In a rare, exclusive interview in Israel, Gov. Andrew Cuomo revealed to News 12's Tara Rosenblum his blueprint for high-tech solutions at home.

Israel has been dubbed the "startup" nation because of its major technological advancements. According to Bloomberg's Innovation Index, Israel is ranked as the sixth-most technologically advanced country in the world. The United States is the eighth.

Cuomo arrived in Jerusalem last week with a crystal clear message - that New York is open for business.

MORE: In the Holy Land: Gov. Cuomo sits down for exclusive News 12 interview during Israel trip 

The Empire State exports $5 billion of products to Israel each year, the most of any state in America. Cuomo says he wants to make it even better, and that's why he recently held the two-day trade mission to Israel. He invited News 12 as the only American TV station to document the journey.

During the one-on-one interview with Tara Rosenblum, the governor admitted mistakes have been made along the way.

"This state lost a step when Silicon Valley had that great growth spurt. We have academic institutions in New York that will rival anything they have in California, but we did not commercialize on it," says Cuomo.

Cuomo says he's hoping to make that push now, creating new economic partnerships with 17 Israeli companies, including drone startups that could bolster the emerging drone corridor in upstate New York.

"That's what this conference is about, making those connections, making those marriages," he says.

The governor said "I do" to an opportunity for a driverless ride at the headquarters of Mobile Eye, a top leader in autonomous software, a move that Cuomo thinks could be a game-changer for the MTA's aging navigation software.

Levi Shapiro is the creator of mHealth Israel, a nonprofit that connects investors with developers in high-tech fields, and was the driving force of the roundtable chat.

"This is such a great opportunity to do real face-to-face business," he says. "Israeli companies bring their own technology resources, New York companies bring their expertise to the market. Together, we make one helpful unit."