Female Founders Forum - powered by IVY

Female Founders Forum: An Open Dialogue at Google’s Campus Tel Aviv

 

This week, IVY co-founder, Lee Rotenberg, hosted our first Female Founders Forum, a very special event held at Google’s Campus Tel Aviv. This forum provided a space for successful and driven women to come together and discuss ideas, network, and receive advice from other female entrepreneurs. We discussed a range of topics and current challenges we are facing, from smaller-scale issues like how to collaborate with team members, to larger-scale challenges such as how to fundraise and find investors.  

FFF - round table discussion

Biggest Challenges & Fears: How to Overcome Them

Sharing the “Golden Ticket”

If I share my idea with potential collaborators, how do I know they won’t take the idea and run?

Get past your fear of sharing your idea – many people have amazing ideas but don’t have the drive to actually put them into action. What’s most important is your personal motivation, your commitment and your time and energy. Without these, the idea will never become a reality!

“Be BOLD about your idea – put yourself out there, it’s hard but worth it if you have the ability and the DRIVE in order to make your idea a reality.” Rachel Brender from Pitaya

Maintaining Speed & Focus

As a one-woman show, how do I stay focused and keep my idea moving forward?

Maintaining speed is so important – even when encountering roadblocks, know it is okay to take a detour. Set small goals for yourself (daily and weekly) to keep moving.

Keep going, be straightforward with yourself, be persistent, be passionate!” – Rona Elbaz from team10

Launching Before Product is Perfected

I don’t want to launch my product until it is absolutely perfect!

Lee Rotenberg, explained the necessity of knowing user engagement and user’s wants and needs in order to create the perfect product. Start small. Use the early launch to find your following. Create a landing page, have people sign up for your “product” even if it’s still just an idea. Once you see people are interested, you have leverage. Pick up the phone and talk to as many people as you can. Learn from these users (or potential users) to find out what exactly they want & what they’re looking for.

“The best thing I did was share my product concept in order to obtain feedback from users, grow from failures and move fast right from the start. Create your story.”  Lee Rotenberg from IVY

“There will always be similar platforms and will always be competitors. Make yours the best. Focus on the value you provide, don’t be afraid. Honestly, if there is no competitor, ‘it’s a red light’!”  – Alexis Ostrobrod from Pitaya

Searching for a Co-Founder

My background is business and marketing. I need a co-founder to share ideas and fill the holes I can’t fill myself! How do I find the perfect person?

Rachel Brender, co-founder of Pitaya, shares her experience on how she found her perfect co-founder match, Alexis Ostrobrod: “Go co-founder dating! If the first date goes well, ask them on another date! It sounds silly, but it works. Find your perfect match.” Rachel wasn’t looking for a specific role to fill. Instead, she was looking for someone who had the same drive and passion that she had. Put your name on AngelList, share your dreams and ideas, participate in Hackathons, join teams where you don’t know a single person. Put yourself out there to network and meet new people in the field.

“The right co-founder is all about finding the ying to your yang. Balance is key. Your co-founder needs to balance out your weaknesses and empower your strengths. That’s what makes Alex and I such a strong match – I’m her ying, she’s my yang – and sometimes, I’m the yang to her ying. Oh, and respect. You must respect your co-founder at the core – on a daily basis you’ll come across challenges and disagreements, it’s crucial that both sides openly listen to the other’s reasoning.”  – Lee Rotenberg from IVY

As entrepreneurs, we face challenges everyday. The key is to work with these challenges – don’t let them stop you – think of them as an opportunity to make your idea or product even better than it is already. Us at IVY were so incredibly inspired by the collaboration and dialogue that were created. Looking forward to next month’s forum.

A Google Space - Campus TEL AVIV

IVY at Campus Tel Aviv

IVY - Make Time For Design

Want to get involved?

Apply here for our next Female Founders Forum in Tel Aviv.

Email info@ivymark.com for more information.


Written by Ellie Krasnick