Friends,

While the Coronavirus crisis is not fully behind us just yet, Cybertech’s in-person events are back in full force. This is great timing for me to update you as to our moves since the pandemic began, and regarding our plans for the future.

Well, the pandemic got to us at the peak of an exceptional growth period, shortly after the Cybertech Global conference that took place in Tel Aviv at the end of January 2020, for the 7th consecutive time. The conference was attended by some 20 thousand participants from around the world, breaking previous participation records.

Our original plan was to hold an additional seven in-person Cybertech events throughout 2020, but we had to cancel them all, of course. However, at the same time, we made an important decision: we will not stop Cybertech’s activities, but rather work to continue the growth and expansion of this network, which connects global state actors, large industries, radiant unicorns alongside early-stage startup companies, investors, and academic institutions.

Indeed, since January 2020 we have held many digital events, and have developed new ways to maximize the inherent opportunities that are brought about through the multitude of collaboration efforts between the various entities of the cyber realm.

To us, cyber is not a temporary fad – but a revolution that has brought a new, virtual dimension, into the world and to human existence. And while this revolution holds many opportunities, there are also many threats. We’ve come up close and personal with such threats over the past two years, as the world has been moving in increasing speed into cyberspace, being exposed to more and more threats in the process. During these two years, the cybersecurity industry, as well as technologies meant to maximize the benefits of global cooperation in cyberspace, such as AI, have gained enormous momentum.

Generally speaking, cyberspace is based on global cooperation as much as it is on blessed competition. We are proud to play a role in the connection fostered between community members from different fields and different continents. 

But we did not stop at online conferences. The first change we got, we were back to the in-person Cybertech conferences. Following the signing of the Abraham Accords, we initiated a conference in Dubai, in collaboration with the UAE Cybersecurity Council, and Dubai’s Cybersecurity Directorate.

The conference was held in the beginning of 2021, with the Crown Prince of Dubai honoring it with his presence. The conference achieved great success, and was also widely covered by various gulf media outlets. This successful outcome made me realize that there is a tremendous hunger for in-person business meetings among those in the field of cyber from all over the world, which to a certain extent is compensating for the Coronavirus restrictions, which are gradually diminishing.

And so, on October 20th we could feel the enormous excitement and bottled-up energy during the very first in-person conference we held in New York City, with the collaboration of various municipal bodies as well as the assistance of the Israel Consulate and Ministry of Economy and Industry. Our next in-person event is Cybertech Tel Aviv, scheduled for 25-27 January. 2022.​

It is my pleasant obligation to thank the various government bodies which have been helping Cybertech become the largest global Cyber brand of its kind. First and foremost, I would like to thank the Israel National Cyber Directorate, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Economy and Industry, and all other ministries. A big thank you goes out to the foreign embassies in Israel as well as hundreds of entities, Cybertech’s global partners. Thank you so much to this community!

It looks like Cybertech Tel Aviv 2022 is shaping to be a grand, exciting event, with Israel reopening to guests from abroad. We are keeping our fingers crossed and doing everything in our power to realize our plan, together with our wonderful partners.

After Tel Aviv, we are planning to hold Cybertech Miami for the very first time, as well as an online (still) Cybertech Japan.

Cybertech Europe will be back in full force in the second week of May 2022, as one of the largest cyber events in the continent, in collaboration with Leonardo and many other partners. it will be followed by Cybertech Singapore, which will be held together with Milipol Asia-Pacific. The COMEXPOSIUM group, which is the organizer of MIlipol, is also our wonderful partner for Cybertech NYC and Miami. Cybertech Dubai, scheduled to take place between June 13-15, 2022, is expected to be an enormous global event. I am especially proud of Cybertech’s new team, which is working out of Dubai, and assists us with our global activity.

This coming September, we will hold the very first Cybertech Africa in Kigali, capital city of Rwanda. This event was originally scheduled for March 2020, but was postponed due to the pandemic. After Kigali, we’ll hold in-person Cybertech events in Tokyo and in New York City. We are awaiting the first opportunity possible for us to return to Panama City, and also exploring several offers for additional Cybertech events.

It is also very important for me to share with you, that what was is not necessarily what will be: during the Coronavirus pandemic, we have learned to take advantage of digital space, and each of our conferences today is accessible online – but as something extra, not a replacement for real world attendance, in which we believe above and beyond.

Additionally, we are building new communities for cyber professionals from specific areas – the first community being aviation cyber professionals – and developing new business platforms under the Cybertech Premium brand. Hopefully, this is something I will be able to elaborate upon soon.

In addition to managing Cybertech, in September 2022 the same wonderful team will also run the DLD innovation conference, to be held it Tel Aviv for the 8th time. This is another conference that draws thousands of visitors from abroad. The DLD chairman is legendary entrepreneur Yossi Vardi, who also heads Cybertech.

And one more exciting thing I would like to share with you, on a personal note: Cybermania, the book I co-authored with Eviatar Matania, the founder of the Israel National Cyber Directorate, was recently published in Hebrew by Kinneret Dvir, with a special early edition published in English. The next language of publication will be French. To order Cybermania in English or in Hebrew, click here. Please note, that the early addition in English was initially published in a limited number of copies.

Upon conclusion, I would like to again extend my deepest thanks to all of the members of our global community. Without your deep partnership, we could have never emerged from a global pandemic, a larger, more tight-knit community than ever. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or comments.

Please follow me on my twitter account, through which you are welcome to contact me directly!

Amir Rapaport