Future: Unplugged – A Morning of Vision, Values, and Velocity

By Guy Carmeli & Romy Behar, 3^rd year students,

On May 8th, we stepped into something different.

Future: Unplugged, hosted at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, broke the mold of the typical tech conference. No flashy stages, no scripted soundbites, just honest, unfiltered conversations behind closed doors. Picture a room buzzing with leaders from PayPal, Tinder, Sequoia, Papaya Global, Insight Partners, and other heavyweights, all talking vision, not vanity.

The morning began with David Marcus (ex-President of PayPal, now Lightspark) blew our minds with his take on the future of money: He shared his vision for how AI agents will eventually move money via blockchain, redefining our very concept of a “bank account”. In a truly digital world, the idea that money doesn’t yet move natively online felt outdated and ready for change.

Next, Sean Rad (Tinder) and Rakefet Russak-Aminoach (Team8) challenged startup norms. Their key point: founder–market fit now outweighs product–market fit; build the team first

What defines Israeli tech? Resilience. As one speaker put it, "In Israel, when missiles hit the airport, the immediate question is how to return, not how to leave." This spirit was echoed by VC investors Josh Kopelman (First Round Capital), Stan Chudnovsky (NFX), Jeff Horing (Insight Partners), and Sapir Harosh (Third Point Ventures). They noted Israeli founders' strength in grit and innovation, while also pointing to the need for growth in storytelling and go-to-market for global success.

Our takeaway? Future: Unplugged made it clear that Israel's spirit of leadership, adaptation, and inspiration shines even under pressure.

The people we heard, the stories we shared, and the future we're all building together.

Thanks to Noa Zilberman, Yossi Maaravi, and the Adelson School of Entrepreneurship for making this unforgettable morning happen.