TRACE Initiative

TRACE is a national watchdog organization committed to exposing misconduct, radical influence, and political indoctrination in the U.S. education system.

[TRACE Initiative @InitiativeTrace]

@jaketherake1222 @Mostaphabenh @Techweek_ @realAdamLevi No. He’s a real person (unfortunately)

[TRACE Initiative @InitiativeTrace]

@Mostaphabenh @Techweek_ @realAdamLevi Tags TRTWORLD Turkish state media (because they aren’t terrorists either 🙄)

[TRACE Initiative @InitiativeTrace]

We have been tracking this guy since the ‘March to Gaza’ in 2025. He runs multiple telegram channels where he encourages people to try to get jobs at Israeli tech firms, explains how to get in to Israel to support a ‘free Palestine’ and protest in Israel. We blocked him from doing work with Tech Aviv a year ago, which he specifically mentioned having applied for a job with in one of the chats. He doesn’t try to hide what he is after. Imagine being so obsessed with Israel and Jews that it literally consumes you.

[TRACE Initiative @InitiativeTrace]

@Potato1or2 @israelnewspulse We have loads of screenshots and recordings from his Telegram. He’s a bad dude and should be deported to France permanently

[TRACE Initiative @InitiativeTrace]

We have been monitoring a large Telegram group that is openly anti-Israel and actively encourages its members to enter Israel, join flotillas, attend protests, and share logistical details (where to stay, how to move around, etc.). The group’s administrator, Mostapha Benhenda, recently shifted focus toward encouraging members to seek employment with Israeli tech companies, specifically citing TechAviv’s job board.

Mostapha Benhenda is the founder of Startcrowd (now defunct) and has a PhD in mathematics from the University of Paris 13. He has launched several startups that did not succeed and now works across a mix of projects:

Professional + Business Links:
LinkedIn Profile
Medium Articles
Substack Notes
Russian International Affairs Council Bio — RIAC is widely understood as a Kremlin-linked foreign policy influence platform.
Chinghub — A Chinese tech company where he is currently active.
AI4Finance Team Listing (as of August 2025).
He is also involved in biotech ventures with offices in France and Hong Kong and works with a partner whose information is here: Alo Layana. Attached is a screenshot from the group where Benhenda encourages members to seek jobs in Israeli tech, specifically to obtain work permits and “stay closer to the action.”
This aligns with messaging in his public writing, where he frequently frames Israel’s economy and tech ecosystem as targets for disruption.
While we cannot speak to his ultimate motivation, the pattern is concerning:

Coordinated efforts to enter the country
Guidance on logistics, protests, and activism
A new push to penetrate tech companies, ostensibly as employees

[Adam Levi @realAdamLevi]

Turns out shabat dinners is the only place we can get accepted to in sf

[TRACE Initiative @InitiativeTrace]

We have been monitoring a large Telegram group that is openly anti-Israel and actively encourages its members to enter Israel, join flotillas, attend protests, and share logistical details (where to stay, how to move around, etc.). The group’s administrator, Mostapha Benhenda, recently shifted focus toward encouraging members to seek employment with Israeli tech companies, specifically citing TechAviv’s job board.

Mostapha Benhenda is the founder of Startcrowd (now defunct) and has a PhD in mathematics from the University of Paris 13. He has launched several startups that did not succeed and now works across a mix of projects:

Professional + Business Links:
LinkedIn Profile
Medium Articles
Substack Notes
Russian International Affairs Council Bio — RIAC is widely understood as a Kremlin-linked foreign policy influence platform.
Chinghub — A Chinese tech company where he is currently active.
AI4Finance Team Listing (as of August 2025).
He is also involved in biotech ventures with offices in France and Hong Kong and works with a partner whose information is here: Alo Layana. Attached is a screenshot from the group where Benhenda encourages members to seek jobs in Israeli tech, specifically to obtain work permits and “stay closer to the action.”
This aligns with messaging in his public writing, where he frequently frames Israel’s economy and tech ecosystem as targets for disruption.
While we cannot speak to his ultimate motivation, the pattern is concerning:

Coordinated efforts to enter the country
Guidance on logistics, protests, and activism
A new push to penetrate tech companies, ostensibly as employees

[TRACE Initiative @InitiativeTrace]

We have been monitoring a large Telegram group that is openly anti-Israel and actively encourages its members to enter Israel, join flotillas, attend protests, and share logistical details (where to stay, how to move around, etc.). The group’s administrator, Mostapha Benhenda, recently shifted focus toward encouraging members to seek employment with Israeli tech companies, specifically citing TechAviv’s job board.

