Forum
Sign In
Pro Content
Articles and Commentaries by Thought Leaders
The industry's experts provide professional insights
18.07.2019
Trademarks in the Startup World
Lihi Katzenelson, Associate at Yigal Arnon & Co. | Reading Time: 4 min

As part of the harrowing obstacle course of raising capital, many entrepreneurs encounter a threshold demand by investors (admittedly one of many) to register the startups' trademark even in the initial stages of the venture. For some entrepreneurs the term "trademark" is foreign and unclear.For oth...
Article of the Week
10.07.2019
Mirror Mirror – who’s the most favored nation of them all?
Chanie Eisner Tauber and Yisrael (Israel) Spero – Spero Levi & Co. | Reading Time: 4 min

The "Most Favored Nation" provision, or in simple practitioner jargon - the "MFN", allows the beneficiary of the provision to enjoy the most favorable rights offered in a specific context. If you are wondering about the "Nation" part (we sure did!), turns out that it traces back to late 18th century...
02.07.2019
The 5 Most Important Insurance Policies Startups Need to be Aware Of
Maya Lissitzky, Adv. Vice President General Insurance at Amnon Gur Insurance Group | Reading Time: 4 min.

Start-up entrepreneurs have enough drive and passion to make all of their dreams come true, but most of them forget to take into consideration other problems they might encounter, which do not involve technology or investors. This leaves certain areas of operations in the Company uninsured due to la...
27.06.2019
Incentive Plans - When to Adopt One?
Evan M. Schendler, Associate at Yigal Arnon & Co. | Reading Time: 2 min.

By way of introduction, this blog will feature a series of posts about incentive plans in Israel. Since in Israel, the most popular form of incentive awards are options, you may hear the terms “option plans” and “incentive plans” used interchangeably. However, I will start wi...
18.06.2019
Stone Soup - The Entrepreneur's version
Amir Feller, CPA, director at Guberman Group | Reading Time: 5 min

From the time I began to read, as a child, I loved the old folk story, “Stone Soup”. I was impressed by the traveler's success in the story. His "success" consists of surviving, being creative, persuading those around him, acquiring the best ingredients needed for making the soup, and fi...
11.06.2019
Dual-Track Processes: How to Turbocharge Your Exit
Cooley, Law Firm, www.cooley.com | Reading Time: 5 min

Exiting an investment is an inherently uncertain process. Even for a thriving business with a viable equity story, committed stakeholders and the right advisers, the final deal terms and valuation are typically guided by factors beyond a company’s control. These include prevailing market senti...
27.05.2019
Why we Should Invest in Israeli Students
Aviv Harkov, Partnerships Manager and Deal Flow Coordinator at fresh.fund | Reading Time: 3 min

Israel was given the title of “the Startup Nation” a few years back and it has stuck ever since. While we hold onto this title with great pride, we have seen a decrease in exits in recent years according to the IVC, No Camels, and other sources. We see fewer exits for larger amounts as l...
20.05.2019
“To Outsource, Or Not To Outsource, That Is The Question”
Michael Gorelik, COO, Nitka Technologies Inc. | Reading Time: 4 min

Slack. Skype. WhatsApp. GitHub…These are just a few applications that decided to outsource to an offshore software development company in their early stages.Similarly, there are many more examples of successful startups that have made the decision to outsource their software development in or...
12.05.2019
Our Business Model Must Adapt to Different Locations
Dafna Rolls, CEO & Founder of DRolls Associates. Reading Time 2 min.

Understanding Regional DifferencesAll areas of the world have their own history and cultural norms which are apparent in every form of their communication.Whether you are a tourist or an entrepreneur you still need to understand and compensate for these differences to ensure that communications are ...
05.05.2019
At What Point is it Important to Consider the Security of Your Start-up?
Rubin Beniard, Founder of Insec Consulting | Reading Time: 4 min.

You are founding your start-up and you feel like building your own house. Obviously, you need to draw a blueprint, buy building materials and find professionals. You also have to ask yourself another important question: "when do I consider doors and locks?". You might close your "house" in the middl...
28.04.2019
Budgeting and Cash Flows: The Basics
Gila Halleli Weiss, CPA & CEO of CFO Secrets | Reading Time: 3 min.

