Living the Start-up Nation
Written by: Sam Messenger, rising junior
The book Startup Nation by Saul Singer gives one a great understanding of the history and landscape of Israeli tech. You read about the history, circumstances, culture, and developments that explain why Israeli is a leader in technology. Chutzpah, the pill cam, and Unit 8200 all become imprinted in our minds.
Working in Israel gives us the opportunity to see that ourselves. A couple weeks ago I was creating a powerpoint on the history of blockchain and cryptocurrency from the formation of bitcoin until today. Meanwhile, a smiling man in his 50s with a t-shirt, jeans, and a computer bag opens the glass door to my office. He says hi to my boss and then shakes my hand and introduces himself. Then he looks at my computer screen and says excitedly, “blockchain! what are you working on?” I explain to him that I am doing research for the investment team to understand the technology more as a potential investment opportunity. He replies, “oh, I am working on a company right now that uses blockchain for enterprise security. I love blockchain and think it’s a great opportunity for security.” He then questions me on my knowledge of a certain version and feature of the technology that I did not know about because I had only been researching the topic for two weeks and I was not building a company around it like him. I asked him more questions about the tech he said, “come back to me when you have read more about it.”
He leaves the room and I ask my boss, “so who was that guy?” And my boss says, “it’s Israel Grimberg, the former head of Cyber for unit 8200. He retired from the IDF and formed Team 8 — a cyber security foundry lead by top brass 8200 retirees. It is the A-team of cyber security companies and the management team (including the former head of 8200) come to the office every Thursday to talk about their developments because our company is invested in them”
My experience with Mr. Grimberg was a compilation of different parts of the book Startup Nation and what we hear about Israeli tech. A man humbly, but also with chutzpah, walked into my office excited to speak with an intern about what he was working on. He did not dress or act like he was the head of a globally famous cyber unit. But he did have the gall to say, “I have a problem with your accent when you speak Hebrew.”
Interning here is incredible because the country is so small that you get to have opportunities like this one. What you hear about Israel from the book Startup Nation and other sources truly come alive when you are actually here.
