Tag: israel

Seeking to make an innovative change, five friends chose to pause their studies to pursue a dream. While studying Computer Science and Image Processing in the PhD program at Hebrew University, they discovered there was a gap between research in the academic world and what was available in the market.

After the discovery,  Zeev Farbman (CEO), Amit Goldstein (CFO), Nir Pochter (CMO), Yaron Inger (CTO) and Itay Tsiddon (Director of Business Development) founded Lightricks.  Shortly after, Eran Yacobovitch joined the team as Lightricks’ Marketing Analyst.

Well known for their photo editing apps Facetune and Enlight, Lightricks is producing the next generation of content creation tools. Founded as a bootstrap company, they needed to ensure their venture was profitable from the start. Launched in early 2013, Facetune was Lightricks’ first app, and at the time of their launch Facebook had just released the Mobile App Install ad objective. An amazing opportunity to acquire new users and capitalize on their paid application business model, Lightricks built a marketing strategy focusing on country- based burst campaigns.

Beginning with no budget, they invested 500 dollars into Facebook advertising. They were able to optimize their campaigns, and reach top ranks in multiple app stores. The duo quickly learned that this was a great opportunity to acquire new users with the best ROI, so they continued to invest most of their profits and scaled with Facebook – a strategy that is still in place today.

Soon, both Facebook and Apple recognized Lightricks’ accomplishments, the company scaled and Facetune quickly became the fifth most sold app in the AppStore, reached #1 in over 128 countries and was one of Google’s best apps in 2013 and 2014.

In March 2015, Lightricks released Enlight, the most powerful suite of image processing tools on mobile that was recently named as Apple’s App of the Year for 2015. Later that year, Lightricks received an investment from Carmel Ventures that allowed them to scale and make their vision come true faster. The talented team is currently working on 4 new apps, all in the field of content creation on mobile.

We sat down with Eran to get the inside scoop on Lightricks, and pick his brain on Facebook advertising strategies:

1.What’s your ultimate mission?

“Our goal is to provide mobile users with all the necessary tools to create and edit mobile content. We’re currently working on four new products, all centered around content creation and editing on mobile. Aiming to empower the creator in everyone, we continue to deploy research grade technology to create an ecosystem of mobile first creativity tools.

2.What do you love about living in Israel? What do you love about the startup culture in Israel?

“Born and raised in Israel it’s hard to imagine myself anywhere else. I grew up in Tsfat, and never thought I would move to Jerusalem. University is what originally brought me to Jerusalem, and Lightricks is what has kept me here. Jerusalem is the perfect place to found a startup in- there are organizations like Made in JLM that help startups grow, and foster communities, and the city itself is calm enough to allow entrepreneurs to channel their energies to their ventures.”

3.How do you use social media to reach your audience?

“We give our users value with our Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter pages. We’ve found that Facebook is the most effective platform for our goals, and we use the platform consistently to increase our user acquisition. I love the accessibility of social media. Every user has the ability to contact their favorite brand, and we can effectively communicate with our audience and help them better understand our product.”

4.What are your top Facebook Advertising tips for startups?

• “Test, test, test. Channels, targets, creatives, prices, etc. You’ll never know what will work best. That’s pretty much our marketing department’s motto.”

• “Don’t always settle with the currently available tools. It’s not always the easy thing, but if you have the resources and you think you can do it better, build the tools that fit the way you work.”

• “Be sure to use all available ad types: Image ad, video ad, carousel, and others.”

• “Instagram proves to be a very good channel – check it out.”

• “Keep yourself updated with relevant blogs, pages and users. Online advertising and Mobile App Advertising in particular are very dynamic and ever-changing realms.

5.What’s one thing no one knows about your business?

“Our best hidden secret is our garden. We have the best office garden in Israel, and we invest a lot of time and money in maintaining it. Some of our many plants are tomatoes, strawberries, herbs, passion fruit, and many species of flowers. Each month we send an internal newsletter to the staff explaining a new aspect of the garden to them!”

Read more about Lightricks’ Facebook accomplishments here:

http://www.adweek.com/socialtimes/facetune/429375/3

Want to join Lightricks’ team? They’re hiring: http://careers.lightricks.com/

Born and raised in Jerusalem, Yonatan Zimmerman, Co-Founder of ZORE, is no stranger to gun usage. Like all Israelis, was drafted into the Israeli Defense Forces when he was eighteen. He served in a special forces unit, where he spent his days and nights in the West Bank and Gaza.

