The Profit or Pivot Podcast

Hillel Fuld: The PR War, Rising Antisemitism, Trump & Why Jews Should Move to Israel

After October 7th, everything changed. Not just on the ground in Israel… But in the digital battlefield where narratives are shaped, distorted, and weaponized. In this episode of The Profit or Pivot Podcast, I sit down with social media superstar Hillel Fuld to break down what’s really happening. Hillel built his career advising startups and telling stories in the tech world. But after October 7th, he shut it all down to focus entirely on Israel advocacy, bringing his understanding of media, distribution, and narrative to a much bigger fight. ⚔️ What We Get Into * Why Israel is losing the PR war * Why facts don’t change minds anymore (and what does) * Where criticism of Israel crosses into antisemitism * Why antisemitism keeps resurfacing across generations * Why Hillel believes things could get much worse for Jews in the West * His perspective on figures like Donald Trump and shifting global alliances * The story of being banned from Australia for 3 years * Why Israel punches far above its weight in startups * The cultural mindset that drives innovation * Lessons founders everywhere can learn: 🎧 Watch on YouTube [https://youtu.be/IwhkFKxjo8s] EPISODE PARTNER - pulsefx.com [http://pulsefx.com] PulseFX is a Canadian foreign exchange and global payments consultancy that helps private clients and small‑to‑medium businesses move money across borders more efficiently. The firm focuses on reducing hidden FX costs, improving exchange rates, and helping clients manage currency risk when dealing with international real estate, suppliers, or global revenues. PulseFX combines modern payment technology with hands‑on, human guidance so clients can make better decisions when moving large sums internationally Get 25% off your FX today by visiting my link: www.thatfxguy.com [http://www.thatfxguy.com] _________________________________________________________ ABOUT HILLEL FULD Hillel is a technology journalist, global speaker, and startup marketing advisor. Forbes called Hillel, “The man transforming Startup Nation to Scale-up Nation”, and Hillel was also named Israel’s top marketer, and among the 100 most influential social media personalities worldwide. For over a decade, Hillel helped technology companies on their journey from idea to revenue and collaborated with leading companies including Google, Microsoft, Oracle, and many others. Hillel also wrote about the Israeli technology ecosystem for publications including TechCrunch, Inc Magazine, FastCompany, and more. On October 7th, all that changed, and Hillel made an immediate decision to shut down his consulting business and refocus his time and energy on defending Israel online given the atrocities of that day and the spike of antisemitism that followed. Since October 7th, Hillel’s content has reached several billion impressions across his various platforms on which he has hundreds of thousands of followers. Hillel has also spoken to audiences around the world about topics including Israeli innovation, marketing, entrepreneurship, and most recently, about the war and Israel’s ongoing military and geopolitical challenges. You can read more about Hillel at HillelFuld.com [http://HillelFuld.com] and follow him across social media at the screen name @Hilzfuld where he shares his take on various topics pertaining to Israel and the future of western civilization.

Understanding the 3,000+ year hatred of the Jews

Anti-Semitism is an evil and accelerating phenomenon around the world. I break down my thoughts on its root causes.

