Unicorn Nation

Welcome to The Israeli Startup Review, a curated newsletter where I share insights from thought leaders, news, and opportunities around Israel's tech ecosystem. Every week you’ll receive timely analysis from off-the-beaten-path, perspectives from the ecosystem, and selected opportunities to further engage with Israel, the Startup Nation.

Shalom from Tel Aviv. We are at the cusp of reaching 10,000 subscribers. My Ask is if you enjoyed and benefited from this newsletter please share the email version with a friend or share the post version on LinkedIn.

My latest piece in Forbes Israel: The US is entering a new era – what does it mean for the Israeli tech community?

I will be hosting the next Upstream Israel Mixer this evening at 7pm Israel time. They’re a lot of fun, we have the VC Eze Vidra, Managing Partner at Remagine Ventures as a speaker, and you’ll meet a number of good people all under half an hour. To join the mixer click here.

The Unstoppable Startup: Mastering Israel’s Secret Rules of Chutzpah by Uri Adoni: A book written about startups that waxes philosophical as well. Sign me up. While Israel’s branding (rightly so) as the Startup Nation does refer to early-stage tech, books on the topic have evolved over the last ten years as the ecosystem has matured and developed. I would suggest reading this book as the latest in a series, starting from Dan Senor and Saul Singer’s Startup Nation and Inbal Arieli’s Chutzpah. Call it the Startup Trilogy.

What I liked about this book was that it got into the weeds and outlined a clear blueprint in simple to understand terms. It is not a book written by someone out of Silicon Valley, with their opaque terminology and nerd-speak. The Israeli style of communication is not for everyone, but if you want crisp, clear directions (my preference) then this book is for you. What I would have liked to see more of is the dark side of what could go sideways, unicorns are great when they happen, but it seems we are in the realm of the dark horse during these days.

This book was written from the perspective of a VC, any founder raising money today should seriously consider any book that offers insights on how VCs make their investment decisions. I am constantly surprised how often founders do not take this into account when they go to pitch investors. There is also an appropriate section on launching your own investment vehicle, another one to bookmark if you are looking for a job in venture, given the difficulty of breaking in you may be better off launching your own fund. 

Key Takeaways:

You may have a startup in you: If there was ever a time to go after your idea, it is now.

An evolving category: These books are good guides, but they are probably being read by startup enthusiasts as well as entrepreneurs.

The next book will be on marketing: Future books on recent successes such as Lemonade and JFrog will highlight the change the Startup Nation is going through.

And importantly, the first investment by an Israeli VC into a UAE startup: Israeli VC fund Maniv Mobility invests in Abu Dhabi electric scooter startup.

Atento Capital: We're looking for passionate individuals with recruiting experience to help us drive Tulsa towards a more diverse and vibrant future. Does this sounds like you? Apply below. Apply here.

Atera: Come work with them. Available Position: Customer Success/HR/Marketing/Product Management/R&D. Apply here.

Israel Economic Mission to the West Coast: Hiring: Market Analyst and Social Media Intern. They are looking for an intern with strong analytical and marketing skills who is eager to learn and broaden their knowledge and expertise in the field of International Trade. You will have the opportunity to interact and work closely with all our heads of sectors on the team (Healthcare, Gaming, Cyber, Fintech, Sustainability, Automotive, Smart Cities, IoT, Telecom, Investment etc.). Apply here.

Laconia Internship Application: Laconia is a venture capital firm that leads seed rounds in B2B software companies revolutionizing legacy industries. The team is small and tight-knit, with just six full-time members. Interns get full exposure to all aspects of the business, gaining exceptional insight into the inner workings of a venture firm. Laconia’s culture is collaborative and transparent, both internally within the firm and externally within the venture ecosystem as a whole. Apply here.

Microsoft: Retail Strategic Startups Lead. This role is focused on working tightly with and recruiting strategic startups in the Retail vertical space, to ensure they are successful in building and selling Microsoft technology-based applications to their customers. They partner with multiple teams across Microsoft to make this happen. Apply here.

Moonactive: If you are looking to work at the most incredible company in the world, you can stop looking now! Come join them at Moonactive and they guarantee you will have a blast working for one of the top companies in the Mobile Gaming Industry! There are so many positions open and you will get the opportunity to enjoy the incredible work-play atmosphere!

-Business Analysts

-Data Analyst

-Data Analyst Team Leader

-BI Team Leader

-BI Developer

-Backend Group Manager

-Full-Stack Team Leader

-QA Team Leader (production team)

-QA Engineer

-Head of Technical Operations

-Technical Operations Team Leader

-Technical Operations Specialist

-Market Research Expert

-Infrastructure Product Manager. Apply here.

TAU Ventures: Their portfolio companies are hiring! If you have experience for any of the positions below & seeking to work at some of the most exciting and innovative startups in Israel, send your CV to [email protected] with your desired role & company in the subject line.

1. XTEND

-Back-End SW Development

-Technical Manager

-Bookkeeper

-Project Manager

-USA Site Manager

-Head of US Sales. Apply here.

2. Cyabra

F-rontend Web Developer

-DevOps Engineer

-Data Scientist

3. GlobeKeeper

-Product Designer

-Customer Success Advocate. Apply here.

4. Gaviti

-Data Engineer

-SDR

5. myAir

-VP of Software Engineering

Achieved Technologies: Leading, growing and aspiring teams of software developers and QA engineers. Taking care of all their technical and soft-skills aspects. Responsible for the delivery of high quality and on time projects and products. Apply here.

