Marta Mozes, Marketing Manager at Google for Startups, Europe, Middle East, and Africa, spoke at The Jerusalem Post Women Leaders Summit at the Google for Startups Campus in Tel Aviv on Wednesday evening.
Mozes said that gender-diverse teams raised more funding than men-only and women-only teams combined and that start-ups with women among their founders have a greater chance of success and survival than those with an all-male team.
Her remarks were based on a recent study conducted by Google and the IVC Research Center of Israeli entrepreneurs and tech companies.
Diversity keeps start-ups afloat
“Diversity is key,” said Mozes. “When we think about diversity, in leadership, or in startups in general, we shouldn’t think of it as a good deed or something we should do, or if it’s good for a photo-op. It’s something that really keeps startups afloat, and it’s what’s best for our ecosystem.”
Mozes added that diversity is the next stage of Israel’s development as the Start-Up Nation. “Our superpower should be our diversity and what sets us apart from ecosystems around the world,” she said.
“What we’ve also learned in a post-October 7th world is that diversity in leadership and diversity in founding teams is key. We don’t know what will happen and who will have to go to miluim (reserves) that next day, whether that be a man or woman, but we know that we need to have a diverse team to keep that startup afloat.”
The mission of Google for Startups, said Moses, is to level the playing field for founders from diverse backgrounds, whether they are female founders, Haredi founders, Israeli Arab founders, or founders from Israel’s periphery. “We’re here to embolden them,” she said.
