A Hunger for Innovation: Intuition and Synergy as the Engines of Success

At our Bridge Point Summit, we sat down with one of the industry's most perceptive experts to discuss what really lies behind successful startups — and why technology is far from everything.

Who Is Idan Tendler?

• Idan Tendler is a recognized leader in cybersecurity and tech entrepreneurship.
• Before becoming an influential figure in the world of investing and advisory work, Idan followed a path typical of Israeli high-tech's elite.
• Successful founder: He co-founded and served as CEO of Fortscale, a user-behavior analytics company that was acquired by tech giant RSA.
• Top management at global corporations: After his projects were acquired, he went on to hold senior leadership roles at companies including Palo Alto Networks.
• Mentor and strategist: Today, Idan works actively with entrepreneurs and investors, helping spot growth potential where others see only numbers.

Interview at the Bridge Point Summit

— Idan, you've spent many years surrounded by entrepreneurs and investors. Within just a few minutes of talking to someone, you can probably tell who you're dealing with. What's the first sign that a project is going to take off — or, on the flip side, get stuck?

“

It often takes time to really understand, but in the end it all comes down to a question of trust. Sometimes that understanding comes through logic, but more often it's through intuition — through gut feeling. When I meet someone, I get an internal sense: can I work with this person? Can we build something real together, or is it just not going to happen?

— Setting technology and money aside, what human factor has the biggest impact on success?

“

Technology and money are certainly important. But hunger matters far more. In my view, hunger is what drives companies, startups, businesses — even entire countries. It's our drive to create something new, to invent something out of nothing. It begins and ends with hunger. I think that quality is especially developed in Israelis, and it's what sets us apart from other peoples more than anything else.

— When we try to bring together entrepreneurs from different fields, where is it easiest to go wrong — and where do we need to be especially precise from the very start?

“

I always believe that bringing together people from different backgrounds is the right path. Engineers and people from the humanities, folks from the cybersecurity world and specialists from fintech — their interaction creates a unique environment. I genuinely believe that the synergy of ideas and people from different worlds can produce something truly interesting. It's exactly these cross-disciplinary connections that have the power to move the entire State of Israel forward.

The CardBook Networking Ecosystem continues to bring thought leaders together, helping people find exactly the kind of common ground Idan Tendler is talking about!