Consulate General of Israel in New York: Director of Media. Job description: The Director of Print and Online Media will be responsible for the Consulate's relationship with various media outlets across NY. Tasks will fall under the Media Department’s goals of monitoring and promoting news. Apply here.

Melio: They are hiring like crazy! In TLV & NY If you haven't heard of them yet, just look at the link below. They are looking for:

- Senior Product Managers

- Full-stack developers

- Data engineers

- Data scientists

- Designers

And more. You can click here to see the full list here.

Microsoft: Principal Entrepreneur in Residence - CTO office. We are looking for a strong experienced entrepreneur, with the DNA and drive of a startup founder, to lead a strategic initiative to identify the next domain of opportunity to MS. If you are passionate about cutting edge technologies, and would be excited with solving real business problems, identifying emerging technologies and trends, and developing new impactful offerings for MS customers. Apply here. 

Salto: They are looking for a seasoned product leader to join them as VP Product. This individual will play a pivotal role in realizing Salto’s ambitious vision and in shaping the future of the business operations space. Plus, he or she will work with some of the brightest minds around, in a fun, vibrant environment of a rapidly growing startup. Experience in managing engineering teams is a must, experience in managing product is a plus. Apply here.

Tiktok: ***Tiktok is hiring*** If you are a rockstar and have experience in the marketing and advertising industry. If you are one of those that are always thinking on how to solve problems - They are looking for you! They have exciting new openings! Check them out here.

Sales Operation Specialist: They are looking for a new sales operations specialist to join our team at TikTok IL. What are we looking for? A highly analytical, well-organized individual, with great problem-solving skills and a "can-do" approach, that is fun to work with. Past experience in similar operations roles in a high-tech environment, or in management consulting, is needed. Apply here.

Upstream Israel Mixer Part III: The next Upstream Israel Mixer Thursday November 19th at 7pm IDT. They’re a lot of fun, we have the VC Eze Vidra, Managing Partner at Remagine Ventures as a speaker, and you’ll meet a number of good people all under half an hour. To join the mixer click here.

TikTok Performance Masterclass: Thur Nov 19th, Israel 10:00 am - meet TikTok's global experts to deep dive into creative excellence, auction ads, and the Shopify integration. Sessions are open to all marketers. Register here.

Cornell Tech @Bloomberg: Wayfair's Niraj Shah: Bloomberg, Cornell Tech, and Tech:NYC invite you to tune in for the latest installment of the Cornell Tech @ Bloomberg Speaker Series, featuring Niraj Shah, co-founder, CEO and Co-Chairman of Wayfair, in conversation with Scarlet Fu of Bloomberg Television. Monday, November 23, 5:30pm EST. Register here.

UAE-Israel Fintech Week: They are excited to partner with Israel Fintech Week and Payoneer on a Fintech Week online summit unveiling the future trends of Fintech, gain new insights and network with global industry leaders, venture capital firms, tech giants, promising start-ups! 29th of November – 4th of December. Register here.

Bridging Energy Innovation: Japan - Israel: Japan and Israel are global leaders in science and technology, including innovation in energy and cleantech. At the same time, both nations are dependent on natural gas imports. This means there is a need for further innovation for energy sustainability as well as import independence. There may be several synergies for cooperation between the two nations. Nov 30,18:00-19:30 JST, 12:00-13:30 IST. Register here.

Industry 4.0 Global Leaders Summit: Looking to learn about Israel’s top innovative technologies and to secure more partnerships in Industry 4.0? Then make sure to register for the Industry 4.0 Global Leaders Summit- Israel′s most important event for Industry 4.0 happening December 1-3rd! Brought to you by Start-Up Nation Central and Grove Ventures, The Israel Industry 4.0 Leaders Summit is a first-of-its-kind virtual interactive event that brings together global investors, multinational corporations, and hundreds of Israeli Industry 4.0 technologies from all verticals. Register here.

i-HLS InnoTech Broadcast – International largest innovation event: Due to the growing HLS challenges, terror attacks, and public security threats, as well as criminal activity and natural disasters, nations are looking for groundbreaking technological solutions. The COVID-19 pandemic has only emphasized the importance of technological innovation in the development of a rapid response to every evolving crisis. Dec 8, 2020, 10:00 AM - Dec 9, 2020, 5:00 PM. Register here.

Enargite Startup Booster program: This is an intense 2 week program designed to boost and speed up operations and fundraising prospects for early stage startups worldwide by connecting 1 on 1 with top Silicon Valley experts and investors. The program is remote. Startup applications are now open. Website and application link here.

YU Innovation Lab: Israeli startups looking to expand to the US market? YU Innovation Lab, a business accelerator based out of Yeshiva University in NYC, is now accepting applications for the spring cohort (Feb-May 2021). The Innovation Lab, led by Dr. Maria Blekher, enables startups to leverage diligent YU students as members on their global growth team, as well as get support from leading mentors. Apply here.

Techstars Tel Aviv Accelerator: This program focuses on helping international and Israeli startups, across all verticals, learn from one of the world's most unique and innovative ecosystems, Tel Aviv. The application deadline is Dec, 20th and the program will be during the spring of 2021. Apply here.

Facebook Israel: They are launching its first ever Commerce School program. This exclusive 2-month virtual program is aimed at helping promising early-stage e-commerce startups scale and grow their business globally. Applications are open until November 22nd. Learn more and apply here.

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Jonathan 'Yoni' Frenkel heads a content marketing agency, YKC Media, and works with VCs, corporates, and startups in creating written content, social, and advising on marketing strategy focused on engaging a US audience. He is currently in Israel working with the Tulsa-based fund Atento Capital. He can be reached on LinkedIn here.