VCinJerusalem

Jerusalem, Tractors, And the Belief in a Better Tomorrow

As you might have heard, another attack occurred in Jerusalem today, with a resident of East Jerusalem using a tractor as a weapon of mass destruction.  The tragic irony of using a tool intended for construction purposes as an instrument of terror is not lost on anyone.

And as usual, only a few hours separated me from the awful events. Drove past with my daughter only few hours before. Was there yesterday. Barack Obama is there tonight, Gordon Brown was there yesterday. Literally at the crossroads of the [Western] world.

How do we in Jerusalem carry on? Well, part of us turns off. Grows numb. We built up these ways of coping with almost constant horror during the years 2001-2004, when barely a week went by without someone blowing themselves up, and yet we had lives to lead. But that is not all--if it was I and my family would have left here long ago.

There is also still a part of us that believes in a better tomorrow. And that somehow, in some way, we can help contribute to bringing that better tomorrow closer, making it a reality.

For now, let us pray that the dozens of innocent hurt in todays attack enjoy a speedy recovery, as best as science will allow (already a report that one person lost his leg when his car was crushed). And pray as well for a better tomorrow. And tomorrow morning, after a few hours of fitful sleep, may we have the strength to do something to make it a better day than today.

Flamingo as VC Nightmare (But they are so pretty....)

I dropped my daughter Hallel off at the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo this morning (called Biblical because they show references from Bible for all the animals...only in Jerusalem!).

Had a few minutes to walk around a bit and look around me -- in general I hate zoos (yes, in addition to being a vegan I am an animal rights advocate and don't think zoos are the way God intended them to live), but the Jerusalem zoo happens to be well designed, with a lot of room for the animals to move about, in semi-natural habitat. Hallel is in a day camp at the zoo, that starts before the zoo officially opens...so we parents also get to enjoy seeing the zoo when its usually off limits. And I saw a wonderful sight--the elephants were out walking (actually more like jogging, if you can imagine) around the zoo. I spotted them just as they passed the flamingos. Which really got me thinking about product design and animals, and what a VC would have said if sitting in on the product design meetings or presentations to the board of directors of Earth.

Just imagine the discussion. VP Product is asked to present the elephants and the flamingos. So with the elephants, fairly easy. She would explain that the elephants are slow moving but very big, with tough skins, powerful trunk to help ward off predators. They sometimes have sharp tusks, and camouflage easily, being greyish brown, blending into the background. OK, so there are a few bugs here and there in elephant design (what's with the floppy ears, no disrespect intended to Dumbo). The Board I am sure agreed that the elephant would make a useful addition to the world.

But then VP Product introduces the concept of the flamingo. Have you seen a flamingo recently? Take a look:

I had a chance to see the fully functioning version this morning. So the VP Product says to the board: its a bird, but with really long legs. Really really long legs. But it eats things buried in the ground, so we also gave a really long neck. It has wings, takes it a while to figure out the whole flying thing, and even then doesn't move too fast. And lets give a curved beak, pretty useless for defending itself. And to top it all off, we will have them stand in large numbers in shallow water or just next to the water.

Well, after the board finishing a good laugh, one board member, might have been the Angel Gabriel, said to the VP Product, well, even if we agree to authorize a budget to create such a ridiculous creature, obviously it would need to have serious camouflage to survive, as it will be practically defenseless.  The VP Product answers,  well, actually, we  want to make it pink. PINK!!!! Pandemonium erupts in the boardroom. Shouting from the more conservative members, they need to consult with their community, Pink! Pink! All the animals until then were brown, grey, green, a dull red here and there, but Pink??

The fight raged on and on. The VP Product was in tears. Of course there was no business case for the  flamingo,  it couldn't  be defended on any rational basis.

Suddenly the gavel came down from the Chair of the board --  and then the room went absolutely quiet. The Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Earth, in a calm, clear voice, said: "The design for the flamingo is accepted, pink and all, because it is beautiful. And the Earth needs beauty -- not only functionality." And so it was. Thank God for that Board Chair -- because the flamingos were so beautiful this morning.

Celebrate Life, Even in Face of Death

A year ago my cousin's husband, who was a friend and business associate of mine directly as well, was diagnosed with life-threatening stomach cancer. Jeremy Coleman had always fused his life with tremendous optimism, energy and excitement. Probably some of the reasons my cousin fell for him...

Jeremy and Pam were married almost 9 years ago, and brought three beautiful children, Zoe, Leo, and Gil, into this world.

Many of us would crumble after hearing a doctor say to us that a terminal disease is coursing its way through the body. Not Jeremy -- he was determined to celebrate life. In between treatments this past year, Jeremy and Pam grabbed the moment, and traveled to Vietnam, where Jeremy had always wanted to visit.

