Chen Linchevski

I am a veteran of a special forces unit who became a serial entrepreneur. Iron Nation was born at the funeral of Cpt. Hadar Kama, who was killed in combat in Kibbutz Kfar Aza. 

I was at his funeral and looked at his parents, who made the biggest sacrifice. At that point I decided to do something. I felt that this is the least we can do to justify [that sacrifice]. 

Our concept from the inception in Iron Nation is that we are facilitators. We bring people from all around the world to give the best of them to this community. Only by looking around and not being focused on yourself we can actually create an impact.

Iron Nation is all about investing in Israeli startups and maintaining the spirit of innovation. I think that the community we have built both in Israel and abroad is essential for the success of Israel in the days to come.

Gil Friedlander

I was born in Toronto Canada, grew up in Jerusalem and served for 20 years in Israel’s air force flying fighter planes. I am also a serial entrepreneur.

 Iron Nation is a community effort by the ecosystem and for the ecosystem. We brought together the best talent in Israel and abroad to support, pro bono, the great Israeli startups that were affected by the war as well as build a very attractive investment vehicle, compensating for the increased risk factor in Israel’s high-tech ecosystem following the war.  

We currently support founders with investments that were enlisted to the war, had term sheets withdrawn or operations impacted by the war. Part of our focus is persuading wealthy Jews and Israel supporters to evolve from philanthropy to supporting Israel via investments for equity in Israel’s high-tech sector.

I still hope that we can one day live side by side with our neighbors with joint prosperity and wish that we can continue the sense of community that bloomed following October 7th.

Jason Wolf

Following October 7th, I realized that while I was living the global high-tech dream, I neglected the most important thing, which is our country and how it is being managed. That realization is a shock to my core, and still unresolved. 

Now we’re focused on creating a strong bridge between vast amounts of money from Israel supporters to our robust tech ecosystem. We can show Israel’s positive impact on the world and strengthen our financial resilience for generations to come.”

In this moment, the first thing we need to do is suspend blame and judgment, while taking responsibility for the future of our country and society. If we all acknowledge that we are ALL to blame in some way, and focus on the vision and values of a future and more resilient society, we may be able to create a healthy path to that vision. … I hope that this crisis with all its horrors will be a trigger for a deep change inside Israel and between Israel and the Palestinians.

I support many organizations that create a better shared reality and vision for all Israelis through dialogue, collaboration, and doing. For example, I founded Achim be Kesher, where we partnered with Brothers and Sisters in Arms, Israeli mobile providers, and global donors to provide mobile phones and service plans to those injured and stripped of their phones during the war.

The ‘opportunity’ that stems from our worst tragedy since the holocaust is one we can and should leverage. It serves as a reminder of the core values of living in a Jewish and democratic state that respects our multi-millennial heritage but evolves to thrive in an ever-changing modern society.