My Journey into the World of Venture Capital
“For our own success to be real, it must contribute to the success of others.” Eleanor Roosevelt
I live and breathe technology; it’s what makes me happy! This is true, whether I’m programming (C#, C++, Java, Scala, Python, Golang), using different cloud providers and tools, building microservices, or thinking about a system’s architecture.
If it sounds like I am one of the 8200 “geeky” people, I am — and I’m proud of it. At the same time, I am very much a people’s person. I’d like to think that I am outgoing, fun, and approachable. I love being around other people.
Professionally, I am the co-founder of NuVC — a community of young venture capital professionals offering a network for collaborations, idea exchanges, and the sharing of industry experiences.
This leads me to the reason I joined the VC world in the first place.
I got into computers and coding at a very young age. It started when I received my first computer at the age of 6, then continued in junior high where I learned how to program, and intensified during my army service, while I served in the 8200 unit as a programmer and team leader.
After the army, I studied Computer Science at the IDC and began working in the high-tech industry (Nokia, Here Technologies, and XM Cyber).
I have been fortunate to work at both enterprises and startups, developing products, and using innovative technologies. At the same time, it was always the people I met that truly influenced my overall experience; terrific mentors, colleagues, and friends who taught me so much and excited me about going to work every day.
That being said, with time, I began to feel that something was missing. I had just started studying towards my M.Sc. in Business Management at Tel-Aviv University. I had found that a company is far much more than just its R&D side and I wanted to discover more about what that really meant. I took a few entrepreneurial courses that exposed me to a whole new world and started putting together those puzzle pieces I had felt were missing all along.
Just over a year ago, I made the decision to move into the Venture Capital world. It seemed to me like the perfect mix of technology, startups, and people.
Looking back, I can say that the signs were there from the beginning. I constantly wanted to seek more. I was always looking at the bigger picture, the market needs, and solutions that were being developed by top Israeli companies. I read and researched the success and failures of startups and started to analyze companies differently, not only by the technology behind their solutions but by their entire company structure. I started consulting friends who had startups — luckily, they were more than happy to receive my opinions and advice.
I decided to move sides and joined the Nielsen Innovate Fund as a CTO and Technology Analyst. I assisted startups within the tech sector and mentored and accompanied teams as they built sustainable, world-class tech products. I began combining my entrepreneurial instincts and technological knowledge to help companies build teams, assess their market and product fit, make better decisions, and network with relevant connections.
Along the way part of the investment team, I met amazing entrepreneurs who didn’t just want to change their lives, they wanted to change the world.
I met numerous people in the Israeli VC ecosystem who shared a single common goal. They wanted to help Israel become the best startup nation possible, and helping each other played a major part in the realization of their dream. Together with my close friend, Anna Gaupp from IBI Tech Fund, we started NuVC, an amazing community of young investors (associates, principals, and others) looking to casually connect, share knowledge, and network. We try to help each other as much as we can, meet casually, and welcome newcomers to the VC ecosystem.
I soon decided to take the next step in my career and was introduced to StageOne Ventures by a colleague. After meeting the team and learning about their portfolio companies, I realized that StageOne was the right place for me. A place from which I could make my own contribution to Israel’s high-tech industry. The fact that I could be part of the entire process, from researching the latest technologies to identifying market trends and meeting inspiring entrepreneurs, excited me to no end — and continues to do so to this day. I cannot wait to meet talented founders and assist our portfolio companies in the best way possible.
I look forward to continuing my path in the VC world and am thrilled to become a part of the StageOne family — a great team from which I have a lot to learn.
And for those beginning their journey into the world of entrepreneurship, always remember to:
- Stay humble, no matter what.
- Trust your gut.
- Recruit the right people, especially your co-founders, think about the process as the building of a family.
- Ask yourself the toughest questions — if you don’t, others most certainly will.
- Be open to changes and adapt quickly.
- If people think you’re crazy, you are probably on the right path.
