“What I love about going to work everyday is that we’re helping people; to be able to help people and be a part of the mission we’re on, to do good for the world and give people independence, is powerful.”
Background
A native of Jerusalem, Eliav earned his BA from The Hebrew University in International Relations and Middle Eastern studies. An educator at heart, he began his career in the Jewish non-profit sector, focused on community building and running programs for youth and young adults.
When an opportunity to move to New York came up, Eliav took it. He worked for the WZO (World Zionist Organization), running educational and cultural campus activities, empowering students and promoting Israel. One of the people he met doing the same type of community work turned out to be his future wife.
Eliav then moved to Los Angeles to work for JDeal, the “Jewish Groupon” which allowed him to establish a wide network in the LA area. The desire for more pushed him to open his own Social Media consultancy called Shmooze Media, whose marketing channels he designed, maintained, and grew with particular focus on content marketing and the social presence.
Helping people
In 2013, Eliav returned to Israel to earn an MBA in Innovation and Entrepreneurship from IDC Herzliya. Joining an English-speaking program in an Israeli environment after spending time in America allowed him to make the best of both worlds with his Israeli background and the benefits of his American know-how. After years of being “the American” to his Israeli peers, and “the Israeli” to his American peers, Eliav finally realized that his predicament is a dream. He says he feels fortunate to understand the two differing markets and peoples and to bridge the gap between Israeli chutzpah and American finesse.
Eliav joined OrCam Technologies, a company that develops wearable devices, as Director of Marketing. He describes OrCam’s MyEye device as a smart, wearable camera that clips onto a pair of glasses and reads texts, identifies products, and recognizes faces. OrCam MyEye assists individuals with a range of disabilities, including many people who are blind, visually impaired, and dyslexic.
Having the challenge of introducing an advanced artificial intelligence device to a niche market unfamiliar with this technology, Eliav had his work cut out for him.
To be a marketer
Eliav manages the customer life cycle which brings the company a lot of benefit. He develops the strategies, content, and materials that present the company to the public.
When someone sees OrCam in the media or at an event, their impression is Eliav’s responsibility. He and his team also work with the client post on-boarding to ensure their ongoing happiness and satisfaction, ultimately spreading the word and generating ongoing interest. .
Joining OrCam early on as one of the first team members who did not belong to the hardware or software world has given Eliav the power and leverage to be creative and craft the right company persona. He had a lot to do as far as introducing the technology to the market. Today the product is already in the hands of users in the US, Canada, the UK, and Israel, and will be entering the market in Australia and continental European countries over the next few months.
Crafting a company’s vision
“It’s important to showcase what you have in an appealing and articulate way, so that your potential users out there know the amazing things you’re doing. It doesn’t matter how good, advanced or original your product is, if people don’t know what you are, you haven’t achieved anything. Marketing is the key to success.”