Reading Time: 3 min.When I’m not working, writing articles for this website, making (often vain) attempts to keep my garden alive, learning German or knitting, I volunteer with an organization called Paamonim. We work with families to teach them personal financial management skills. Anyway,...
15.04.2019
It is not the West! Important Tips for Successful PR in China
Lior Varona, Co-Founder and CEO of Silkroad

Chinese citizens are known as large consumers of media. The social media platforms in China are high up on the scale in terms of daily usage and exposure to social media, with both digital and traditional media leading the rates that are larger than any other corresponding figures in western countri...
07.04.2019
Secondary Deals in Israel, what are they and who are they good for?
Gidi Shalom Bendor, CEO of S-Cube

In the past few years there has been an increase in secondary fund raising globally and in Israel. Secondary funds are a foundation that purchases existing shares from existingshareholders, as opposed to a regular investment which purchases a holding of a startup company by issuing new shares in ret...
01.04.2019
6 Tips for Entering the U.S. Market Through Arizona
Nitsan Naidorf, Adv.- Director, Israel Offices Arizona Israel Technology Alliance

Entering the U.S. market can be challenging to say the least. Be it for research & development, joint ventures, customer acquisition or even a comprehensive understanding of where to open a U.S. office, there is one key ingredient that will expedite success to an Israeli companies’ growth:...
24.03.2019
Why You Need To Leverage These 4 Digital Lead Generation Channels For Your Startup
Fran Jakubowicz, CEO of SunHouse Marketing

Whether you are at the startup funding stage and need to get in front of investors or your company is ready to go to market and you need to get in front of customers, you need to have a lead generation strategy that will engage decision makers and get them into a lead funnel. In an increasingly crow...
24.03.2019
Equity Plans in Grown-Up Startups – Insights from New Equity Compensation Survey
Sarig Gafny, Managing Partner at Zviran, and Odelia Pollak, CEO at ESOP - EXCELLENCE

Much like a child reaching adulthood, startups that have grown up, having overcome the difficulties of early stages and beating the slim odds of survival, now need to deal with plenty of new challenges.In addition to trading in the family culture and "kumbaya" togetherness for sales targets and deal...
24.03.2019
Branding - A Beginner's Guide for Startups
Michal Gat, VP of Business Development at TitanBrandWise

A Last Minute Thing? From our experience, entrepreneurs will usually turn to a branding firm at the last stages of the product development phase - literally right before the launch.Why?The reason for this lies in the fact that most "creative minds" who lead start-up companies are exceptionally techn...
24.03.2019
Why You Need an Algorithm - Not a Data Scientist
Kira Radinsky, Chief Scientist and Director of Data of eBay

Mark Twain once said: “The past does not repeat itself, but it rhymes.” Although future events have unique circumstances, they usually follow familiar past patterns. Today, data scientists can predict everything from disease outbreaks to mortality to riots.It should come as no surprise, ...
24.03.2019
Starting a Startup: Where to Start - Parts 9 & 10: Red Tape: Registrar of Companies & Head Toward the Exit
Shira Teger, Associate at Yigal Arnon & Co.

This series was written for you: the entrepreneur with a dream. We want to help you turn your dream into a thriving reality by sharing our expertise with you.What follows is a series of articles outlining the basics you need in order to start a startup in Israel; it contains terms you need to know, ...
24.03.2019
Patenting your Invention – The Quick Guide
Asaf Shalev, Founding Partner at Shalev, Jencmen (SJ) & Co.

If you’ve invented something new, that has business value, you've probably heard people telling you that “you must protect your invention”. In many cases, they mean that you should apply for a patent, which is a specific type of protection for an invention. In this article, we will...
24.03.2019
Starting a Startup: Where to Start - Part 8: Equity Incentives (Options)
Shira Teger, Associate at Yigal Arnon & Co.