Mostapha Benhenda is the founder of Startcrowd (now defunct) and has a PhD in mathematics from the University of Paris 13. He has launched several startups that did not succeed and now works across a mix of projects:

Professional + Business Links:
LinkedIn Profile
Medium Articles
Substack Notes
Russian International Affairs Council Bio — RIAC is widely understood as a Kremlin-linked foreign policy influence platform.
Chinghub — A Chinese tech company where he is currently active.
AI4Finance Team Listing (as of August 2025).
He is also involved in biotech ventures with offices in France and Hong Kong and works with a partner whose information is here: Alo Layana. Attached is a screenshot from the group where Benhenda encourages members to seek jobs in Israeli tech, specifically to obtain work permits and “stay closer to the action.”
This aligns with messaging in his public writing, where he frequently frames Israel’s economy and tech ecosystem as targets for disruption.
While we cannot speak to his ultimate motivation, the pattern is concerning:

Coordinated efforts to enter the country
Guidance on logistics, protests, and activism
A new push to penetrate tech companies, ostensibly as employees

[Adam Levi @realAdamLevi]

Turns out shabat dinners is the only place we can get accepted to in sf

[TRACE Initiative @InitiativeTrace]

@Mostaphabenh @realAdamLevi You won’t be getting in to Tel Aviv ‘Stapha’. You were clocked in Israel well over a year ago. We blocked you from Tech Aviv and we will keep following and blocking you from doing harm to the Jewish people

[TRACE Initiative @InitiativeTrace]

It’s much worse than that…

We have been monitoring a large Telegram group that is openly anti-Israel and actively encourages its members to enter Israel, join flotillas, attend protests, and share logistical details (where to stay, how to move around, etc.). The group’s administrator, Mostapha Benhenda, recently shifted focus toward encouraging members to seek employment with Israeli tech companies, specifically citing TechAviv’s job board.

Mostapha Benhenda is the founder of Startcrowd (now defunct) and has a PhD in mathematics from the University of Paris 13. He has launched several startups that did not succeed and now works across a mix of projects:

Professional + Business Links:
LinkedIn Profile

Medium Articles

Substack Notes

Russian International Affairs Council Bio — RIAC is widely understood as a Kremlin-linked foreign policy influence platform.

Chinghub — A Chinese tech company where he is currently active.

AI4Finance Team Listing (as of August 2025).

He is also involved in biotech ventures with offices in France and Hong Kong and works with a partner whose information is here: Alo Layana. Attached is a
screenshot from the group where Benhenda encourages members to seek jobs in Israeli tech, specifically to obtain work permits and “stay closer to the action.”
This aligns with messaging in his public writing, where he frequently frames Israel’s economy and tech ecosystem as targets for disruption.

While we cannot speak to his ultimate motivation, the pattern is concerning:

Coordinated efforts to enter the country
Guidance on logistics, protests, and activism
A new push to penetrate tech companies, ostensibly as employees

[TRACE Initiative @InitiativeTrace]

We have been monitoring a large Telegram group that is openly anti-Israel and actively encourages its members to enter Israel, join flotillas, attend protests, and share logistical details (where to stay, how to move around, etc.). The group’s administrator, Mostapha Benhenda, recently shifted focus toward encouraging members to seek employment with Israeli tech companies, specifically citing TechAviv’s job board.

Mostapha Benhenda is the founder of Startcrowd (now defunct) and has a PhD in mathematics from the University of Paris 13. He has launched several startups that did not succeed and now works across a mix of projects:

Professional + Business Links:
LinkedIn Profile

Medium Articles

Substack Notes

Russian International Affairs Council Bio — RIAC is widely understood as a Kremlin-linked foreign policy influence platform.

Chinghub — A Chinese tech company where he is currently active.

