Lior Handelsman on the Deep Tech Renaissance at Calcalist’s TECH1 Conference

Lior Handelsman, General Partner at Grove Ventures, recently joined a high-profile panel at Calcalist’s TECH1 Conference in Eilat, moderated by Dror Bin, CEO of the Israel Innovation Authority. The panel, titled “The Deep Tech Age,” focused on the resurgence of deep technology and its growing role in the innovation landscape.

AI Is Rewriting the Rules—and Reinvigorating Deep Tech

During the discussion, Handelsman emphasized the transformative impact of artificial intelligence, not only in lowering the barriers to entry in software development but also in driving unprecedented demand for compute power, infrastructure, and energy. This dual dynamic is creating fertile ground for startups operating in traditionally complex and capital-intensive domains such as hardware, energy systems, semiconductors, and advanced manufacturing.

According to Handelsman, these shifts are bringing deep tech back into investor focus, as the need for physical infrastructure to support AI’s rise becomes more urgent and clearer. The result is a renewed appetite for ventures that build at the intersection of science, engineering, and scalable deployment.

A Thought-Provoking Industry Dialogue

The panel sparked an engaging conversation about the future of innovation in Israel and beyond, featuring insights from Nir Minerbi, CEO of Classiq. Besides the panel, participants in the conference explored how government policy, academic research, and venture capital can work together to strengthen Israel’s position as a global hub for deep tech excellence.

To read more, see the full Calcalist article.

At Grove Ventures, we believe that the convergence of deep tech and AI marks a defining moment for the next wave of global innovation—and we’re proud to help lead that transformation.