It’s been three years since the VC Cafe debuted as http://goisrael.blogspot.com. And what a ride it has been. We’ve covered hundreds of Israeli products as well as the ups, and recent downs, of the venture capital rollercoaster; ranging from the massive rounds of fund raising, significant exits and, most recently, portfolio company fire sales and layoffs.
For me, VC Cafe is a labor of love and the reason I stay up late at night. I started VC Cafe in New York right around the time TechCrunch launched, after my own experience of founding a technology start up in Israel. Back in 2003, having an online presence or buzz was not an easy task. Despite the fact that we had breakthrough technology that was patented, no one had heard of us and so investors were tight where reluctant to fund us. I decided that there needs to be a platform, or shared space, for Israeli start ups to get exposure, in English, to an international audience of fellow entrepreneurs and investors.
Three years and two moves later, I’m so grateful for the many wonderful people I met along the way. I’ve held interviews, snatched press releases and followed the news religiously. I’ve had the pleasure to collaborate with talented writers and thought leaders. I’m also proud of bringing start up enthusiasts together through the The VC Cafe Network, which is expected to reach 3000 members this week. In terms of traffic, Compete says we passed 10K monthly uniques last month and RSS subscribers are just below 2,000.
I further understood the strength of this communication method during my visit to Israel last week. I was heading to Israel for a last-minute four day visit and thought about organizing a start up roundtable in Tel Aviv with just a few days notice. When I asked around for feedback, several people suggested to not do it. “Too short of notice” and “you’ll be there by yourself” they said. I decided to post an invitation to the event anyway. Two days later, with virtually no advertising, more than 100 people had confirmed their participation; the result was a highly successful meeting of 50 exceptional VCs, entrepreneurs, journalists, and consultants in Tel Aviv last Thursday.
In 2009, I’m looking to take VC Cafe to the next level. I’ll be posting information about VC Cafe sponsorship opportunities in 2009 in the coming weeks. Thank you for your readership and your continuous support. If you have something to say or suggest, don’t hesitate to contact me at eze@vccafe.com.
I'm a former general partner at google ventures, head of Google for Entrepreneurs in Europe and founding head of Campus London, Google's first physical hub for startups.
I'm also the founder of Techbikers, a non-profit bringing together the startup ecosystem on cycling challenges in support of Room to Read. Since inception in 2012 we've built 11 schools and 50 libraries in the developing world.
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