This series was written for you: the entrepreneur with a dream. We want to help you turn your dream into a thriving reality by sharing our expertise with you.What follows is a series of articles outlining the basics you need in order to start a startup in Israel; it contains terms you need to know, ...
24.03.2019
Pro Pitch Deck Tips for Beginners
Noa Lifshitz, founder & CEO of Noa’sMark

“They made a great deck. But it wasn’t really the slides we liked—it was their ideas, the clarity of their thinking, and the scope of their ambition” writes early Airbnb investor, Sequoia Capital, about the company’s founders on their blog.This single line illustrates p...
24.03.2019
Starting a Startup: Where to Start - Part 7: Sign Here: Basic Agreements
Shira Teger, Associate at Yigal Arnon & Co.

This series was written for you: the entrepreneur with a dream. We want to help you turn your dream into a thriving reality by sharing our expertise with you.What follows is a series of articles outlining the basics you need in order to start a startup in Israel; it contains terms you need to know, ...
24.03.2019
The NDA Guide for the Perplexed
Joeri Kreisberg, Partner at Yigal Arnon & Co

Non-disclosure agreements are a crucial, but often overlooked, tool in allowing startup companies to grow, build strategic partnerships and explore new business relationships necessary to develop their product or bring it to market. These agreements are often short (sometimes only a page or two), an...
24.03.2019
Techtastic - 11 September 2018
Wiggin LLP, Media, Technology and IP Law Firm

None of us here at Techtastic Towers has yet been called up for astronaut training (NASA's casual disregard for our talents is both puzzling and increasingly upsetting) and so we are unable to comment on whether plugging fractures in the International Space Station with one's fingers is included in ...
24.03.2019
Starting a Startup: Where to Start - Part 6: Money, Money, Money: Funding
Shira Teger, Associate at Yigal Arnon & Co.

This series was written for you: the entrepreneur with a dream. We want to help you turn your dream into a thriving reality by sharing our expertise with you.What follows is a series of articles outlining the basics you need in order to start a startup in Israel; it contains terms you need to know, ...
24.03.2019
The 10 Key Negotiation Points in a Venture Loan
Avi Anouchi, Associate at Yigal Arnon & Co.

So you are looking to scale up your business and need to come up with additional cash, but you aren't eager to sell more of your company to investors. Venture debt may be an alternative method of financing your growing company. Typically, venture debt is used to finance growth and provide working ca...
24.03.2019
Starting a Startup: Where to Start - Part 5: Protecting Ideas: Intellectual Property
Shira Teger, Associate at Yigal Arnon & Co.

This series was written for you: the entrepreneur with a dream. We want to help you turn your dream into a thriving reality by sharing our expertise with you.What follows is a series of articles outlining the basics you need in order to start a startup in Israel; it contains terms you need to know, ...
24.03.2019
Starting a Startup: Where to Start - Part 2: Who's Who and Who to Hire
Shira Teger, Associate at Yigal Arnon & Co.

A primer on the basic parameters to consider when establishing a startup in IsraelThis series was written for you: the entrepreneur with a dream. We want to help you turn your dream into a thriving reality by sharing our expertise with you.What follows is a series of articles outlining the basics yo...
24.03.2019
Veto Rights: When the Investor doesn't like what the Company is doing.
Nimrod Vromen, Partner at Yigal Arnon & Co.

The origin of the word "veto" is in Latin, meaning "I forbid". Every so often the word seeps into day-to-day conversion - "I'm vetoing on this", or in other words, "I decide and I am forbidding you to take this action". Such are the veto rights granted to investors infusing Startups with capital. Th...
24.03.2019
Fund Raising Trends in Israel
Gidi Shalom Bendor, CEO of S-Cube

Over the the last 4 years, S-Cube has been conducting the only survey in Israel that is based on accurate data (from actual investment agreements), of over 400 capital financing rounds of Israeli start-up companies that are among S-Cube's clients. In our series of articles, we will present the data ...
24.03.2019
How to Choose the Right Corporate Commercialization Program for your Startup
Adir Zimerman, CEO and Co-Founder at SCREEMO

In my last article, I found that commercialization programs were the best programs to achieve a win-win situation for both the corporate and for the startup. And as you’ll see from my article series I’m an avid supporter of collaborating with corporates as a means of growth for your star...
24.03.2019
Who's Afraid of AI?
Roy Keidar, Advocate and Special Consultant at Yigal Arnon & Co.