AI4Finance Team Listing (as of August 2025).

He is also involved in biotech ventures with offices in France and Hong Kong and works with a partner whose information is here: Alo Layana. Attached is a
screenshot from the group where Benhenda encourages members to seek jobs in Israeli tech, specifically to obtain work permits and “stay closer to the action.”
This aligns with messaging in his public writing, where he frequently frames Israel’s economy and tech ecosystem as targets for disruption.

While we cannot speak to his ultimate motivation, the pattern is concerning:

Coordinated efforts to enter the country
Guidance on logistics, protests, and activism
A new push to penetrate tech companies, ostensibly as employees

[TRACE Initiative @InitiativeTrace]

We have been monitoring a large Telegram group that is openly anti-Israel and actively encourages its members to enter Israel, join flotillas, attend protests, and share logistical details (where to stay, how to move around, etc.). The group’s administrator, Mostapha Benhenda, recently shifted focus toward encouraging members to seek employment with Israeli tech companies, specifically citing TechAviv’s job board.

Mostapha Benhenda is the founder of Startcrowd (now defunct) and has a PhD in mathematics from the University of Paris 13. He has launched several startups that did not succeed and now works across a mix of projects:

Professional + Business Links:
LinkedIn Profile

Medium Articles

Substack Notes

Russian International Affairs Council Bio — RIAC is widely understood as a Kremlin-linked foreign policy influence platform.

Chinghub — A Chinese tech company where he is currently active.

AI4Finance Team Listing (as of August 2025).

He is also involved in biotech ventures with offices in France and Hong Kong and works with a partner whose information is here: Alo Layana. Attached is a
screenshot from the group where Benhenda encourages members to seek jobs in Israeli tech, specifically to obtain work permits and “stay closer to the action.”
This aligns with messaging in his public writing, where he frequently frames Israel’s economy and tech ecosystem as targets for disruption.

While we cannot speak to his ultimate motivation, the pattern is concerning:

Coordinated efforts to enter the country
Guidance on logistics, protests, and activism
A new push to penetrate tech companies, ostensibly as employees

[TRACE Initiative @InitiativeTrace]

But there’s more:

We have been monitoring a large Telegram group that is openly anti-Israel and actively encourages its members to enter Israel, join flotillas, attend protests, and share logistical details (where to stay, how to move around, etc.). The group’s administrator, Mostapha Benhenda, recently shifted focus toward encouraging members to seek employment with Israeli tech companies, specifically citing TechAviv’s job board.

Mostapha Benhenda is the founder of Startcrowd (now defunct) and has a PhD in mathematics from the University of Paris 13. He has launched several startups that did not succeed and now works across a mix of projects:

Professional + Business Links:
LinkedIn Profile

Medium Articles

Substack Notes

Russian International Affairs Council Bio — RIAC is widely understood as a Kremlin-linked foreign policy influence platform.

Chinghub — A Chinese tech company where he is currently active.

AI4Finance Team Listing (as of August 2025).

He is also involved in biotech ventures with offices in France and Hong Kong and works with a partner whose information is here: Alo Layana. Attached is a
screenshot from the group where Benhenda encourages members to seek jobs in Israeli tech, specifically to obtain work permits and “stay closer to the action.”
This aligns with messaging in his public writing, where he frequently frames Israel’s economy and tech ecosystem as targets for disruption.

While we cannot speak to his ultimate motivation, the pattern is concerning:

Coordinated efforts to enter the country
Guidance on logistics, protests, and activism
A new push to penetrate tech companies, ostensibly as employees

[TRACE Initiative @InitiativeTrace]

It gets worse

We have been monitoring a large Telegram group that is openly anti-Israel and actively encourages its members to enter Israel, join flotillas, attend protests, and share logistical details (where to stay, how to move around, etc.). The group’s administrator, Mostapha Benhenda, recently shifted focus toward encouraging members to seek employment with Israeli tech companies, specifically citing TechAviv’s job board.

Mostapha Benhenda is the founder of Startcrowd (now defunct) and has a PhD in mathematics from the University of Paris 13. He has launched several startups that did not succeed and now works across a mix of projects:

Professional + Business Links:
LinkedIn Profile

Medium Articles

Substack Notes

Russian International Affairs Council Bio — RIAC is widely understood as a Kremlin-linked foreign policy influence platform.

