Blog post written by Maria Victoria Genuino
“If you want to walk fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together”
– Old African Proverb
Tel-Aviv, Israel.- In the past 3 days, we have seen that the practice of collaboration and teamwork is something that has been embedded in Israeli culture. For our first company visit of the day, we were fortunate enough to have been able to visit Microsoft, a world renown company that has had a strong presence in Israel since 1991. With the number of start ups in Israel every year (around 700 a year for a country with a population of only 8 million inhabitants), Microsoft has launched the Microsoft Venture Accelerator, a 4 month program for start ups in the software and technology space. I am pretty sure that we will soon be hearing good things from companies that are being mentored in this program.
Our next stop was Carmel Ventures, a leading Israeli VC whose focus was on investing on Israeli talent and innovation. The company aspires to help the companies that they invest in to be category leaders in their chosen field. It was mentioned in our meeting that despite the increased number of start ups that the country has been experiencing, there has also been an increase in the number of potential investors in terms of VCs, government funds, and angel investors. We then proceeded to the Interdisciplinary Center in Herziliya wherein we listened to a talk about human relations and business acumen.
If there is one thing we’ve noticed, it is the fact that Israelis love to help each other out in whatever capacity they can. This mentality of collaboration is something that all nations should aspire to. If this is followed, the world will definitely be a better place.
After a full day of back to back meetings with companies, we were able to take a breather in order to see some sites. We reached Jaffa just in time and we were able to watch a spectacular sunset by the Mediterranean Sea. After, we went around the surrounding area to see structures that have been preserved for thousands of years. Jaffa is an ancient city very close to Tel Aviv that is commonly associated with biblical stories of popular figures like Jonah and Saint Peter. We were all awestruck with the rich history associated with the place.
Tomorrow, we are off to Jerusalem. We are already half way done with our immersion program but we are very much excited for what the following days have in store for us.
About the author