New Podcast Highlights Israel-UAE Collaborations, Innovation, Entrepreneurship

Shiryn Ghermezian

A general view of the Business Bay area, after a curfew was imposed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, March 28, 2020. Photo: Reuters / Satish Kumar / File

A new podcast that launched on Tuesday puts a focus on innovation in technology, health care, cybersecurity, and other fields, and how they are positively impacted by Israel’s diplomatic relations with the United Arab Emirates, even amid a war in the Middle East.

“Tech Twins – The Israel in Dubai Podcast” will feature conversations with tech industry leaders, entrepreneurs, and innovators. In each episode, they will discuss “the stories behind groundbreaking technologies, the challenges of entrepreneurship, and the cultural exchanges that drive collaboration between these dynamic hubs,” according to a description of the podcast provided by the Consulate General of Israel in Dubai, which is producing “Tech Twins.” The podcast is available on all major streaming platforms.

The podcast highlights the strengthening of relations between Israel and the UAE since the two countries signed the Abraham Accords in 2020. As part of the US-brokered agreements, Israel also normalized diplomatic relations with Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco.

Three episodes of “Tech Twins” premiered on Tuesday, and they include a conversation with prominent Israeli serial entrepreneur and high-tech inventor Dov Moran, who is best-known for inventing the UBS flash drive (DiskOnKey) and founding M-Systems, which was acquired by SanDisk for $1.6 billion in 2006. He is also a managing partner at Grove Ventures, a venture capital fund based in Israel. In the first episode of “Tech Twins,” he discussed entrepreneurship and steps to successful innovation. He also talked about technology innovation and advancements in the UAE and how the Emirates “can play a very important role in making this world better.” He praised the UAE for being “truly unbelievable” in its innovations in the tech sector and said Israel can learn from its neighboring country.

“We [in Israel] can learn from them a lot — a lot of work and a lot of determination,” Moran said of the UAE. “We can learn a lot from our relations with the UAE. Peace with the Emirates is so important and so fruitful and opens doors to many opportunities. I hope my country [Israel] will learn the importance of these relations. I do believe that our neighbors will look at this [Abraham Accords] agreement and the results of this agreement and say, ‘Hey, actually these guys in Israel are not so bad and there are many benefits of teaming with them and working together.’”

In a separate episode that aired on Tuesday, Daniel Martin, executive director of Cyber7, discusses innovations in cybersecurity. Initiated by Israel’s Ministry of Economy and the Israel Innovation Authority, Cyber7 promotes partnerships and collaborations between different parts of Israel’s cybersecurity community, including the cybersecurity industry, Israeli government, private sector, and tech units in the Israel Defense Forces.

In another episode of “Tech Twins,” the CEO and vice president of Synergy7, a government innovation center based in Beer Sheva, discusses startups, innovations in the health care industry, and the UAE becoming a leader of health care solutions. Talking about collaborations between Israel and the UAE in the field of health care innovation. Synergy7 CEO Harel Ram said the UAE can “serve as a gateway for Israeli technology” by helping startups and innovators with global business development and expanding their reach to other markets, including Asia.