Finding the ONE, the start-up in the Start-up Nation.
Or why I chose to join Avenews-GT (notes from the newbie)
What are the criteria for identifying a company you’d like to work for? I had to answer these questions fairly recently when I relocated from Johannesburg, South Africa to Tel Aviv, Israel.
I initially started looking for a job, but finding a role that met my criteria and whose job spec I met was incredibly difficult. I wanted to find something that felt like a natural fit, and the challenge with a place like Tel Aviv, is that it’s difficult to know where to start and what to filter out. There are thousands of interesting companies, hundreds of great consultancies (at least great consulting websites that seem like they’re doing exceptional work) and everyone seems to be doing something shiny and world-changing. I realised that I needed a mechanism for assessing companies and for finding the proverbial ‘one’. I come from a business design background so I decided the best way forward was to design something which would help me find an answer to the question ‘how might I find my perfect work environment?’
The solution I ended up with was a list (I love a good list). My list was designed with a high degree of intention. This included critically reflecting on my experiences meeting companies in Tel Aviv that I didn’t connect with and also assessing aspects of my previous work in Johannesburg to extract the elements that were most important to me. Now I had something to measure companies and jobs against.
My Company Criteria:
- The company should address a social challenge, but have a commercially viable business model (if possible, the social challenge should involve inclusion, particularly financial inclusion).
- The company should ideally be an inclusive environment made up of a diverse team, that would give me as much exposure to the multiple facets of life and culture in my new city.
- The leaders of the company should be focused on a systemic, rather than silo’d approach to growing the company- I work best between functions so being located in a department with defined roles and boundaries is something I find frustrating.
- There should be a link to sectors and environments that I had previously had experience with so that I could feel, from Day 1 that I was adding value.
- And, if possible, it should be located in Tel Aviv and feel ‘start-uppy’.
I think when one has a specific lens through which to assess the various choices presented it has a really powerful noise cancelling effect. I definitely think this helped me to identify and engage with Avenews-GT at the right point in my job search.
So, how close did I get?
Criteria 1
Avenews-GT is an Israeli start-up, with offices in Tel Aviv. The company has developed a platform for the commercial trade of agricultural produce, using technology powered by blockchain.
The platform addresses challenges faced by all the trade parties in the agricultural trade process. For Agri-Businesses, the platforms enables them to digitally manage their trade operations, reduce errors, and receive enhanced visibility, collaboration, and intelligence for their business. Commercial Banks working with the business are now able to mitigate risks and provide financial services to the agricultural supply chain, based on immutable data gathered from their agri-clients. For the smallholder farmers, who currently have no business identity, formal approach to farming and as a consequence of an informal (paper-based) trade process little or no access to financial services that could help them grow their businesses (other than loan sharks), they now have a digital identity with trade data attached to this identity. This can be used by formal financial services providers to financially include them, and provide critical financial services that can enable them to grow more each cycle and improve their farming business.
The company’s business model is sound, continuously attracting strong commercial clients and the product’s benefits include financial inclusion for the people previously excluded from fully participating in the agri-trade process. I think I’ve successfully checked that box.
Criteria 2:
The 3 co-founders of the company are incredibly diverse, Shalom and Ishai are both Jewish Israeli’s with a strong connection to agriculture in Israel, and Ismail is Arab Israeli from Jaffa. Between the 3 co-founders “You have a kibbutznik [from a kibbutz], a moshavnik [from a moshav] and an Arab from Jaffa, it has its advantages”. In addition there are people from Paris, Quito, Buenos Aires, Tel Aviv, Jaffa and now Johannesburg so I am definitely having a diverse experience, particularly with food - biscuits from Eid, chocolate from every corner of the world, some excellent hummus eating suggestions and the knowledge that there is no such thing as a chocolate croissant.
Criteria 3:
The company is small enough, and the co-founders are brave enough, to let all people have a say in the projects, as long as their logic is sound and they provide something constructive and value-adding. In my initial discussion with Shalom, the CEO, I mentioned that it is very rare for growth and operations objectives to be aligned and work designed in a way which is conscious of achieving the best outcomes for operations, tech and customers. This is something we are incredibly focused on achieving, and that falls within my responsibility area. We may not fully succeed but there is definitely a level of consciousness, even at this early stage that silo’s and department specific KPI’s will not benefit the company in the longer term.
Criteria 4: (this one is pretty specific to me)
I’m from South Africa and have worked in or with financial services providers for the past 8 years in various roles, from user experience to marketing, strategy and internal operations. So the strong links that the business has to Africa, particularly the commercial relationship we have with one of the biggest banks in Africa, headquartered in South Africa, is an area where my network and experience is something that is useful, which is not something that is easy to find in a new country.
Criteria 5:
We do not have swings, slides or a breakfast cereal bar (we have some beers in a mini-fridge), but the company is definitely ‘start-uppy’. Particularly because we are situated in the centre of Tel Aviv, in a co-working space surrounded by other fintech businesses and entrepreneurs who are all trying to build something significant.
So, all in all, I think thus far I seem to have checked all the boxes. I feel incredibly privileged to have been able to connect to the company at this point in both the company’s and my life-stage. But I think I’ve found the one.
If you’re interested in finding more about the company, and how we’re solving problems in the agricultural trade process, or you need help making your own ‘the one’ list send me a mail: danielle@avenews-gt.com otherwise check us out here: https://www.avenews-gt.com/
