1. What is a daily habit you love doing?
Every morning I put on tefillin (Tefillin are cubic black leather boxes with leather straps that Orthodox Jewish men wear on their head and their arm during weekday morning prayer.) It helps me to reset after sleep and start the day calmly and positively. It is a complete meditation for me.
2. What piece of advice would you give yourself when you started? What advice would you ignore?
If I could recommend something for me at the beginning of the road, it would be to make sure things are feasible and calculated right from the start. Such a thought would have saved me some unpleasant moments on this mountainous journey. I would advise myself to ignore all the people along the way reminding me that the chance of success is low, and that I should stop and look for something more secure.
3. What piece of content (book/podcast/Ted Talk) is your favorite or has influenced your life?
The book that has influenced me most is Avinash Dixit and Barry Nalebuff’s book about game theory called ‘The Art of Strategy’. Ever since I read the book, I have made every effort to put myself in the shoes of the person on the other side. In my opinion, this is the best way to understand a situation in depth, both in business and in everyday life.
4. What is the most valuable investment (time, money or energy etc.) that you’ve ever made?
My biggest investment is the last 8 years of my life, during which I went through several attempts to start a startup. Doing it over a long period has helped me learn a lot and get better and that’s the most important thing I’ve gained from this investment.
5. Is there a quote, mantra or message you live your life by and that you resonate with? It can be someone else’s as well.
The quote I am most attached to is “Love your neighbor as yourself” – for me, it is very important to look at the other side as if you are them and understand what kind of attitude you would like to have.
6. What helps you stay motivated on good and hard days?
My wife, my family and the team at Eloops are the people closest to me and they are the ones who make sure I am at my peak even during the tough days. Everyone’s support throughout the journey is evident and I appreciate it every day.
7. What are you passionate about other than managing your own company?
What I am most passionate about is relationships and the behavior of humans in different situations. What motivates them to do what they do? Why do they do what they do? What leads them to make their decisions? These are things I am exposed to at work and I am very happy to learn something new every time.
8. What have you recently thrown away or released from your life that made a positive impact and why?
I recently had to let go of the combat equipment that remained with me from the military. I moved to a new position in the reserve and now I’m assessing candidates for the paratrooper unit in the IDF. It is a significant change in my life, to be released from my role as a fighting soldier. Understanding that this chapter is over, and all that it signifies, has had a very positive impact on me.
9. Share a failure you have experienced and what you learned from it.
The first company I founded in 2012 did not succeed at all and the failure was that I dragged it on for too long. This is because we sat down to develop the company in concept without being in the field and when we went out we discovered that our product was irrelevant. It did not solve a need. I learned from this that you should not be afraid of failure. If you fail, it is better to recognize it as soon as possible.
10. If you could have anyone in the world answer these questions who would it be and why?
I’d like Warren Buffett to answer this questionnaire. I really appreciate him for the way he has built himself and connected with the values that have brought him to excellence. He inspires me in the way he analyzes companies and sees their success before many other people.
