9 Israeli startup founders to watch in 2017

The Israeli startup scene has grown exponentially over the years. With the highest number of startups per capita, it’s no wonder the small country of roughly 8.2 million inhabitants has been coined the Silicon Wadi. Move over, Bay Area – there’s an exciting startup ecosystem just 12,000 kilometers away.

While there are many reasons for the emergence of the Israeli startup ecosystem and a lot for the Asian tech scene to learn from it, understanding the DNA behind the leadership of some of these companies can help uncover the ways in which Israeli startups have, and will continue to have, an influence in the coming new year.

Here are nine such startup founders to look out for in 2017.

1. Eido Gal – Riskified

The fintech scene and fraudulent activity have both witnessed enormous exposure over the past few years. One Israeli powerhouse, Riskified, is an e-commerce fraud prevention tool looking to give companies a safety net when it comes to verifying the authenticity of online transactions, as well as a cashback guarantee.

According to Eido Gal, a co-founder, the “…technology directly affects our clients’ profit margins, as well as improving overall customer satisfaction.” Joined by his CTO Assaf Feldman, the team is now 80-strong, and has the backing of leading investors including Qumra Capital and Genesis Partners. With a recent fundraise of US$25 million and the growing demand for uncovering fraudulent activity and for discovering new revenue opportunities for merchants, this is a company worth keeping an eye on.

2. Tomer Tagrin – Yotpo

Yotpo, a user-generated content marketing platform, is led by its visionary leader Tomer Tagrin. Having raised US$22 million in June, Tomer is increasingly determined to fight fake reviews by leveraging the power of actual users as the main source of marketing and sales. When asked about the growing momentum of user-generated content, he said, “The companies growing like crazy and floating above the noise are the companies who leverage their customers and their experience with the brand. Day in and day out we see that companies who are not utilizing customers are going to vanish – simple as that.”

In 2017, user-generated content is going to play an even larger role when it comes to generating brand loyalty. If companies fail to hear from the customers directly, whether as positive or negative feedback, they will fall behind their competitors.

3. Yaron Galai – Outbrain

For anyone involved in content marketing and publishing, it’s safe to assume that you’ve probably heard of Outbrain. Led by the CEO Yaron Galai, who cofounded the company with Ori Lahav, the company has completely changed the way publishers drive traffic, monetize content, and engage readers via a content discovery platform.

In May 2016, the company raised US$45 million and there’s been plenty of chatter about a possible IPO.

Galai’s leadership has helped transform the company into a content discovery empire. Before founding Outbrain in 2006, Galai was the co-founder and SVP of Quigo, a provider of performance-based marketing solutions for advertisers and premium publishers, acquired by AOL in December 2007. Galai’s resume is as impressive as the success he brings to the companies he leads.

4. Orly Itzhaki – Wisestamp

With about 205 billion emails sent out daily, we should probably pay a bit more attention to the way our email appears. Orly Itzhaki and her team over at Wisestamp have definitely noticed an opportunity here: a generic email just won’t cut it. Their professional email signature tool helps email users stand out with relevant widgets and appealing graphics.

According to CEO Orly, while marketing yourself can be a daunting task, every time we are engaged in an email interaction, we have the immediate opportunity to position ourselves more effectively vis-à-vis our contacts and potential clients.

5. Daniel Schreiber – Lemonade

When someone brings up the word insurance, it’s quite difficult to get excited about the concept. Sexy isn’t exactly a great way to characterize this topic. Well, Lemonade, a peer-to-peer insurance company led by CEO Daniel Schreiber, has set out to break this taboo.

6. Itai Sadan – Duda

7. Or Offer – SimilarWeb

8. Eddy Bobritsky – Minerva Labs

9. Ron Brightman – Performance Revenues