The Fundraising Advice Startup Founders Don’t Want to Hear | Jeffrey Fidelman

Every founder wants to raise money. But few understand what they’re actually competing against. In this episode of the Profit or Pivot Podcast, I sit down with Jeffrey Fidelman to break down what really happens behind the scenes in venture capital and why most founders never even get a shot. Here’s the reality: Top firms are reviewing thousands of deals every year. One fund alone can see 5,000 applications annually and only focuses on the top fraction. Most are rejected in minutes. Not because the idea is bad, but because the founder didn’t know how to present it. We get into the mechanics of fundraising, what actually gets an investor’s attention, and why most founders lose before the first meeting even happens. We go deep into: * What actually happens when your deck hits a VC inbox * Why first impressions (deck + outreach) decide everything * The 3-slide framework every pitch deck should follow (and why most get it wrong) * Why unrealistic market sizes instantly kill credibility * How VCs think about market size, growth, and scale * The biggest mistakes in cold outreach (and how to actually get responses) * The real reason most founders never get funded Jeff also breaks down something most people ignore: Fundraising isn’t a side task. It’s a full-time job. Done properly, it requires structure, consistency, and hundreds of touchpoints, not a few warm intros and a pitch deck. If you’re a founder trying to raise capital, break into VC, or just understand how competitive this game really is, this episode is a reality check. __________________________________________ EPISODE PARTNER - hiredonna.com/matan [http://hiredonna.com/matan] Find elite offshore executive assistants to help you grow your business or manage your increasingly busy life. Donna's assistants go through a 6-week paid intensive academy, ensuring that only the past are matched with employers. Only 1/400 applicants pass their filters, tests and academy. My listeners get 30% off for the 1st three months when you tell them I sent you (or use my link above). hiredonna.com [http://hiredonna.com] __________________________________________   About Jeffrey Fidelman  Jeffrey is an investment banker & entrepreneur with 10+ years of experience advising early-stage companies and emerging investment managers. He is the Founder & Managing Partner of Fidelman & Co., a strategic advisory firm launched in 2015 to help founders & fund managers prepare for & execute capital raises with discipline, clarity, & data-driven strategy. At Fidelman, Jeffrey has advised hundreds of startups & emerging managers across technology, fintech, healthcare, & consumer sectors. The firm specializes in fundraising strategy, investor targeting, financial modeling, valuation, and execution support through its Fundraise as a Service (FaaS) platform, which combines structured processes with real-time investor intelligence. Prior to Fidelman, Jeffrey held senior roles at Morgan Stanley and HSBC, where he gained experience across capital markets, portfolio management, & revenue strategy. Earlier in his career, he was involved with venture investing, providing him with an operator-level perspective on early-stage growth and capital formation. Jeffrey graduated cum laude from Harvard University & is frequently sought out by founders for his practical, execution-oriented approach to fundraising and investor readiness. Connect with Jeff: Linkedin [http://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffreyfidelman] Fidelman & Co Website [http://www.fidelmanco.com] Fundex [http://www.usefundex.com] Jeff's Services Fundraise as a Service (FaaS) is a structured, execution-driven approach to raising capital. It replaces ad-hoc outreach with a disciplined framework—covering investor targeting, messaging, materials, and follow-ups—so founders can run a repeatable, professional fundraise while staying focused on building their business. FundEx is a purpose-built fundraising operating system that powers modern capital raises. It centralizes investor intelligence, outreach workflows, pipeline tracking, and performance analytics into a single system of record. Designed to bring structure and accountability to fundraising, FundEx enables founders and fund managers to manage their raise with the same rigor as sales or operations—turning fundraising from a fragmented process into a measurable, scalable operating function.

The Untold Truth About Becoming a VC Investor & Launching the 'YC' for VCs, Coolwater Capital

