Israeli startups are typically built from day one to target the global market, and predominantly the US. It’s impossible to build a decent size business targeting the local market since Israel has a small population and is surrounded by dissimilar and mainly hostile neighboring countries. However, in the very early stages of a startup Israeli founders often target the local market. First, most… Continue reading Israeli startups- don’t waste time on Israel
Deep Learning is eating the world
One of the biggest phenomena of the past decade was “Software is eating the world”. Today, there is almost no industry which is not run on software and delivered as an online service. This has resulted in new online giants such as Uber, AirBnB, Amazon etc. But now that so many businesses are leveraging software,… Continue reading Deep Learning is eating the world
LinkedIn’s crash is a defining moment for VCs
Investment trends are defined by a few significant events that become engraved in investors’ minds. These can be huge positive outcomes such as Facebook’s acquisition of WhatsApp for $22B, Twitter’s post IPO surge to $40B market cap, or Emergence Capital 300-fold return on a $4M investment in Veeva System. Such positive events generate momentum for… Continue reading LinkedIn’s crash is a defining moment for VCs
The biggest mistake VC make
Investing in startups is not an easy job. As an investor, you are not only betting on a specific startup and team, but often on a market that doesn’t yet exist. Even the best team in the world is doomed to fail if it undertakes the wrong market. The opposite is not always true. One… Continue reading The biggest mistake VC make
Betting your career on a startup
I often get asked about the financial benefits of joining a startup. Especially by people who work at large companies such as Microsoft, Facebook or Apple and are debating whether they should take a pay cut. By far, the most important decision criteria should be your personal excitement in your current job vs. the startup you are considering joining. It… Continue reading Betting your career on a startup
The Best Entrepreneurial Network In The World
Most people believe that the strongest entrepreneurial network in world is either Stanford, Harvard, Y Combinator or something alike. These are indeed incredible networks which created some of the world’s largest tech companies. They receive a vast amount of media coverage, attract some of the world’s top talent who wants to be associated with these brands, and enjoy a huge amount of funding and… Continue reading The Best Entrepreneurial Network In The World
7 rookie mistakes to avoid in your pitch
A lot has been written on how to raise capital for your startup. I have also touched it in the past with when you should start meeting investors and how to improve your investment pitch. However, I want to talk about a few mistakes entrepreneurs sometime make which look REALLY bad from an investor standpoint. These are the kind of things that just… Continue reading 7 rookie mistakes to avoid in your pitch
Managing your startup option pool
One of the things you need to do as a CEO of a startup is manage the Employee Stock Option Pool (ESOP). This is the pool of options you use to attract and retain talent. When pricing a financing round ESOP is typically included in the pre-money valuation and therefore it dilutes the existing shareholders… Continue reading Managing your startup option pool
A template for measuring SaaS
I have discussed in the past the past the benefits of SaaS and specifically recurring revenue model. The main benefit of the recurring revenue model is the predictability of revenue, customer acquisition payback, customer lifetime value (CLTV), and the ability to optimize Sales & Marketing spend accordingly. But in order to truly benefit from a recurring… Continue reading A template for measuring SaaS
Forget Iran, Hamas and ISIS – this is the real threat to startup nation
When people think about the main threats Israel faces they typically think about Iran’s nuclear ambitions, ISIS taking over the neighboring countries, militant group Hezbollah building a large missile arsenal aimed at Israeli cities, the rockets which started flying again from Gaza, or perhaps Hamas rebuilding the tunnels that cross the Gaza boarder. And indeed, when you watch the news the… Continue reading Forget Iran, Hamas and ISIS – this is the real threat to startup nation
Venturing Startup Nation 