Jeremy passed away last night, and we attended his funeral this afternoon -- but rather than leaving sad, we left inspired. Everyone around us had been in awe of Jeremy's love of life, and belief that the world could be made a better place. A friend of Jeremy and Pam's, who was one of Pam's teachers when she first came to Israel, reminded us that in Jewish law that if a messenger does an act in someone's name, it is if the person herself directly did that act-- and called upon us all to be Jeremy's messengers in this world.

May we blessed to celebrate life as Jeremy did, even when we are told all is falling apart.

Jeremy Coleman, of blessed memory

Mourning in Jerusalem...but also praying, singing, and yes, dancing

After experiencing the horror of yesterday's attack in Jerusalem, at a place I pass 2-3 times a week, I have no real words. Obviously allover the world there are individuals who due to mental breakdown act out in awful ways. But in Jerusalem, gevalt, in Jerusalem we feel the pain even more. So much destruction with an instrument of construction, intended to help create a better tomorrow for all of the residents of Jerusalem.

In Jerusalem we know how to mourn, but at the same time we know that we need to pray again, to sing again, and yes, to dance. Recognize the pain, the sorrow, the loss, but rejoice in the possibility of a better tomorrow.
Take a look at this yiddel, expressing in prayer all the emotions. May we only know joy from this day forward.

Sabbath Day: Most Succesful Start-Up of the Jewish People

The Jewish people was founded on revolutionary ideas, and throughout the millennium has continued to spawn some of the most trans formative movements/religions/political parties. The Jewish people has never been "big," in terms of corporate development, never truly centralized, always with a bit of healthy chaos (much like any start-up).

For now I want to focus one of the Jewish people's first major start-up social initiatives, the Sabbath. One the one hand, hugely successful, so much so that in the US and parts of Western Europe there are  two Sabbath days....but it all  started  with one day,  on weekly cycle, which three thousand years ago was quite a move away from the norm, which was never ending back breaking work, especially for the Jews-to-be,  the  descendants of  Jacob who ended up slaves in Egypt.

Recently the concept of Sabbath has become trendy, in an age of 24/7, blackberry addiction, messaging on the go globalized world, there is a need to rediscover the Sabbath day. A few months ago Mark Bittman wrote an engaging piece in the New York Times on the move to a "secular sabbath" (see  http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/02/fashion/02sabbath.html?_r=2&pagewanted=all&oref=slogin&oref=slogin).

Bottom line,  Bittman wants a break from the laptop,  the cellphone, etc, all the trappings of  the digital information age.

Even more powerful for me, however, than the Sabbath itself are the preparations for the Sabbath day. Knowing that either you have been commanded or have chosen to set aside a day for non-profit pursuits, to step off the fats track, there is a necessity to prepare. In the talmud we read of the discussions about what projects can be started on a Thursday, because you don't want to start something that will necessarily roll into the Sabbath day. Traditional Jews do all their cooking, baking, in the days leading to Friday night, when the Sabbath starts.

I bring all this up because sometimes we forget just how revolutionary old ideas were and are--human nature is not to set aside a day a week for a different lifestyle. But at least I feel I am a much healthier and well-balanced person by "shutting down" for the Sabbath. But I do need to prepare.

Much like the counseling I give all entrepreneurs -- work hard but have life balance. And prepare all the time.  And then rest. You need it and deserve it.

18 Forever

This past week Haviva and I celebrated our 18th wedding anniversary. Mazel Tov. After four cities, two countries, and six children, our love and commitment is 18 times as strong as it was way back when -- and even then I thought, wow, how could it get any better?!

What is our secret, in a world where half [at least] of first marriages don't last? Well, I think it's a combination of many things, but for me the most important thing is that we are still 18. Wait, how is that possible -- did we marry at birth? In the kabbalistic [mystical] realm maybe, but no, what I mean is that we have preserved our enthusiasm for life and living it together no different than we were 18, just a little smarter and more experienced (it helps that Haviva still looks 18!).

Haviva and I met when we were 18, and it took us almost three years to officially "marry" (at age 21), but I still look at her like the day we met -- just much more in love. I hate to sound so sappy, but its true and I am thrilled to share with the world.

What is it mean to look at life from the eyes of an 18 year old? To believe anything is possible, anything is achievable. That there is an essential goodness to the other, and to be always optimistic, even when recognizing the challenges.

18 has become a magical number in many parts of the world, in Jewish numerology has long been a "lucky" number, as the letter for the hebrew word Chai [life] add up to 18. Oh, and our initials spell out Chai....

18 is the point at which the Western world deems you and adult--able to vote, fight, and yes, marry.

