A Not-So-Imaginary Conversation with an Israeli Startup Entrepreneur

A: An Israeli founded a startup!

B: So what else is new?

A: Not just an Israeli, an Israeli professor founded a startup!

B: Big deal, everyone’s a professor around here.

A: No, a real professor!

B: A dime a dozen.

A: Actually, it’s two! Two real Israeli professors!

B: From which university? Tel Aviv? Hebrew U? Ben-Gurion?

A: One’s from Stanford, and the other is from Duke University…

B: And they have a background in computers?

A: One of them has absolutely none. He’s an internationally known expert in behavioral economics.

B: Is it going to have an exit?

A: Another Israeli professor got a Nobel Prize out of it.

B: Good luck to him. And the other one?

A: The second one sold two companies for almost half a billion dollars! One of them to Google! And now they raised 7 million dollars in capital.

B: Wow!

A: Well, now I see that I have your attention, finally.

B: Okay, tell me. What does the startup do?

A: Guess!

B: Toolbars!

A: Cold.

B: E-commerce for banners.

A: Very cold.

B: Something to do with hardware? Chip optimization?

A: Frozen.

B: Ah! Something for video streaming.

A: No, that wasn’t meant to be a hint, it means that you’re way off track.

B: Okay? What?

A: Time management.

B: What did I say to offend you?

A: No, that’s the field.

B: Is It going to have an exit?

A: Don’t worry about the exit. Do you remember that I told you that you don’t have to spend time on toolbars and banners?

B: You’re telling me that all the time. So, what about it?

A: And do you remember that I kept on at you about groups in social networks?

B: Right. You even had a blog about that – sorry, I didn’t have time to read it, I was busy setting up an exit.

A: And how did it come out?

B: Cancelled.

A: But do you remember something about groups of friends? About arranging friends in groups?

B: Let’s say I do.

A: And then katango, which was exactly the tool for that, was sold to Google for tens of millions?

B: I didn’t know that katango was involved in that.

A: So what did you think they did?

B: Banners?

A: Well, no. Let’s go on. And do you remember that I drove you mad over time management?

B: How can I not remember? For ten years, you’ve been driving me crazy about it.

A: I’m even on a panel, on May 28, at the Conference for Art, Society and Technology – it’s about procrastination.

B: I don’t exactly see where the exit is here.

A: (Bangs head against the wall)

B: Ah… wait on… the seven million that you mentioned before – that’s connected to time management? Interesting, listen – that’s an esoteric area. I didn’t think of it. Time management! Wow, I’m late for a meeting with the investors. Look what you’ve done – because of you, I’m now going to be late! (Runs off)