Shir Ivguy and Ally Wolodarsky (Photo: Bold Creative) It was impossible to ignore the impressive presence of Israeli startup founders during the Israel Tech Week in what is becoming the new "Silicon Valley" of the United States.
But even more so, one could not overlook the amazing female presence of dozens of strong women, entrepreneurs with blue-and-white ambition making it big in America.
Shir Ibgui, founder and CEO of "Globe Thrivers", developed a community-based tourism platform. But before we dive into this groundbreaking definition, it's worth mentioning that Ibgui was born in New York and raised in Miami, yet made Aliyah to Israel in 2017.
She got married in Israel and started her journey at several hi-tech companies, including Check Point and others, but always felt the desire to break free and become a startup entrepreneur herself.
"I worked too hard for others", she tells us at the advanced LAB complex, where the Israeli tech week is being held for the first time ever. "As an employee, there has always been a glass ceiling. But in my nature, I am a leader, with vision. I never feel like I’m working. Work is my passion".
In her past, she dabbled in the tourism world as a blogger but always felt a gap in knowledge. "Thus Globe thrivers was born", she says. "We help travelers from the moment of the idea for their next trip until departure and experiences. The big innovation is that the more you plan using our system, the more personalized your future experiences will improve through AI".
During Israel tech week, Ibgui pitched her company for the first time at an event attended by key industry figures.
Photo: Courtesy of ISRTWYou are a Jewish businesswoman in a challenging time in the world.
"I haven’t encountered extreme cases personally, and I’ve always represented Israeli companies abroad. You can definitely feel who cares. But I am Loud and Proud. No one should dare tell me that Israel has no right to exist".
Do you see more women in hi-tech today than before?
"Here at the tech week, is the first time there is a female majority on the stage, which is not obvious. I am optimistic about the future. The broader the representation, the more women there will be.
"My team, by the way, is comprised of many women. All the engineers are male and the rest are female. We just added a product designer. I love working with women and love seeing more women in tech."
This is very unusual in the United States.
"That's true, and in fact, Israel shows a reverse trend. When it comes to women, the world has a lot to learn from Israeli women".
We are sharp, practical.
"Exactly. Everything is transparent and clear. Straight to the point. No wasting time. There are no problems - there are solutions. And this is something that characterizes Israeli women very much. It’s amazing. I think Israeli women are motivation. The Israeli experience made me who I am today in this world."
Ally Wolodarsky (32) was born in Israel but has lived in the United States since the age of 13. She started her hi-tech journey at 25, after working in the Airbnb sector in New York. She grew her business from one apartment to five apartments in the big apple, to a business turning millions of dollars.
After her first startup in tourism froze like many businesses during the COVID-19 period, the second startup, Klerk, was born.
Photo: Bold CreativeBefore we talk about Klerk, how do you get back on your feet after the losses during COVID?
"You never give up. From a young age, I was very stubborn, and I also come from a survival background in my personal life. So starting from zero afterward was nothing for me. I made good money on Airbnb and then the baby fell. Crashed. The strength was in finding solutions."
Then Klerk arise.
"Correct, and it started thanks to COVID. Business tourism (MICE) returned to activity first, and we understood that business people needed solutions, in a complex economic period, for expenses for flights, hotels, and hosting conferences. There are very large budgets in this industry, hundreds of billions, but employers lost control over how much they spent. Today we save money, time, and level of risk for businesses through the software we developed."
How did you go through the war period?
"the war paralyzed us all, and personally it brought me back to my personal survival mode. I thought about how I survive this, but then I realized - this is my mission. To help and develop businesses without giving up. That’s what the enemy wants, to bring you down. And we will not fall".
Have you encountered any anti-Israeli reactions?
"There were cases, there were meetings that fell because we are Israelis. But there were those who looked at us with admiration, and that strengthened my feeling that I am in the right place, and in the end there was a filtration of the right people."
And what do you say about the impressive female presence here at the Israeli hi-tech week?
"I am one of the organizers of this week, and it is also thanks to me. I brought an investing woman to be a judge in the startup competition. I made sure to bring female entrepreneurs. We are still among the few women in the field, but it is growing and there are many people in the field - especially in tourism and events. It’s a field that is still tough for women. That’s the truth. We still need to invest more, prepare better pitches. Many are drawn to me, they wouldn’t have pulled like that with a man. I still feel it, but I hope and do everything to progress towards a place of change and I believe there will be change".
Sharon Menashe (40) from Petah Tikva, an accountant by profession, has been accompanying startups from their inception to advanced stages in recent years. Over the years she has mentored dozens of startups in various fields, business-wise, strategically, and financially.
Photo: Passport NewsMenashe is very involved in the Israeli tech and entrepreneurship world, serves as a mentor in various entrepreneurship programs, and also engages in professional connections, for example between businesses and embassies.
"During the Israeli hi-tech week in Miami, we managed to strengthen the business ties between Israel and Miami, and between the Jewish community and the Israeli one. It is exciting to experience a warm welcome like we received in Miami, to arrive at a place that feels like home and see how many connections are formed between Israeli startups and Israeli venture capital to those in the United States".
She also mentions that "the goal of the conference was to create an entrepreneurial ecosystem in Miami, just like the one that exists in Tel Aviv. This is a very important support for early-stage entrepreneurs, so we emphasized bringing investors, venture funds, and quality local startups."
We saw an impressive presence of young female entrepreneurs here.
"I work a lot to promote women in the entrepreneurship world in Israel and abroad. Therefore, one of the goals was to emphasize female presence in various fields at the conference. I was very happy to see young female entrepreneurs especially in the Travel Tech & Hospitality sector, which is definitely gaining momentum among entrepreneurs - and these women will secure the future leadership of the industry".