Shalom From Tel Aviv - Good Friends, Smart People, Great Street Food and Some Excellent Listens

Good morning from Tel Aviv.

It is sizzling here…and by hot I mean the heat on the streets. I have been spoiled by Coronado weather this summer.

When in Tel Aviv I schedule wall to wall meetings to catch up with founders and investors and discuss technology trends, macro, politics and street food. I will share some details on the blog (this newsletter) over the next few days.

I do not take taxis (Gett runs this town) when in Tel Aviv I just walk to meetings between my hotel on the beach and Sarona (technology neighborhood). I catch up on podcasts and try new street food spots.

I am 5 falafels deep so far on this quick trip and a whole lot of pizza which is sneaky good - thin crust and light.

The only thing that makes me feel more alive than riding a bike down a mountain in Europe is crossing the street from The David Kempinski Hotel to the beach in Tel Aviv. It is like a live game of ‘frogger’. I am 5 for 5 so far in two days, but I don’t dare cross unless I have taken 10 mg of adderall.

A few podcasts I listened to over the last few days that were awesome…

The first is Conan and Maria Bamford (she is absolutely hysterical). I was spitting hummus a couple of times which surprisingly scared nobody as I walked by them in a crazy sweat.

The second is Patrick O’Shaughnessy and Kevin Kelly (co-founder of Wired). I love the way Kevin thinks about family, technology (good AI discussion), media, money and being generous.

Last but not least, Bill Gurley gave a great presentation about ‘regulatory capture’ with some great storytelling that only someone with years of knowledge and experience, arrows in the back, wins and preparation could tell.

Have a great day.