CTech Features Lior Handelsman on Physical AI and the Expanding Israel–Australia Innovation Relationship

CTech by Calcalist recently featured Lior Handelsman, alongside leading Israeli and Australian tech leaders, in an in-depth piece examining the growing relationship between the two countries’ innovation ecosystems, and the rising influence of the Startup Nation on Australia’s economy and tech sector.

In the article, Lior discusses the emergence of Physical AI, which he describes as the next generation of artificial intelligence, one that brings reasoning to robotics and enables AI systems to act in, understand, and ultimately transform the physical world. From manufacturing and logistics to global trade, Physical AI represents what Lior calls “a real fourth industrial revolution.”

Drawing on his experience as the co-founder of SolarEdge and now Managing Partner at Grove Ventures, Lior offers a nuanced perspective on the intersection between Israeli deep-tech innovation and opportunities in Australia. He notes that while Australia can be a challenging market for early-stage startups, due to distance, regulatory requirements, and high certification costs, it can be an excellent expansion destination for more mature companies with established product-market fit and the right local partnerships.

“It’s not a market I would recommend Israeli startups to start with… It’s not a market that is easily penetrated,” Lior said, pointing to Australia’s unique regulatory landscape and geographic scale.

Still, he emphasizes that for the right companies at the right stage, Australia is “a great market, with excellent people and excellent local talent,” adding that Australians “value quality and technology.”

The feature highlights the increasingly strong ties between Israel and Australia across sectors such as cybersecurity, biotech, clean energy, and advanced manufacturing, relationships fueled as much by shared challenges as by aligned opportunities.

Read the full CTech article.