At the 18 point in our marriage, I am ready to [re]dedicate myself to a life together with Haviva and our expanding family...may we enjoy many more "18" moments together. Mazel Tov.

So Much for Facebook As Mission Critical

Someone told me today that Facebook is their central communication hub today...for instant messaging, not-so-instant, etc. And then when I went to do my weekly check of my Facebook (yup, down to once a week), received the error message below. I guess Facebook is not exactly [yet, if ever will be] a mission critical app. Thoughts?

Guys from Google

I had the pleasure of taking out two product managers from Google out to dinner the other night. Why is that so special? Well, maybe because the week before I was with their "boss" Sergei, but was actually more interested to talk to these two guys. Both have been at Google for five years, which for my ADD work style, is many lifetimes.

I enjoyed meeting them more than Sergei because they are not the top guy -- but without them (and several dozen others at their level) Google would crawl to a halt. These guys are what makes Google great.

And it is often the "lower" down people on the corporate totem pole that can truly give the pulse of what is happening at a company like Google, that has grown in ten years to a 19,000 person behemoth.

Bottom line, from what I heard Google is becoming a normal company. Not a bad place to work, far from it. But normal. Internal politics, lack of decision making at times, fear of the unknown. "Us" v. "them" when speaking of different groups in the company. And then the acquisitions, which will take years to integrate, if at all (think YouTube, DoubleClick).

Spending some time with these guys reminded how "easy" it is to create a Google. You just need a great core concept that can scale to hundreds of millions of users, incredibly smart team around the founders, and a business model. Shake that all up, throw in healthy amount of luck, and walla, you have your self a market dominating company. Sustainable? Who knows. MSFT stock has not performed well recently, and obviously their growth has slowed. Will that happen to Google? Based on my dinner, probably.

Closing The [Venture] Gap: From Silicon Wadi to Silicon Valley

Over a cup of coffee this morning discussed with a super smart visiting entrepreneur (and professional angel investor) from Silicon Valley the remaining differences between the Wadi and the Valley--or in other words, start-ups here in Israel and those found (and backed by investors) in the Bay Area.

Bottom line, I believe a gap does still exist, but it's closing, and there are many of us working to close the gap completely.

But a word to the wise for Israeli entrepreneurs, investors in Israeli startups, as they say in the London Tube:

MIND THE GAP!

Where are the main remaining differences (well, beyond the better weather here in the Middle East, better food, and the Power That Is being a local call...)?

Over time I will revisit this, but let me just highlight a few areas worth further exploration:

1. We started later. Well, we started way before, like, say, three thousand years ago...but then took a break (for about two thousand years). Silicon Valley got going in the 1960s, hit its stride in the 1970s, and has never looked back. And that was on the base of a country that has enjoyed a somewhat stable government for 200 years. We are operating in a political reality formalized 60 years ago (that has never enjoyed more than a week or two of stability). Our start-up culture really only got kick started  about 20  years ago, in the late 1980s. Really picked up only in the 1990s. 

2. We Speak Hebrew. We really do. My mother still can't believe it (really, she asks, "what do the kids speak in school to each other?" I say, "Hebrew." She says, "and they understand each other?").  You see, we literally had to recreate a society  after two thousands years of exile  --  part of that was breathing new life into an old language. Maybe you haven't realized it -- but not too many people speak Hebrew...which means at first we were a bit cut off from the global culture. Now many of us speak English as well...but we still think in Hebrew.

3. We are far away.  OK,  so no matter how much my friends in Tel Aviv  or Long Island pretend, Israel is in the Middle East. We are not in Europe, we are very far from the US, or any other market for our companies. Sure, its a lot easier to connect today, but air travel costs are going up again, and people still want to see people when they do business together.

4. We know what's best. Maybe as a result of that whole "chosen people" thing, or being on edge for 60+ years, Israelis have a "we know what's best" attitude, that sometimes makes dealing with us...a little rough. But we are learning, at least in our public behavior, to become more "American" (as my partner Lior says). At meetings we now say things like "how interesting" when really we mean....

These are just some highlights -- and we are quickly closing the gap. I will write more on how and why that is happening. But until it's completely closed, take someone's hand to make it across.

Fail, Fail, and Fail Again. But Always Believe You Can Succeed

Living as an early stage VC in Jerusalem, it's easy to get burnt out on so many different levels.  All of our companies need to raise more money (the difficult part),  close  business deals (the easy part),  and keep their teams incentivized, excited, and with a feeling of positive momentum. Not easy.  And all of this while living in Israel where the very existence and future of the state is questioned on a daily basis.

I saw the following video on Brad Feld's blog, reminded me how true visionaries are the ones who know how to deal with failure (but not "give up"):