Elon Musk is an inspiring entrepreneur. As a self-made person who established himself from nothing, he is considered today to be one of the leading entrepreneurs in the world. He heads Tesla, which has transformed the world of electric cars, and which professes to be the first to operate autonomous ...
13.03.2019
Trade Shows – Preparation is the key : How to manage the ‘before, after and during’ for the best outcome?
Dafna Rolls, CEO & Founder of DRolls Associates. Reading Time 2 min.

One of the best offline methods to increase company sales is trade shows. Using online marketing methods is still highly valuable, but there is a lot of potential for B2B companies to increase their sales and revenues at trade shows when managed correctly. Preparations before the show: Emails &nda...
12.03.2019
How Can Language Solutions Help International Start-ups Enter in China?
Tomer Yehezkeli, Founder of Limpid Translations

Launching a business overseas can be both exciting and overwhelming. From concepts to concrete solutions, the process itself, until you get the results, includes failures and successes, making the journey all the more fulfilling.However, if you’re planning to enter the China markets, you need ...
05.03.2019
Comparing Fundraising Practices by Start-ups in Japan and Israel
Peter Sugarman & Eliran Furman, Corporate Partners at Yigal Arnon & Co.

Unfortunately, most start-up companies are forced to spend far more time thinking about how to get funding than considering and evaluating who the investor is and what that might mean for them down the line. While the various funding sources could have a substantial impact on the future of a company...
26.02.2019
Five Questions for Data Privacy and Security
Eli Greenbaum, Partner at Yigal Arnon & Co

Internet companies navigate through a flood of user data. These huge amounts of data present companies with fundamental strategic decisions – what user data should companies collect? How can the collected user data contribute to the business goals of the company? However a company decides to...
17.02.2019
Are you China Ready???
Simon Weintraub, Partner at Yigal Arnon & Co

There is no question that China is a very exciting market to conquer. China is the second largest economy in the world and is no longer just a place to cheaply manufacture goods. China has become a world leader in innovation, particularly in AI technologies as well as auto-tech, fin-tech, clean-tech...
23.01.2019
An Entrepreneur Becomes a Lawyer to Entrepreneurs
Matt Uretsky, Senior Associate at McCarter & English, LLP

Coming out of law school, I knew I wanted to work with the entrepreneurs and investors in the startup and venture capital community – the people that are shaping our global economy as we enter the “Fourth Industrial Revolution”. I am an entrepreneurially-minded, creative person by ...
23.01.2019
Hey Entrepreneurs!! A Simple Rule and Success will Follow
Ben Weiss, Managing Partner of CE Ventures

As a sports enthusiast who grew up in the era of American ice-hockey legend, Wayne Gretsky, the famous pearl of wisdom attributed to him has always stuck with me “you miss 100!% of all the shots you don’t take”. It is such a simple rule to follow and yet many of us find ourselves -...
23.01.2019
In China, Silicon Valley and Wall Street are only 15 Min Away from Each Other
Yogev Oshaya, Vice General Manager of YQ Ventures

Most of the people in the west are quite familiar with Hong Kong, one of the financial capitals of the world. Hong Kong\'s unique history, geographic location, and its British heritage make it well known worldwide. But just across the border, in mainland China, something more significant is happenin...
23.01.2019
'All the Tips You Need for Registering Your New Company in 2019'
Ron Hadar, CEO of Ettorney

In the next short article, we will review the important things & tips for all entrepreneurs that want to incorporate their venture and make it a real business in 2019. We will answer these questions: 1. How can you save 1,400 NIS in the registrar of company’s fees?2. How can y...
23.01.2019
7 Tips for GDPR Compliance
Netanella Treistman, Partner at Yigal Arnon & Co.

