Every day I’m still learning about what happens down the sunny halls of our floor- from the on-site robotics lab, to the whiskey distillery, and everything in between in the world of startups. Upon my arrival, the first thing that I connected to and really respect here is that the CEO is a woman. She is involved in all sorts of meaningful projects, including holding a leadership position in a startup lobby every so often in Jerusalem. The Startup Lobby was co-founded by Gal Kalkshtein, founder of GKI Group, and Ministers of the Knesset MK Yoel Hasson and MK Yoav Kish. This Tuesday we will leave our high tech home base and head to the Knesset (the Israeli parliament), where we will lobby on two main issues: “women in technology” and “startup community ecosystems throughout Israel.” Although I’ve been interested and involved in Israeli politics for years, somehow it will be my first visit to the Knesset; hopefully the first of many.
Israel is a very new country and has quickly established itself worldwide as the “Startup Nation.” However, when people look at the startup community in Israel, they mainly focus on Tel Aviv, or maybe more recently Jerusalem. This whole new country is ready to embrace the world of startups and high tech. Looking at how Jerusalem’s startup ecosystem has blossomed, this model can be used for more outlying areas of the country, promoting other more unifying nationwide projects.
As a very family oriented woman, just entering the working world, I am intrigued at how women balance their family life and careers, as doors open to more high-powered opportunities. In the upcoming lobby, the Startup Lobby Committee will be discussing how women can be more active in managing companies, empowering females and encouraging them to step up to whatever challenges they are interested in. Together the participants will aim for nationwide solutions to later implement positive change and we are excited to see what these will be.
You can find more information about the Startup Lobby at www.startuplobby.co.il
