What makes countries innovative? Why does Israel have more startups than anywhere outside Silicon Valley? Like us to learn.

Why has Start-Up Nation been translated into so many languages? The book is the story of how one small co...
See More untry became innovative. Many of the elements, and certainly their combination, are unique to Israel. So why do so many people in so many countries, despite their very different cultures and circumstances, feel this story might be relevant to them?

We believe that these people – you – are right. The message of Start-Up Nation is not to do it our way but that it can be done. If a tiny country with no resources in an unfriendly neighborhood can do this, anyone can. You instinctively get this, that’s why you are here.

We think any country can become innovative. Actually, this is something we’ve learned since the book came out. We have been meeting entrepreneurs everywhere, from Beijing to Bogota, from Sao Paolo to Sydney, Nairobi to New York.

In each country and city, the circumstances are different. Poverty makes
entrepreneurship tough, but so does wealth – in strong economies entrepreneurs must compete against the temptation to take big company jobs. Some countries have too much order, others too much chaos. Yet what every country has in common is that a few people – it is always a small minority, even in Israel – are natural entrepreneurs.

There are two great pieces of news about entrepreneurs: you don’t need many, and they don’t care if they are different. That’s what makes them entrepreneurs. They often have more common with entrepreneurs in other countries than they do with the culture around them. Every country has crazy people who become passionate about realizing their vision, even their new idea sound bad to most people, and even though launching a startup is extremely risky and difficult.

It’s not easy to be different, but here in Start-Up Nation, we understand. Even better, maybe we can help each other.

Israel’s got lots of great startups, but many of them will fail because they are not tackling the right problems. We’re long on technology, but that’s not enough – maybe not even the main thing. Many technology-centric startups are solutions in search of a problem. It’s usually better to start with a great problem, rather than a great solution.

In other countries, entrepreneurs often have the opposite issue – they have a great problem to tackle and they understand their market, but they are missing other pieces of the puzzle, like how to develop a product and find investors.

Startups are really hard because all the pieces have to come together: the right team, tackling the right problem, with the right technical solution, right business model, great design and execution. We know that no one person has all that so we build great teams. But just as all these pieces can’t come from one person, why should they come from one country? Different countries have different strengths, just like different people do. Why not build on the strengths of different countries?

We in Israel need to branch out and work with people that are better at the pieces that we’re lacking. And maybe there are parts we’re good at where we can help you.

So let’s talk. On this page. Let’s learn about each other. Let’s look for synergies across countries.

We want to learn about the innovation sector in your country. Tell us what’s going on. Tell us what you are doing. We want to post news about the global Start-Up Nation, about innovation that is emerging everywhere. Let’s help each other branchout. Let’s see if we can innovate together.