10 Questions with Nitzan Cohen Arazi
Co-Founder at Jolt
Nitzan Cohen Arazi is the co-founder of Jolt, a company with the mission to disrupt adult education. An investor turned entrepreneur, Nitzan is a lifelong learner, passionate about using technology to connect people, ideas and cultures. Prior to Jolt, Nitzan was the investment manager at the early stage venture arm of Deutsche Telekom in Tel-Aviv, and Managing Director of “The Junction”, Israel’s first startup accelerator. In 2016, Nitzan was named one of Forbes Magazine’s “30 Under 30”.
- When did you know you wanted to be in tech?
The “Tech” industry was never something that attracted me initially. I’m not a very technical person and was always more drawn to the human aspect of how things work, but I’ve always had big ideas, dreams, and visions, most of them in the education space. Over the last few years, while working with hundreds of startups, I realized that technology is a way to build a bridge, to connect and enable what wasn’t possible before. That’s when I decided that this is the industry I want to be in. Technology to me is a tool that can transform great ideas into world-changing organizations. It’s an industry that has an empowering and innocent belief that anything is possible if working with the right people and resources. It’s where I feel that I can make my dreams for improving education come true.
2. How have you found help along your journey?
A unique characteristic of the tech industry is the sense of community and support. It feels like we’re all aiming for the same goal and are there for one another. I first noticed this back in Israel, when Google opened their first Launchpad space, to support developers and startups. I had the privilege of being very involved with the organization and learned a lot through their programming and content. It wasn’t obvious to me that such a large company would be so supportive and generous to early stage startups, but I had an opportunity to experience this community support firsthand.
Now, I feel like I am coming full circle, as I am very honored to be a part of planning Launchpad’s first women’s summit in San Francisco. I am very excited to be working on an event that will support and empower so many female founders, just as Launchpad did for me.
3. Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Israel and it is a big part of who I am today. The values of “the Startup nation” are deeply rooted in me. There are 5 main things that I believe make Israel such an innovative place:
1.) Conflict: Israel is in a constant state of survival; the future is never clear. It’s extremely uncomfortable. Constant discomfort leads to change, and change leads to innovation.
2.) Diversity: Israel is a melting pot; everyone is an immigrant. It’s a mix of so many cultures, ideas, beliefs and values. When bringing together a group to innovate, it should always be as diverse as possible. Israelis have that diversity “built-in”.
3.) Military Service: At 18 years old, we Israelis are pushed into adulthood, faced with decisions, leadership, and responsibility that people in other places may not ever experience. The military is a huge part of our identities as we grow up.
4.) Risk Tolerance: Israelis are risk takers. We are ambitious and are ready to fail. Failure in Israel is considered part of the experience, not a stamp of negativity.
5.) The Jewish Mother: Jewish moms encourage their children to strive for high education, and always give the feeling that there is a place to fall back to. Israelis can always go back to live at home, no matter the age or status. It instills confidence.
“Israelis are risk takers. Failure in Israel is considered part of the experience, not a stamp of negativity.”
While I spent most of my life in Tel Aviv, three of my elementary school years were in Switzerland, which gave me a profound view of other cultures, languages, and behaviors. Growing up with a taste of the neutral, structured, process-oriented, and polite Swiss culture, mixed with the loud, colorful, semi-chaotic Israeli culture shaped me to be a more empathetic, accepting and understanding person. Being empathetic to people who are different from me, and open to other cultures, helps me with major parts of my work as an entrepreneur, particularly in areas like business development and networking.
4. What’s a challenge you’ve faced in your career journey?
While leading the early stage venture capital arm of Deutsche Telekom in Israel, I was invited to speak on a panel about Cyber Security and Smart Cities. On the panel with me were 4 older men, all engineers from very large companies. I was extremely stressed since I have no technical background and did not know much about Cyber Security. I was terrified that I would be asked a question that I don’t know how to answer. I was close to throwing in the towel and telling them that I was sick that day, but instead, I decided to face my fear. I made sure that the moderator knew exactly which questions I wanted to be asked, and I decided to trust that I knew enough to not seem dumb. In the end, it worked out well!
5. Do you think the education system today sufficiently encourages women to get into entrepreneurship?
No. There needs to be much more education for innovation. The most important skills of our century are learning and curiosity. Women need to be empowered from a very early stage to not just be pretty, but to try new things, to break boundaries and cognitive fixes, to keep learning, and to trust that they can study and be good at anything they choose.
“Women need to be empowered from a very early stage… to try new things, to break boundaries and cognitive fixes, to keep learning, and to trust that they can study and be good at anything they choose.”
Since there is not enough of this training done in schools today, we must push ourselves to continue to grow and evolve by learning from the experience of others. Industry events such as Launchpad’s Female Founders Summit are essential for lifelong learning in this ever-changing world.
6. What’s something you want to get better at?
Starting a company is hard. Being a woman in tech is hard. Building a successful business is hard. However, what I’ve come to realize, is that almost everyone shares the same issues and challenges. The solutions may be different from startup to startup, but the pains are similar. Therefore, it is extremely helpful to come together with other women founders to share, teach, learn and inspire each other. Once you gain the understanding that other people are also facing the challenge that you are trying to overcome, it makes the fear a little smaller, and that builds the strength to keep going. That’s part of the reason I’m participating in Google’s Launchpad Female Founders Summit, with the goal to meet more women founders, widen my network and learn more about building a company.
7. Favorite food?
Italian
8. Mac or PC?
Mac
9. If you could try another job for a day, what would it be?
Nursery school teacher
10. If you could give your 18-year-old self a piece of advice, what would it be?
No one really knows that much better than you, and everything is “figureoutable”, so just work hard and trust your gut.
You can meet Nitzan and other female founders at the Launchpad Female Founders Summit, happening on June 1–2, 2017 in San Francisco. Learn more here.
