The Exit Playbook: Lessons from Meetup’s Former CEO, David Siegel
Details
Join us for a special Startup Grind Tel Aviv event featuring David Siegel, Founder & Chairman of the Israel Tech Mission, former CEO of Meetup, and leadership professor at Columbia University.
In this fireside chat, David will share insights from his journey leading global tech companies through innovation, growth, and successful exits — including two 5x and 7x investor returns. He’ll dive into The Exit Playbook for founders — how to build, scale, and sell tech companies while staying true to your mission and community.
You’ll also hear about his experience growing Meetup, the world’s largest community platform connecting millions through real-life gatherings, and what it taught him about building belonging — both online and offline.
This evening isn’t just about learning from one of tech’s most insightful leaders. It’s also a chance to connect with fellow founders, startup teams, and ecosystem partners. At Startup Grind, we believe in making friends, not contacts. Whether you’re building your first MVP or preparing for your next round — this event is for you.
Agenda:
🕕 18:00 – Networking & community time
🔥 19:00 – Fireside Chat with David Siegel
💬 20:00 – Q&A + Open Networking
Location:
📍 Port by Ashtrom, LYFE Towers, David Ben Gurion Rd 1, Bnei Brak (Floor 3)
Special thanks to our home and partner — Port by Ashtrom — for hosting our community and supporting founders with exclusive meeting room and event offers.
Let’s meet, connect, and get inspired together.
Because at Startup Grind, it all starts with community.
Agenda
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Speaker
David Siegel - Israel Tech Mission (Founder & Chairman)
David Siegel is the recent CEO of Meetup, the largest platform for finding and building local communities. He has had 2 exits over the last 6 years where he drove investor returns at the sale of 5x and 7x. He has over 25 years of experience as a technology executive leading organizations through innovative product development, rapid revenue growth and traffic acceleration. Prior to joining Mee…
Hosted By
Shahar Matorin, Israel Country Manager
Country Manager Startup Grind Israel, Partner at Sky Growth Partners - Father, business culture catalyst, Startup ecosystem builder & connector
Experienced Entrepreneur. Shahar has over 20 years of Global startup ecosystem experience. Shahar is the person responsible for putting Israel on the Global Startup Grind map. Today Startup Grind is the largest independent startup community, actively educating, inspiring, and connecting more than 3,500,000 entrepreneurs in over 600 chapters. SG nurture startup ecosystems in 125+ countries through events, media, and partnerships with organizations like Google and Microsoft for Startups.
Skilled in strategy, management, investor relations. Globally connected professional with a can-do attitude.
Now, in this new era of the tech sector, Shahar is teaming up with an experienced partner to launch Sky Growth Partners, a company dedicated to building, growing, and scaling startups. With his wealth of knowledge and experience, Shahar is well-positioned to help Sky Growth Partners succeed in its mission.
Lirone Glikman, Co Director
Lirone Glikman is a global business development expert, an international keynote speaker, and a business relationship strategist. She is the CEO and Founder of ‘The Human Factor by Lirone Glikman’ - a global business development boutique firm. She supports tech companies' growth and expansion into the international markets.
Lirone works with startups, corporations, universities and governments in 4 continents, among them Google, Microsoft, Cornell University, eBay, Australian and Taiwanese governments and more.
Lirone is also an honorary adviser at an external United Nations committee dedicated to the UN's sustainable development goals.
Shir Papo, Co-Director, Operation
Gavriel Ariel, Co-Director, Business Development
With hands-on experience in startup ecosystems, venture building, and global business networks, I help entrepreneurs turn ideas into scalable businesses and investors find ventures worth backing.
Leading Business Development for StartUp Grind Tel Aviv - Responsible for driving strategic partnerships, curating high-value connections between founders, investors, and industry leaders, and designing growth-oriented programs for entrepreneurs.
I lead the Tel Aviv chapter’s business development efforts, overseeing collaborations, sponsorships, and ecosystem engagement, while ensuring founders get access to the right opportunities, networks, and resources to scale.
Always open to meaningful collaborations, strategic partnerships, and high-impact opportunities.
Nir Hazut, Co-Director, Value Creation
I come from the world of investments, with over a decade of experience working with entrepreneurs, investors, and venture capital funds. I founded Nexus Investors Club to help startups raise capital – not just through pitch decks, but by crafting a powerful story, taking the right approach, and understanding the psychology of the investor. I combine deep business insight with human intuition, and I hold a clear belief: money flows to those who project value, vision, and credibility.
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Global Partner
Snowflake (https://www.snowflake.com)
Snowflake delivers the Data Cloud - a global network where thousands of organizations mobilize data with near-unlimited scale, concurrency, and performance. Inside the Data Cloud, organizations unite their siloed data, easily discover and securely share governed data, and execute diverse analytic workloads. Wherever data or users live, Snowflake delivers a single and seamless experience across multiple public clouds. Snowflake's platform is the engine that powers and provides access to the Data
Gold
Webiz International LTD (https://www.webiz.com)
IT outsourcing and out-staffing
Partner
Ashtrom port (https://www.ashtromport.com)
Perfect fit managed office complexes that provides growing companies full and advanced management services with the highest level of amenities.
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Startup Grind is a global startup community designed to educate, inspire, and connect entrepreneurs. We host monthly events in more than 600 cities and 125+ countries featuring successful local founders, innovators, educators and investors who share personal stories and lessons learned on the road to building great companies. Our monthly fireside chat interviews, startup mixers and annual conferences provide ample opportunities to connect with amazing startups and the people behind them, tap into a strong support network, form meaningful connections and gain inspiration for the startup journey ahead. For more information visit StartupGrind.com or follow us on twitter @StartupGrind.
Complete your event RSVP here: https://www.startupgrind.com/events/details/startup-grind-tel-aviv-presents-the-exit-playbook-lessons-from-meetups-former-ceo-david-siegel/.
