Than Employees
00:33:30 You’re Responsible for Your Career Growth, Not Your Boss
00:49:14 Automate Yourself, Then Create More Value
00:58:00 Fiverr’s Mission in an AI-Driven Future
01:04:32 Going Public: Lessons and Regrets
01:16:17 Why Micha led a High-Tech Delegation to Auschwitz

RESOURCES

Follow Micha on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/michakaufman/ 

Follow Micha on X  - https://x.com/michakaufman 

Subscribe to Invested here: ⁠https://content.aleph.vc/invested⁠

Learn more about Aleph:⁠ aleph.vc⁠ 

Sign up for Aleph’s monthly email newsletter:⁠ ⁠⁠https://newsletter.aleph.vc/⁠

Subscribe to our YouTube channel:⁠ https://www.youtube.com/@aleph-vc/⁠

Follow Michael on Twitter:⁠ twitter.com/mikeeisenberg⁠

Follow Michael on LinkedIn:⁠ https://www.linkedin.com/in/mieisenberg/⁠

Follow Aleph on Twitter:⁠ https://twitter.com/mikeeisenberg⁠

‍Follow Aleph on LinkedIn:⁠ https://www.linkedin.com/company/aleph-vc/⁠

‍Follow Aleph on Instagram:⁠ https://www.instagram.com/aleph.vc/⁠

CREDITS

Executive Producer: Erica Marom 

Producer: Myron Shneider

Video and Editing: Ron Baranov

Music and Creative Direction: Uri Ar 

Content and Editorial: Kira Goldring

Design: Rony Karadi

On this episode of Invested, Michael hosts Samuel Arbesman, the Scientist in Residence at Lux Capital. In addition, he is an xLab senior fellow at Case Western Reserve University’s Weatherhead School of Management and a research fellow at the Long Now Foundation. He is the author of The Magic of Code, Overcomplicated, and The Half-Life of Facts, and his writing has appeared in such places as the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, and Wired, where he was previously a contributing writer. He lives in Cleveland with his family. The first computer he used was a Commodore VIC-20.

Please rate this episode 5 stars wherever you stream your podcasts! 

KEY TOPICS 

00:00:00 The Intersection of AI and Creativity

RESOURCES

Follow Samuel on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/arbesman/ 

Follow Samuel on X  - https://x.com/arbesman 

Subscribe to Invested here: https://content.aleph.vc/invested

Learn more about Aleph: aleph.vc 

Sign up for Aleph’s monthly email newsletter: https://newsletter.aleph.vc/

Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@aleph-vc/

Follow Michael on Twitter: twitter.com/mikeeisenberg

Follow Michael on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mieisenberg/

Follow Aleph on Twitter: https://twitter.com/mikeeisenberg

‍Follow Aleph on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aleph-vc/

‍Follow Aleph on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aleph.vc/

CREDITS

Executive Producer: Erica Marom 

Producer: Myron Shneider, Yoni Mayer

Video and Editing: Ron Baranov

Music and Creative Direction: Uri Ar 

Content and Editorial: Kira Goldring

Design: Rony Karadi

On this episode of Invested, Michael hosts two of the co-founders of Dream, Shalev Hulio and Sebastian Kurz. 

Sebastian Kurz is a former Austrian politician who served as Chancellor of Austria from 2017 to 2019, and again from 2020 to 2021. A member of the Austrian People's Party (ÖVP), he began his political career in the party's youth wing, rising to prominence as State Secretary for Integration (2011–2013) and Foreign Minister (2013–2017). Kurz led the ÖVP to victory in the 2017 election, becoming one of the world's youngest heads of government at age 31. Since leaving politics, Kurz has worked as a global strategist and entrepreneur.

Shalev Hulio is a serial entrepreneur and cybersecurity expert. He co-founded NSO Group in 2010, serving as CEO until August 2022, where he oversaw the development of Pegasus, a controversial spyware used by governments to track criminal and terrorist activity. Prior to NSO, Hulio co-founded several tech ventures, including CommuniTake and Kaymera Technologies. 

Together with Gil Dolev, Sebastian and Shalev founded Dream Security in January 2023, which specializes in AI-powered cyber defense.

Please rate this episode 5 stars wherever you stream your podcasts! 

KEY TOPICS 

00:00:00 The Unexpected Birth Story of Dream

RESOURCES

Follow Sebastian on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sebastian-kurz/ 

Follow Shalev on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/shalevholy/ 

Follow Sebastian on X  - https://x.com/sebastiankurz 

Subscribe to Invested here: https://content.aleph.vc/invested

Learn more about Aleph: aleph.vc 

Sign up for Aleph’s monthly email newsletter: https://newsletter.aleph.vc/

Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@aleph-vc/

Follow Michael on Twitter: twitter.com/mikeeisenberg

Follow Michael on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mieisenberg/

Follow Aleph on Twitter: https://twitter.com/mikeeisenberg

‍Follow Aleph on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aleph-vc/

‍Follow Aleph on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aleph.vc/

CREDITS

Executive Producer: Erica Marom 

Producer: Yoni Mayer, Myron Shneider

Video and Editing: Ron Baranov

Music and Creative Direction: Uri Ar 

Content and Editorial: Kira Goldring

Design: Rony Karadi

In this deeply personal episode, Michael Eisenberg pauses the usual cadence of Invested to deliver a powerful message about the unfolding war between Israel and Iran. Five days into a conflict triggered by Iran’s escalating aggression, Michael shares an unfiltered account of the situation on the ground, from nightly missile attacks targeting civilians to Israel’s unprecedented precision response across 2,000 kilometers.

