Lotan Levkowitz on Enterprise AI, User Obsession, and Israeli Innovation

Q: What’s the context for this conversation with CTech?

A: Following the release of The Enterprise AI-Playbook, Grove Ventures’ Lotan Levkowitz sat down with CTech by Calcalist to reflect on the evolving role of startups in the AI age. The focus? Less hype, more real-world impact. The discussion explored the shift from theoretical AI to scaled, user-centered execution.

🔗 Read the full CTech interview

Q: What were some key takeaways from the interview?

A: Lotan emphasized that prioritizing product over pure tech is critical in today’s AI environment. He underscored the need for deep user empathy and clarity of purpose:

“You need to find the right problem you want to solve, understand the life of your user, whether that’s going to be a doctor or a content moderator, and try to make him the hero.”

Q: What’s the message for AI startups right now?

A: The bar is higher. In Lotan’s view, AI companies must move beyond model performance and focus on deployment, usability, and organizational context. It’s no longer enough to build impressive models—startups must prove that their solutions integrate seamlessly, solve specific pain points, and deliver results at scale.

Q: What role does Israeli tech play in this shift?

A: Lotan sees Israeli entrepreneurs uniquely positioned to lead the next wave of enterprise AI. Why? A culture of speed, ingenuity, and grounded problem-solving. When matched with domain insight and product focus, that mindset can yield globally competitive platforms that address real-world friction.

Q: How does The Enterprise AI-Playbook tie into this?

A: The Playbook distills Grove Ventures’ perspective on building meaningful enterprise AI companies. It’s a practical framework for founders—covering everything from infrastructure choices to go-to-market models—with an emphasis on execution, distribution, and user-centricity.

Curious about what it takes to build impactful enterprise AI?
🔗 Read the full interview on CTech