Of all the roles Marco Bitran plays in life—entrepreneur, investor, pilot—the one that keeps him most grounded is being a father.
I have two young children, and parenting them is both the greatest responsibility and the deepest source of meaning in my life. It’s not a side note to my career or something I try to “balance” around work. It’s central. It shapes how I think, how I lead, and how I show up every day.
As a parent, I’ve realized that our kids are always watching. Not just what we say—but what we do, how we act, and what we prioritize when no one’s looking. That’s what really stays with them. So I’ve tried to focus less on giving advice and more on modeling what I believe: presence, integrity, and thoughtfulness.
“I want my kids to understand how powerful technology is—but also how to stay human in the process.”
That quote sums up a lot of what I think about these days. I’m not raising my kids to fear technology—they’re growing up in a world where screens and algorithms are part of daily life. But I want them to have the tools to question it. To think critically about how they use it, how it shapes them, and what really deserves their attention.
That’s why I do simple things like running without headphones. It’s not because I’m anti-tech. It’s because I want to model stillness, and show them that you don’t have to fill every silence or moment with input. That reflection has value. That quiet isn’t empty—it’s powerful.
Volunteering has become another way I try to model purpose. Whether it’s flying patients with PALS or working with Sar-El in Israel to sort medical supplies, I choose to give time in ways that aren’t about achievement. They’re about contribution. I want my kids to see that usefulness doesn’t always come with applause—and that showing up for others is part of being whole.
I’ve also tried to be intentional about how I talk about work at home. I don’t want my kids to think success is just about money or recognition. I want them to see that real success has more to do with consistency, character, and the way you treat people. That doing small things well—over and over—is its own kind of mastery.
None of this means I get it right all the time. I mess up. I lose my patience. I catch myself being distracted when I shouldn’t be. But I also try to be honest about that. Because part of modeling values is showing your kids what growth looks like. And growth often begins with humility.
The truth is, parenting has taught me as much about leadership as any job I’ve ever had. It’s made me more empathetic, more observant, and more anchored. It’s reminded me that the way we build anything—companies, communities, families—starts with the values we practice quietly, every day.
These aren’t just personal lessons. They bleed into my professional life. The way I listen to team members, the way I approach conflict, the way I design systems—it’s all informed by the mindset I try to bring into parenting: slow down, pay attention, act with intention.
Being a father hasn’t pulled me away from my purpose. It’s clarified it. It’s shown me that what I do isn’t just about now—it’s about what I’m leaving behind. Not just for my kids, but for the kind of world I want them to live in.
So yes, I care about my work. But I care even more about who I am while I’m doing it. And more than anything, I hope my kids see that—not in what I tell them, but in what I show them.
