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Business I Start-ups

In 1998, Mirabilis, the Israeli company that created the ICQ program, was sold to American giant AOL for $ 400 million, a sum that at the time was unheard of. Yair Goldfinger was one of the company’s founders, along with Yossi Vardi, Arik Vardi, Amnon Amir and Sefi Vigiser. It was and maps out the way to success for budding entrepreneurs / Yoel Tsafrir 10 Yair Goldfinger, cofounder of ICQ and serial investor, shares his insights on the world of Israeli start-ups,

tips for creating a successful start-up

a landmark moment. Goldfinger himself went on to invest in and create many start-ups, meeting both failure and success along the way. Here are some of his main takeaways from his vast experience in the start-up universe, as well as his thoughts on what gets investors to invest in a project.

business. As an entrepreneur, you’re always “selling”, needing to impress - be it investors, clients, or staff. “Unfortunately, it’s not true that the project with the best technology eventually wins over the rest (and I say this as someone who is a tech-guy through and through). A good pitch can be what leads you to success”, he says.

01 | It’s show business Yair Goldfinger often asks

02 | Partners Creating a start-up is often a sisyphic endeavor. It’s hard to do it alone. Better to partner up - but pick your partners wisely and prefer someone

entrepreneurs: “what market do you think you’re operating in?; they answer “tech, cyber security, etc.”. But the right answer is in fact - show

28 ATMOSPHERE FEBRUARY 2025