As Americans mark Independence Day, we're revisiting one of the most popular episodes of What's Your Number?, a conversation that feels even more relevant today. Yonatan Adiri and Yael Wissner Levy are joined by Dan Senor, host of Call Me Back and co-author of Start-Up Nation which revolutionized the world’s respect for Israel and its entrepreneurial spirit and successes. Nearly two decades after the book's publication, Israel's tech sector is stronger than ever, yet the country's global brand faces unprecedented challenges. What does this mean for Israel’s reputation, innovation and its place...
What Yonatan Adiri said
Written from the verified transcript and checked against it. Every figure links to the moment it was said.
Yonatan Adiri, founder of Healthy.io, discussed the state of Israel's 'Startup Nation' brand amid war and global tech shifts. He argued that while the brand faces challenges, the tech ecosystem is stronger than ever, second only to the US and parts of China, citing record investment and the strength of the shekel. Adiri noted that ideas and brands have expiration dates, and the audience for the brand is shifting, potentially toward India or other Eastern markets. He expressed concerns about brain drain risk after the next election, the strong shekel, and the weaponization of foundational AI models like Claude, which blocked him as a non-American citizen. He highlighted government initiatives, including a billion-dollar budget for the National Artificial Intelligence Headquarters led by General Laskov. Adiri posed a 'trillion-dollar question' about coining a new phrase to replace 'Startup Nation' for a 25-year-old engineer in São Paulo by 2030, but Dan Senor argued for sticking with the original term.
Key takeaways
Adiri said the tech ecosystem is stronger than ever, second only to the US and parts of China, despite a seven-front war.
Adiri warned of brain drain risk after the next election, partly due to the strong shekel.
Adiri cited a billion-dollar budget this year for the National Artificial Intelligence Headquarters, led by General Laskov.
Adiri said he was blocked from using Claude 5 because he is not an American citizen, calling it weaponization of foundational models.
Adiri asked whether the next brand audience for Israel is in the East, such as India.
Dan Senor opens with a realpolitik analysis of Israel's brand, then introduces the episode, pays tribute to Zachi Jamal, and sets up the conversation about Startup Nation.
As the prime minister said, it's not yet a deal, just a memorandum of understanding. We'll have to wait.
Let's dive in. Startup Nation changed how the world saw Israel. Now, despite a seven-front war, the tech ecosystem is stronger than ever, second only to the US and parts of China.
But the brand is in trouble. In 2024, Israel ranked dead last in the Nation Brands Index. The phrase 'startup nation' is now contested and sometimes toxic.
No, I can't. We're already taping. Dan Senor explains the origins of Startup Nation, the global fascination with Israel's innovation, and how the book's timing during the financial crisis amplified its impact.
Yonatan Adiri responds that while the war coverage has damaged Israel's image, the global tech sector has never been more bullish. He cites record investment, the strength of the shekel, and the outperformance of the What's Your Number Index as evidence.
Adiri, Y. (2026, July 6). Does the Start-Up Nation brand need a rebrand? - with Yonatan Adiri and Yael Wissner Levy [Interview transcript]. Call me Back Podcast - with Dan Senor. CEOInterviews.AI. https://ceointerviews.ai/interview/1066748/
MLA
Yonatan Adiri. "Does the Start-Up Nation brand need a rebrand? - with Yonatan Adiri and Yael Wissner Levy." Call me Back Podcast - with Dan Senor, 6 Jul. 2026. Transcript, CEOInterviews.AI, https://ceointerviews.ai/interview/1066748/.
BibTeX
@misc{adiri2026_1066748,
author = {Yonatan Adiri},
title = {Does the Start-Up Nation brand need a rebrand? - with Yonatan Adiri and Yael Wissner Levy},
howpublished = {Interview transcript, Call me Back Podcast - with Dan Senor. CEOInterviews.AI},
year = {2026},
month = {jul},
url = {https://ceointerviews.ai/interview/1066748/},
note = {Speaker-attributed transcript with timestamps}
}