Episode Partner - hiredonna.com [http://hiredonna.com] find elite executive assistants (use my link below for discounts) Ever wonder how someone becomes a venture capitalist? Winter Mead is the founder of Coolwater Capital, the YC for VC funds. He's invested in over 90 funds and has helped launch hundreds of VC firms. Venture operates in circles of trust. Those circles aren’t arbitrary, they’re built over decades. Ecosystems compound relationships the same way companies compound capital. But the deeper insight is this: VCs are also fundraisers. Every venture firm answers to limited partners. They raise funds, demonstrate performance, defend strategy, and differentiate in a crowded market. That means every investment is not just a bet on a founder, it’s a bet that must be defensible to institutional capital. Founders who understand this dynamic immediately gain an edge. In this episode, we break down how venture capital actually works. If you’re building a company or allocating capital, this conversation will sharpen how you think about incentives, access, and positioning. What We Cover: * Why breaking into venture “circles” is hard and why that’s rational * The role of trust and pattern recognition in writing checks * Why cold outreach rarely works the way founders expect * The structural reason VCs favor repeat founders * How LP dynamics shape every investment decision * Why founders who understand fund math raise capital faster * The real alignment (and constraints) between founders and investors EPISODE PARTNER hiredonna.com [http://hiredonna.com] Find elite offshore executive assistants to help you grow your business or manage your increasingly busy life. Donna's assistants go through a 6-week paid intensive academy, ensuring that only the past are matched with employers. Only 1/400 applicants pass their filters, tests and academy. My listeners get 30% off for the 1st three months when you tell them I sent you (or use my link above). My link: hiredonna.com/matan [http://hiredonna.com/matan]   ABOUT WINTER & COOLWATER Winter Mead is the Founder and Managing Member of the investment firm Coolwater Capital, which exclusively focuses on emerging managers and technology investments. Coolwater is an academy for training, building and scaling emerging managers, a curated community of VC investors and early-stage investment specialists, and an investment firm. Coolwater has helped launch over 300+ emerging managers in the last four years, establishing strong ties and trust with these managers, who form the foundation of the Coolwater community. Coolwater has made over 90 investments into its accelerator ecosystem supporting the next generation of founder investors and new technologies. Winter is also the author of "How To Raise A Venture Capital Fund" and an upcoming book, "How To Set Up A Venture Capital Fund." Prior to Coolwater, he played a key role in an evergreen investment fund at SAP and co-founded the LP transparency movement called #OpenLP. Winter's extensive experience includes private equity and venture capital roles in San Francisco, institutional fund investments, direct technology investments for SAP, and angel investing. He also served as junior faculty at Stanford Graduate School of Business, holding degrees from the University of Oxford and Harvard University, and now resides in Utah with his family, passionately solving business challenges. Connect with Winter on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/wintermead/] Learn more about Coolwater [https://www.coolwatercap.com/]

Why Toronto is Failing & What it Will Take to Fix It | James Pasternak

Episode Partner: hiredonna.com - find elite offshore executive assistants with Donna. 30% off for first 3 months for my listeners. Links below.  Everything is degrading in major cities like Toronto. Violent crime has skyrocketed, homelessness is rampant, living is increasingly unaffordable, and we are paying more in taxes & receiving worse services. In the latest episode of The Profit or Pivot Podcast I am joined by Toronto City Councilman James Pasternak to discuss these myriad issues Toronto is facing. One story I simply cannot wrap my head around. A few months ago, a group of ISIS linked terrorists planned kidnappings of Jewish girls for r*pe, torture and ransom. Thank God, their first potential victim was able to escape by yelling for help. Police found weapons such as automatic rifles and plans for various attacks in their homes. And its been credibly reported that at least 1 of them has been released on bail. Read that again: A dangerous terrorist caught trying to kidnap girls, who has access to weapons, and a means to carry out attacks has been released. And I bet most of you haven't heard this story. Its been buried. Why??? While our discussion is about Toronto, the challenges we face are mirrored in other major cities across the West. James and I unpack some of the underlying causes, and potential solutions. Watch on YouTube [https://youtu.be/ZbT_nEkMsdo]. EPISODE PARTNER Donna [http://hiredonna.com] Find elite offshore executive assistants to help you grow your business or manage your increasingly busy life. Donna's assistants go through a 6-week paid intensive academy, ensuring that only the past are matched with employers. Only 1/400 applicants pass their filters, tests and academy.  My listeners get 30% off for the 1st three months when you tell them I sent you (or use my link [http://www.hiredonna.com/matan]). hiredonna.com ABOUT JAMES PASTERNAK James was first elected to Toronto City Council in 2010. He was re-elected in 2014, 2018, and 2022. Prior to coming to City Council he served 4 years as a Trustee on the Toronto District School Board. James is known for advancing creative solutions to complex urban problems and has been a leader in fighting antisemitism and hate in all its forms. James was the founding Trustee of the Africentric Alternative School, was the first to bring the concept of participatory budget making to Toronto, initiated the review of the consequences of drone technology and the implications of e-cigarettes. He was the first on Council to sound the alarm of the consequences  of tariffs and a potential trade war with the United States. James currently serves as Chair of North York Community Council and has Chaired a number of City Council standing committees. He is a lifelong resident of York Centre.