My Excel Ad(Ventures)
— Olga R Cohen, Excel Ventures 2018
Entrepreneurship and business are in my blood.
Well… at least that’s what I like to think anyway. I come from a Syrian-Lebanese Jewish family, and from as far back as I could trace their history, entrepreneurship and business have been dominant themes across the different generations’ lives. It’s funny, because every time I step into a taxi cab here in Israel (during which 100% of the time you will talk about your life, I can promise you that!), and mention that I am a Syrian-Lebanese Jew, they laugh and tell me that I must be either a businesswoman or entrepreneur. I guess I chose the right program after all.
Excel has allowed me to combine my love for Israel, my pride in being Jewish, and of course, my entrepreneurial spirit.
I mean, what better place to do it than in this magnificent country?!
I have been to Israel multiple times before, and yet I always seem to be able to find another lens through which I can see things. I quickly realized this on our recent trip to Jerusalem: In a city that has so much historical significance, one can still find a beautiful mixture between the religious, spiritual, and surprisingly, the secular and the entrepreneurial.
Of course, having been to Jerusalem before, I had learned about the significance of the city to the three main world religions. I had felt the unique zing of energy at the Kotel (the Western Wall), and the emotions conjured when thinking about the generations and generations of Jews who had fought, and continue to fight for our right to the Jewish capital of the world.
But this time I saw something I had never noticed before. I noticed that while Jerusalem basks in its historical and spiritual glory during the day, something entirely different comes to life at night. While many of the shop-owners in shuk are closing up for the day, others are only getting ready to open. What used to be a market during the day, turns into a young, vibrant and unique mixture of bars and meet-up locations at night. As soon as the sun sets, young people flow through the narrow pathways of the Mahane Yehuda Market, and soon enough, it’s so crowded that you can barely get through. All kinds of music flow through, and all you see are people smiling, laughing, and enjoying the company of not only their friends, but of the hustle and bustle that seems to keep the party going. Never, before this trip, had I experienced something so juxtaposing, yet so right.
I also never considered the possibility of the words Jerusalem and start-up in the same sentence. However, after meeting with the mayor of Jerusalem, Nir Barkat, it seems that I stand corrected. It is incredible to hear that start-up companies are now considering Jerusalem more and more as their homes. But somehow it makes sense: Jerusalem was built through strong leadership, and to some extent, entrepreneurial spirit. Israel’s past and present are colliding here in Jerusalem, creating one of the biggest start-up hubs in the country. Some say that Jerusalem is only getting started, but in my opinion, Jerusalem is continuing exactly in the direction it has always been going in, only now with so much more power behind it.
Lastly, I was able to experience Jerusalem as a local, a lens I had never seen through before. This was all thanks to the amazing Israeli peers we have all been matched with. From hooking us up with the best food in the city, to having a meaningful Shabbat dinner, to watching the soccer game together, all piled up on one bed, I feel that I never felt more at home in Jerusalem than with these peers who have essentially become family to all of us.
I can’t wait to see what unique perspectives the next five weeks bring!
Olga Cohen is a 2018 Excel Ventures Fellow. A recent graduate from McGill University, Olga is now looking forward to attending Parsons’ The New School in the fall to pursue a degree in Graphic Design. She has a knack for speaking several languages, loves to travel, and loves to play sports.
**This blog was originally posted by Olga R Cohen on her personal Medium page.**
