Axis TA aims to create deals by building trust

After organizing more than 75 hi-tech innovation events across 15 countries, boutique investment advisory firm Axis Innovation believes it knows a thing or two about what makes conferences worth attending.

As the company prepares to open its sixth annual flagship conference in Tel Aviv on Thursday, already recognized as one of Israel’s most effective start-up forums, Axis Innovation CEO and founder Ed Frank insisted that the gathering is not simply another event dominated by sponsors, but is focused on the people.

“The goal of the event is to make deals happen and our company is measured by the number of deals we do,” Frank told The Jerusalem Post. “The primary goal of the event is to create relationships. People invest in people.”

Limited to 250 attendees, the event is expected to attract more than 40 international investors and corporations from over 20 countries, who will meet 20 selected Israeli start-ups to pitch their solutions on stage. An additional 30 start-ups will also attend the event.

“The size of the event is important. You want to meet the right people in a good mood, and you find that at our event,” said Frank.

“When you read about a company on the Internet and see the website, it always looks like the most amazing thing and that they can do everything. But until you meet them and have that personal relationship, you don’t really know what they’re able to do.”

For the first time, this year’s conference will be built around five start-up challenges, with entrepreneurs due to pitch their solutions on a range of topics such as, mastering the customer experience; reinventing agriculture; automating digital health; fintech for mobility; and the future of work and business.

Among the keynote speakers is Gerald Ostrov, former chairman and CEO of leading Canadian eye health product supplier Bausch & Lomb.

Today, Ostrov works as the CEO of the rethink Israel Initiative, focused on positively impacting US attitudes toward Israel through social media.

“My message to the conference is that innovation is not an innovation until you have the value proposition: you know that there’s a demand needed from the consumer, you can make it high-quality and at a price that’s affordable and have a robust supply chain,” Ostrov told the Post.

“You’re not selling innovation. You’re selling consumer benefits or customer benefits. If you do that, you can be very successful.”