“During my military service I witnessed friends getting injured. Some were accidents. My best friend took a gun out of storage, thinking that it was empty. He accidentally pulled the trigger and almost shot himself and another commander. This made me think; and I began to wonder how guns could be safer.”

 

Zimmerman set out to work on a solution for gun safety and gun misuse, and in collaboration with Yalon Fishbein, Zimmerman’s partner, ZORE was born as a way to find safe and effective solutions to this international issue.

Most smart guns embed technology inside the gun, drastically changing the product, and making guns less reliable. ZORE is revolutionizing the industry by adding 21st century technological advantages, without changing the mechanics of the gun itself.

Their main product, ZORE X, an external device, is a patented cartridge that locks to the majority of semi-auto guns. Once the gun is unlocked, ZORE X will be ejected upon charge, offering the quickest way for guns to be loaded. ZORE X connects to owners’ smartphones, and alerts gun-owners by phone notification if any attempt has been made to move or unlock their firearm.

“We believe in guns; if they’re in the right hands. We use 21st century technology to help our customers become more aware and responsible.”

The ZORE team uses Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter to connect with their target audience through joining online conversations and forums. Their niche market of gun owners, weapon instructors and journalists, are very active on social media, and Zimmerman explains that it’s a great way to hear consumer feedback, and get free PR about their product. “Social media is a democratic arena, anyone can express themselves and share their opinion”

 

 

 

 

 

 

We sat down with Yonatan and asked him a few questions about his life in Israel, and more on ZORE:

1. How does Israel inspire you?

“In Israel, we experience ongoing terror; we live this reality everyday, so the need for firearms as protection is common. As Jews and Israelis, we value life and safety. ”

2. What is ZORE’s ultimate mission?
“Our goal is to bring 21st century technology to the weapon industry. We don’t want to change the mechanical way guns work, but with cutting edge technology, we can turn the standard gun into a more reliable and safer firearm.”

3. What’s one thing no one knows about ZORE?
“Although everyone on the ZORE team served in elite units of the IDF, we all come from different backgrounds. We’re customer-oriented, and we started our mission with a different direction. Instead of focusing on one problem and building a product specific to its solution, we really evaluated our consumer’s needs and went from there.”

4. What do you love about living in Israel? What do you love about the startup culture in Israel?
“My grandfather dreamed about living in Israel, and I think about how lucky I am to live in this amazing country daily. Israel’s accomplishments in the past sixty years are remarkable! The startup ecosystem here is like a small family. It’s packed with talented, intelligent, and experienced people eager to help one another without expecting anything in return.”

Watch more on ZORE here and support their Indiegogo campaign:

If you’re interested to learn more about their products, fill out their customer questionnaire.

The Power Question to Boost Your Business

By two years old, it’s the only question we have on our mind. Why, why, why? Why is the sky blue? Why do I need a bath? Why can’t I touch that?

Naturally, as we get older, our curiosity weans. We stop questioning the simplicities of life, and instead, get caught up in our common routine flow.

For those of us who aspire to start and run successful businesses or organizations, whether CEO or student, here is a crucial yet simple reminder on why your favorite question at two years old is the most crucial way to boost your business now.

Why ask why?

How do we come up with business ideas? We see a need or feel a lack, and we choose to take action to create a solution for a wider audience. Asking yourself ‘why’ allows you to stay close to the core of your purpose for starting a business. It allows you to touch base with the reason and values where you began your business journey.

As human beings, we share many of the same drives and values – when you share your why, it can connect quickly and deeply with others who resonate with it…and the exact audience you want to reach.

When applying your why to your storytelling strategy, there are two simple steps to take. The first one is to find your why. Take a few minutes answer these questions:

1. What drove you to start you venture?
2. What needs or issues did you see in the world that inspired you to take action?
3. What core values inspired your initiative? What ideals are you passionate about?

These questions are simple. But the answers can sometimes be difficult to find. Putting them on paper can be a valuable exercise for defining your mission and connecting to your core audience.

The second step is to repeat your why to everyone you meet, whether it’s your first meeting with your potential client, or your daily catch-up meeting with your staff. You can never overstate your mission.

From our experience, finding your why is best way to stay motivated, to inspire your staff, to connect with your customers and engage with your followers. Through common ground and shared human experience, you can forge deep relationships that are far more powerful than those created by slick taglines or catchy slogans.

Take the time to find your why. Your what and how will thank you.

To complete the next steps of the BOMAH strategy, remember who your audience is by mapping their ideal locations, demographics, and interests.

To learn more about this step and other valuable social media tips, sign up to receive the BOMAH newsletter or connect with us on Facebook.