On this episode of Invested, Michael hosts Gali Arnon, former Chief Business Officer at Fiverr, the global freelance marketplace that connects businesses with independent talent. Gali joined Fiverr in 2017 as Chief Marketing Officer, helping lead the company’s transformation into a globally recognized brand and guiding its growth through a successful IPO. She later served as Chief Business Officer, overseeing Fiverr’s core marketplace operations and strategic business initiatives.          

Prior to Fiverr, Gali held executive roles at Brightcom, an ad tech company, where she served as CEO, and at 888 Holdings, where she led multiple departments and business units and served as VP of Professional Services. She began her career at Wall Street Institute Israel, eventually becoming its CEO.

Gali holds a BA in Communication and Psychology and an MBA, both from Tel Aviv University, and is a longtime advocate for women in tech and leadership.

Please rate this episode 5 stars wherever you stream your podcasts! 

KEY TOPICS 

[00:00:00] The Evolving Role of the CMO

[00:03:05] Core Values and Personal Journey

[00:05:58] Gali’s Competitive Drive and Leadership Style

[00:09:03] Fiverr Rebranding from $5 Services 

[00:12:02] How AI Is Shaping Freelancing and Work

[00:15:08] Women in Tech and AI Adoption

[00:17:58] The Future of Work: Humans vs. AI

[00:21:08] Embracing Change in the Age of AI

[00:25:50] AI FOMO and Information Overload

[00:28:00] Choosing Between AI and Human Services

[00:35:07] Branding as a CMO in a Changing World

[00:38:59] Emotional Branding in the AI Era

[00:46:55] Brand Lessons from Fiverr’s Journey

[00:51:02] Personal Values and Branding Responsibility

RESOURCES

Follow Gali on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/gali-arnon/

Subscribe to Invested here: https://content.aleph.vc/invested

Learn more about Aleph: aleph.vc 

Sign up for Aleph’s monthly email newsletter: https://newsletter.aleph.vc/

Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@aleph-vc/

Follow Michael on Twitter: twitter.com/mikeeisenberg

Follow Michael on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mieisenberg/

Follow Aleph on Twitter: https://twitter.com/mikeeisenberg

‍Follow Aleph on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aleph-vc/

‍Follow Aleph on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aleph.vc/

CREDITS

Executive Producer: Erica Marom 

Producer: Yoni Mayer, Myron Shneider

Video and Editing: Ron Baranov

Music and Creative Direction: Uri Ar 

Content and Editorial: Kira Goldring

Design: Rony Karadi

On this episode of Invested, Michael hosts Eli Ben-Sasson, a co-founder and CEO of StarkWare, and Chairman of its Board of Directors. StarkWare is a Sequoia-backed startup whose latest fundraise was at a $8b valuation. StarkWare specializes in the productization of zero knowledge proofs via Starknet, a permissionless blockchain that scales both Ethereum and Bitcoin. Eli has been researching cryptographic and zero knowledge proofs of computational integrity ever since he received his Phd in Theoretical Computer Science from the Hebrew University in 2001. Eli is a co-inventor of the STARK, FRI and Zerocash protocols and a Founding Scientist of the Zcash Company. Over the years he held research positions at the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton, Harvard and MIT, and, most recently, was a Professor of CS at Technion, which he left to co-found StarkWare.

Please rate this episode 5 stars wherever you stream your podcasts! 

KEY TOPICS 

 [00:00:00] The Core Innovation of Blockchain

 [00:02:59] What Starkware Is and Why It Matters

 [00:05:59] Zero-Knowledge Proofs Made Simple

 [00:09:09] Building Trust and Integrity in Blockchain

 [00:11:51] Foundational Principles of Blockchain

 [00:15:02] Why Decentralization Matters

 [00:17:52] From Academia to Blockchain

 [00:21:09] Blockchain and the Future of Finance

 [00:23:50] Barriers to Blockchain Adoption

 [00:26:56] Israel’s Contribution to Cryptography

 [00:30:08] Blockchain and the Future of Governance

 [00:36:33] Rethinking Banking with Blockchain

 [00:40:05] What’s Broken in Financial Systems

 [00:42:13] Trust and Integrity in Transactions

 [00:47:51] Making Sense of the Crypto Cycle

 [00:51:05] Trust, Integrity, and What’s Next

 [00:54:36] Why Math Will Always Matter

 [01:01:27] Personal Reflections and Takeaways

RESOURCES

Follow Eli on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/eli-ben-sasson

