Interview with Yaal Loven
Interview with Yaal Loven
The Intersection Between Tech and Food, Interview with Yaal Loven, Founder of Nortech Platform and Hula Valley
"The GCI, together with all its partners abroad, is revolutionizing the way people view the Galilee. It is a magnet for better opportunities: not just to solve local problems, but rather national and international ones. ”
Meet Yaal Loven, CEO and Founder of Nortech Platform, the biggest tech network in northern Israel, and Co-Founder and manager of Hula Valley, a community of tech entrepreneurs in the Eastern Galilee. A native of the North, Yaal has extensive experience in building strategic partnerships and fundraising for early-stage startups as well as assisting tech startups from the Eastern Galilee by connecting them with investors. He is also the Co-Founder and BizDev of Aroma-Tix startup, an AI-based scent detection system for the flavors and ingredients industry.
What excites you most about the GCI and how do you see an international culinary institute shifting the dynamic in the region?
The quality and quantity of opportunities are what makes this region incredible. The GCI, together with all its partners abroad, is revolutionizing the way people view the Galilee. It is a magnet for better opportunities: not just to solve local problems, but rather national and international ones. We need more talented people to move up North and help this growth. We need to create more opportunities for them.
What inspired you to become so invested in developing the North of Israel?
It’s a combination of Zionism and personal growth aspirations. I really wanted to plant my own seeds of regional development. The first reason came to my mind at the end of the Second Lebanon War. At the time, I came back to Israel from the Lebanese border and I felt thankful for having my country and my home, safe and sound.
I decided that my next fight would be to make sure that I would enjoy the quality of life I had growing up in the North. This was the seed of my first idea – or my first startup company – to build the First Eastern Galilee tech community, Hula Valley. This volunteer-based project was a success! Since starting in 2017, we have brought 5 new tech R&Ds, created 300 quality job offerings, hosted the biggest tech event in Northern Israel, and gathered over 3,000 members along with 300 tech companies.
If you could add one new field or subject to the curriculum of a culinary school that embodies the hard work you do, what would it be?
I would choose to grow a grassroots community. Just like the food on your plate, it all starts as seeds planted in the fields. Connecting people and bringing them together is just like connecting the right ingredients at the right time to create a culinary masterpiece. I think that every food specialist should know how to bring together farmers, restaurants, and different cultures all together in one plate.
Where's your favorite place to eat out in the North?
At home – I love cooking!
What is a fun culinary fact about you?
That I love improvising while cooking. Sometimes it's the worst food you can taste and sometimes it's the best. Depends how creative I am trying to be...