Nir Barkat: “We encourage people to come up with new ideas”

Israeli’s Minister of Economy and Industry, Nir Barkat, talks with Ivanka Visnjic, director of the Esade Institute for Innovation and Knowledge Management, about the policies Israel has followed to earn the title of Startup Nation and its strategy to position itself in the global technology market.  

A computer scientist by training, Barkat founded BRM Technologies, one of the first companies in the world to specialize in antivirus software. In 2003, he left his executive position to devote himself to local politics in Jerusalem, where he was mayor from 2008 to 2018. During that time, the city attracted a large number of startups and positioned itself as a regional technology hub. In January 2023, he was appointed Minister of Economy and Industry.