Search
Generic filters

Episode #58: Ifty Kerzner Co-founder Kissterra

Episode #58: Ifty Kerzner Co-founder Kissterra
00.00/50:37

Episode #58: Ifty Kerzner Co-founder Kissterra

In this episode, we speak with Ifty Kerzner.

He׳s first and foremost a creator. He was a fairly known singer, and composer in Israel, with several successful hits, a tv host, and a journalist.

But he wasn’t satisfied.

So he realigned his goals and pivoted.

He co-founded Kissterra – a startup that helps insurance companies increase profitability through artificial intelligence. They’ve raised a $76M Series A, and had refused an offer to sell for $40M (but we don’t go into that in our conversation).

His energy can be felt from the get go.

He’s sensitive and super passionate, speaking openly about pain and failure, not trying to paint a perfect picture of life.

Which is admirable.

Listening to him made us wonder how much charisma and the ability to hold a strong stage presence, can be an advantage in entrepreneurship.

Ifty’s path to Kissterra runs through a completely different career: before building an AI startup that helps insurance companies improve profitability, he was a known singer and composer in Israel with several hits, plus a stint as a TV host and journalist. That performing background is arguably why his energy is so immediate in conversation, and it shapes how openly he talks about pain and failure rather than curating a polished founder narrative. It also frames the episode’s most pointed distinction — between competence and arrogance — and his account of turning down a $40 million acquisition offer after raising a $76 million Series A.

We discuss:

  • The difference between competence and arrogance
  • The effect of parenthood on his self-confidence
  • How pain fuels his life
  • The power of strong partnerships
  • Going to therapy with your business partner
  • Intuition and emotion
  • And much more

Enjoy your listen

From a career on stage as a singer, TV host, and journalist to co-founding an AI insurance startup that raised a $76M Series A, Ifty’s path has been anything but conventional, and the conversation reflects that, moving openly between confidence, parenthood, and what it really feels like to fail in public.

Related Episodes

Check out more real life superheroes

SHOW ME MORE!!!
Episode ###: Loading...
00.00/00.00
Episode ###: Loading...
00.00/00.00