Over the course of 2018, you probably heard – and received many emails – about a new privacy regulation. If you have a company, you have probably realized that the new regulation may affect your collection and processing abilities of personal data. This regulation is known as the GDPR, w...
23.01.2019
The One Skill Founders Forget About That Can Make or Break You!!
Glenn Riseley, CEO, Chairman & Founder of Rialto Growth Partners

If you are developing a start-up there is one skill that will help you reach your potential faster - the ability to sell!! It’s a skill that comes more naturally to some people than others, but like any skill it can be developed. WHY DO YOU NEED IT? When the time comes to build your team and ...
10.01.2019
Starting a Startup - Where to Start
Shira Teger, Associate at Yigal Arnon & Co.

A primer on the basic parameters to consider when establishing a startup in Israel This handbook was written for you: the entrepreneur with a dream. We want to help you turn your dream into a thriving reality by sharing our expertise with you. Throughout our years practicing law in Israel – ...
26.08.2018
Starting a Startup: Where to Start - Part 4: Picking a Supporting Team
Shira Teger, Associate at Yigal Arnon & Co.

A primer on the basic parameters to consider when establishing a startup in Israel \r\nThis series was written for you: the entrepreneur with a dream. We want to help you turn your dream into a thriving reality by sharing our expertise with you.What follows is a series of articles outlining the bas...
13.08.2018
How to Choose a UX Designer
Shai Granot, UX and Usability Expert

'A UX designer is like a good tourist guide. He will accompany you throughout all the development phases and help you cross areas of uncertainty. Choosing the right UX designer will accelerate your execution and increase your product's usability'A UX Designer accompanies you throughout all stages of...
05.08.2018
Starting a Startup: Where to Start - Part 3: Division of Labor
Shira Teger, Associate at Yigal Arnon & Co.

A primer on the basic parameters to consider when establishing a startup in Israel \r\nThis series was written for you: the entrepreneur with a dream. We want to help you turn your dream into a thriving reality by sharing our expertise with you.What follows is a series of articles outlining the bas...
23.07.2018
Starting a Startup: Where to Start - Part 1: Making it Official: Incorporation
Shira Teger, Associate at Yigal Arnon & Co.

A primer on the basic parameters to consider when establishing a startup in Israel \r\nThis series was written for you: the entrepreneur with a dream. We want to help you turn your dream into a thriving reality by sharing our expertise with you.What follows is a series of articles outlining the bas...
15.07.2018
What exactly do we mean by Secondary
Nimrod Vromen

We all know (or at least we will allow ourselves to act as if we know) what an "Exit" is. We understand that by Exit we mean a transaction, in which the entrepreneurs and the investors of the company sell it (this has many different forms, the topic of which will be discussed in a different article)...
08.07.2018
Preferred Shares - and the Preferred Rights they grant Investors
Nimrod Vromen

A share is a security which grants ownership in a portion of a company, the right to vote in shareholder meetings, and the right to participate in the distribution of dividends. In the beginning, most companies grant founders - being the first shareholders in the company - one class of shares, ordin...
24.06.2018
Buy American, Hire American. That’s the spirit.
Jennifer Schear, Founding Partner of Schear Immigration Law Firm

On January 20, 2017, the Israeli and VC communities pushed the panic button. During the days and weeks leading up to, and following Trump’s inauguration, I received many an email from hysterical start-up CEO’s expressing concern about the impact of the new administration’s policies...
17.06.2018
Choosing a Jurisdiction to go International
Maria Govorukhina, Commercial director at CIS Management B.V.

When you are starting a business, and there is already a brilliant idea in front of you, ready to be turned into magic, it is important to seize the moment and seriously think over the structure of your future business.What are your future goals?Where do you intend to grow?Which markets do you inten...
10.06.2018
How Much Company Can You Buy for $1M?
Gidi Shalom Bendor, CEO of S-Cube

Following our last article, over the past 4 years, S-Cube has been conducting the only survey in Israel that is based on accurate data (from actual investment agreements), of over 400 capital financing rounds of Israeli start-up companies that are among S-Cube's clients. In this article, S-Cube will...
30.05.2018
Connecting the Startup Nation to the Land Down Under
Omri Wislizki, Australian Landing Pad Manager at Austrade