Chinghub — A Chinese tech company where he is currently active.

AI4Finance Team Listing (as of August 2025).

He is also involved in biotech ventures with offices in France and Hong Kong and works with a partner whose information is here: Alo Layana. Attached is a
screenshot from the group where Benhenda encourages members to seek jobs in Israeli tech, specifically to obtain work permits and “stay closer to the action.”
This aligns with messaging in his public writing, where he frequently frames Israel’s economy and tech ecosystem as targets for disruption.

While we cannot speak to his ultimate motivation, the pattern is concerning:

Coordinated efforts to enter the country
Guidance on logistics, protests, and activism
A new push to penetrate tech companies, ostensibly as employees

[TRACE Initiative @InitiativeTrace]

@OmerAlali7

[TRACE Initiative @InitiativeTrace]

We have been monitoring a large Telegram group that is openly anti-Israel and actively encourages its members to enter Israel, join flotillas, attend protests, and share logistical details (where to stay, how to move around, etc.). The group’s administrator, Mostapha Benhenda, recently shifted focus toward encouraging members to seek employment with Israeli tech companies, specifically citing TechAviv’s job board.

Mostapha Benhenda is the founder of Startcrowd (now defunct) and has a PhD in mathematics from the University of Paris 13. He has launched several startups that did not succeed and now works across a mix of projects:

Professional + Business Links:
LinkedIn Profile

Medium Articles

Substack Notes

Russian International Affairs Council Bio — RIAC is widely understood as a Kremlin-linked foreign policy influence platform.

Chinghub — A Chinese tech company where he is currently active.

AI4Finance Team Listing (as of August 2025).

He is also involved in biotech ventures with offices in France and Hong Kong and works with a partner whose information is here: Alo Layana. Attached is a
screenshot from the group where Benhenda encourages members to seek jobs in Israeli tech, specifically to obtain work permits and “stay closer to the action.”
This aligns with messaging in his public writing, where he frequently frames Israel’s economy and tech ecosystem as targets for disruption.

While we cannot speak to his ultimate motivation, the pattern is concerning:

Coordinated efforts to enter the country
Guidance on logistics, protests, and activism
A new push to penetrate tech companies, ostensibly as employees

[TRACE Initiative @InitiativeTrace]

@OmerAlali7 @polydaic Nah. He went to school in Paris. He has a few certificates

[TRACE Initiative @InitiativeTrace]

@Techweek_ @realAdamLevi @a16z You might want to do a little digging into who you associate yourselves with in the future

[TRACE Initiative @InitiativeTrace]

We have been monitoring a large Telegram group that is openly anti-Israel and actively encourages its members to enter Israel, join flotillas, attend protests, and share logistical details (where to stay, how to move around, etc.). The group’s administrator, Mostapha Benhenda, recently shifted focus toward encouraging members to seek employment with Israeli tech companies, specifically citing TechAviv’s job board.

Mostapha Benhenda is the founder of Startcrowd (now defunct) and has a PhD in mathematics from the University of Paris 13. He has launched several startups that did not succeed and now works across a mix of projects:

Professional + Business Links:
LinkedIn Profile

Medium Articles

Substack Notes

Russian International Affairs Council Bio — RIAC is widely understood as a Kremlin-linked foreign policy influence platform.

Chinghub — A Chinese tech company where he is currently active.

AI4Finance Team Listing (as of August 2025).

He is also involved in biotech ventures with offices in France and Hong Kong and works with a partner whose information is here: Alo Layana. Attached is a
screenshot from the group where Benhenda encourages members to seek jobs in Israeli tech, specifically to obtain work permits and “stay closer to the action.”
This aligns with messaging in his public writing, where he frequently frames Israel’s economy and tech ecosystem as targets for disruption.

While we cannot speak to his ultimate motivation, the pattern is concerning:

Coordinated efforts to enter the country
Guidance on logistics, protests, and activism
A new push to penetrate tech companies, ostensibly as employees

[TRACE Initiative @InitiativeTrace]

@nypost @correctedmedia It’s another day at the office for Hamas simps