Follow Eli on X - https://x.com/EliBenSasson

Subscribe to Invested here: https://content.aleph.vc/invested

Learn more about Aleph: aleph.vc 

Sign up for Aleph’s monthly email newsletter: https://newsletter.aleph.vc/

Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@aleph-vc/

Follow Michael on Twitter: twitter.com/mikeeisenberg

Follow Michael on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mieisenberg/

Follow Aleph on Twitter: https://twitter.com/mikeeisenberg

‍Follow Aleph on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aleph-vc/

‍Follow Aleph on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aleph.vc/

CREDITS

Executive Producer: Erica Marom 

Producer: Yoni Mayer + Myron Shneider

Video and Editing: Ron Baranov

Music and Creative Direction: Uri Ar 

Content and Editorial: Kira Goldring

Design: Rony Karadi

On this episode of Invested, Michael hosts Katie Stanton, the Founder and General Partner of Moxxie Ventures, which is an early-stage venture fund.

Prior to Moxxie, Katie served in numerous executive operating roles at Twitter, Google, Yahoo, and Color. In addition to working in Silicon Valley, Katie served in the (Obama) White House and State Department and began her career as a banker at JP Morgan Chase. Katie sits on the Board of Vivendi, a French multinational media company headquartered in Paris, and previously served on the Board of Time Inc.  Katie started her venture career as a Founding Partner of #Angels and has invested in over 100 early-stage companies including Airtable, Calm, Cameo, Carta, Coinbase, Literati, Modern Fertility, and  Shape Security.

Please rate this episode 5 stars wherever you stream your podcasts! 

KEY TOPICS 

[00:00:00] Intro

[00:02:57] The Value of Service 

[00:06:01] Moving from Private to Public Sector

[00:09:06] Getting into Tech and Innovation

[00:11:52] Inside the Obama White House

[00:14:59] Challenges of Government Work

[00:18:09] Twitter and Social Media Dynamics

[00:20:54] Trust and Safety on Social Platforms

[00:23:59] Future of Social Media and Community

[00:40:48] Today’s Role of Media Companies

[00:45:33] Trust and Mistrust in the Media

[00:49:07] How Media Shapes Society’s Future

[00:50:23] From Operator to Investor

[00:54:00] Why Katie Started Moxxie

[00:57:06] Facing Challenges in Venture Capital

[01:01:21] How AI Will Change Healthcare

[01:06:32] Health Tech and Regulatory Hurdles

[01:11:08] Reflections on Life and Loss

RESOURCES

Follow Katie on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/katiestanton/ 

Follow Katie on X - https://x.com/katies

Subscribe to Invested here: https://content.aleph.vc/invested

Learn more about Aleph: aleph.vc 

Sign up for Aleph’s monthly email newsletter: https://newsletter.aleph.vc/

Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@aleph-vc/

Follow Michael on Twitter: twitter.com/mikeeisenberg

Follow Michael on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mieisenberg/

Follow Aleph on Twitter: https://twitter.com/mikeeisenberg

‍Follow Aleph on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aleph-vc/

‍Follow Aleph on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aleph.vc/

CREDITS

Executive Producer: Erica Marom 

Producer: Yoni Mayer

Video and Editing: Ron Baranov

Music and Creative Direction: Uri Ar 

Content and Editorial: Kira Goldring

Design: Rony Karadi

On this episode of Invested, Michael hosts Sarah Tavel. Sarah is a General Partner at Benchmark, where she invests in network effect businesses and applications leveraging AI. Sarah currently sits on the boards of Agentio, Chainalysis, Hipcamp, Rekki, Glide, Cambly, Medely, and 11x. She is also a founding member of All Raise, the nonprofit organization working to accelerate the success of women in the venture capital and VC-backed startup ecosystem. Prior to Benchmark, Sarah was a General Partner at Greylock Partners, where she led their investment in Sonder ($SOND) and Gixo (acquired by Openfit), and represented Greylock on the board of both companies. Sarah joined Pinterest in 2012 after co-leading the Series A investment while at Bessemer Venture Partners. There she was the product lead for search, recommendations, machine vision, and pin quality at Pinterest. As one of the first 35 employees, her first order of business was to launch Pinterest internationally and close the Series C financing. She also led three acquisitions as she helped the company scale through a period of hyper-growth. Sarah graduated from Harvard College with a degree in Philosophy.

Please rate this episode 5 stars wherever you stream your podcasts! 

KEY TOPICS 

RESOURCES

Follow Sarah on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahtavel/ 

Follow Sarah on X - https://x.com/sarahtavel

Subscribe to Invested here: https://content.aleph.vc/invested

Learn more about Aleph: aleph.vc 

Sign up for Aleph’s monthly email newsletter: https://newsletter.aleph.vc/

Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@aleph-vc/

Follow Michael on Twitter: twitter.com/mikeeisenberg

Follow Michael on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mieisenberg/

Follow Aleph on Twitter: https://twitter.com/mikeeisenberg

‍Follow Aleph on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aleph-vc/

‍Follow Aleph on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aleph.vc/

CREDITS

Executive Producer: Erica Marom 

Producer: Yoni Mayer

Video and Editing: Ron Baranov

Music and Creative Direction: Uri Ar 

Content and Editorial: Kira Goldring

Design: Rony Karadi