If you have been reading the local Israeli tech news in the last 2 years, you could not have missed the news about the growing Israel Australia relationship, as both countries recognize their shared strategic interests in the future. Israeli companies and VC’s raising funds from Australian LP&...
21.05.2018
Choosing the Right Startups for your Commercialization Program
Adir Zimerman, CEO and Co-Founder at SCREEMO

In a previous article, I concluded that commercialization programs are the best platform for cooperations between startups and corporates since it plays to the corporate strengths by giving access to their business units and creates a first mover advantage for the corporate running the program. In t...
16.05.2018
“Give me “Market” or give me death!!”
Yisrael Spero, Advocate & Managing Partner

My firm just finalized another successful VC investment transaction. I should be happy, right? Well… guess what – I’m not.It’s not because we didn’t do a good job – since I believe we did. It’s not because the clients were a pain – because they really...
14.05.2018
Y\Tech Runway's Tipping Point Corner
YTech Editor

Welcome to YTech Runway's Tipping Point corner!This page is YTech's attempt at making The Tipping Point, a podcast for entrepreneurs by entrepreneurs, aiming at helping entrepreneurs and innovators overcome obstacles that get in their way by sharing their knowledge with one another – available...
06.05.2018
The Corporate Dilemma - Incubator? Accelerator? Or Commercialization Program?
Adir Zimerman, CEO and Co-Founder at SCREEMO

In previous years it was common for corporates to cooperate with startups through two means: corporate venture capital or via a strategic partnership. Today there are various different forms of corporate programs that can be found all around the world: incubators, accelerators, and commercialization...
15.04.2018
5 Reasons Startups Win when Collaborating with Corporates
Adir Zimerman, CEO and Co-Founder at SCREEMO

As a startup, finding your first customers, the early adopters, that will test, validate and help you to iterate till perfection is hard. While the entrepreneurial instinct would say to start with a bottom-up approach beginning with small customers and working your way up to the top, I would like to...
15.04.2018
3 Reasons Corporates Win when Working with Startups
Adir Zimerman, CEO and Co-Founder at SCREEMO

In order to keep up with evolving consumer needs and to stay relevant, corporates have to innovate. Or die. With innovation and risk-taking not being a fundamental component of a corporates ideology or methodology, they can only achieve this by building strategic relationships with partners who not ...
01.04.2018
Startup Companies – Obtaining Venture Loan/Term Loan Credit
Itzik Lev, Partner and CFO at Nextage

Having served as the CFO of a number of Startups for over a decade, I have taken part in dozens of credit transactions, in an aggregate amount of hundreds of millions of dollars, with banks and other financial institutions (as further described below). We consistently obtained lines of credit of mil...
11.03.2018
What does work? The human factor and its importance to a Startup’s success
Noa Matz, Founder of TeamDiligent

The most common and interesting question for entrepreneurs today (after 'how to get an investment') is ‘why Startups fail’ and how do they avoid falling to the painful and cruel statistics of startups graveyard. In 2014, a fascinating analysis was conducted at CBinsights, a tech market i...
25.02.2018
Sorry, Finders...
Nimrod Vromen

A founder-CEO (let's call him Tom) just arrived at his first tech conference, together with his team. The company has been in stealth mode for the last 4 months developing VShopper, a platform that allows brands to create virtual shops on a template VR shopping experience, "Wix for VR" if you will.T...
24.02.2018
Product Management Essentials: Corporate vs. Startup Prioritization
Ido Yablonka

IntroductionWhile Israel has been blessed with a remarkable engineering talent pool, surprisingly, it is only in recent years that the local software industry succeeded in bridging a significant gap regarding product management. This gap resulted, inter alia, from conceptual reasons - lack of manage...
LOAD MORE
This website uses cookie
We use cookies, tags and similar technologies to recognize your preferences and effectively administer the Websites. We use the information we collect to enhance your visit to the Websites and provide you with information tailored to your interests. You may elect to disable cookies, however, doing so may affect your use of some portions of the Websites. For more information about our cookies and how to disable the cookies, click here , otherwise, please ACCEPT.
Accept