Capping the year with a bang
This past Sunday Jerusalem saw WeWork’s final launch event of the year at the Hansen house in the Talbiyah neighborhood, in front of a packed house.
The event had in interesting format, where there was a fireside chat-style interview of Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat by renowned investor and VC fund partner Michael Eisenberg. They discussed a variety of topics, most notably the uniqueness of Jerusalem as a tech center and its positioning to become a world leader in the tech industry.
Eisenberg asked Barkat what differentiates Jerusalem, and the mayor responded: “Jerusalem is all about communities. The key is to let communities live as they would like to; this is a big asset.” He went on to elaborate that the tight-knit communal atmosphere provides for an unparalleled amount of volunteer and non-profit work in the city. In addition Barkat stressed that he is frequently asked about security concerns in Jerusalem, and his response is that having solidarity in the Jerusalem community is the greatest security asset: “We have 600,000 pairs of eyes.” Eisenberg mentioned that this is actually a core part of the WeWork mission of creating communities and spaces where people can connect.
Only befitting a city vying to grow itself into a tech center, the mayor spoke about how the municipality is in the process of digitizing its services, despite the significant investment required. He explained that this is about changing ‘design’ and ‘process,’ where new, innovative thinking can be employed, an opportunity to create a cutting-edge municipality. Thus far, building permits have been digitized and a transition has been made from needing to file paperwork with 30 people to being able to do so in a quick, streamlined process online.
Barkat spoke of the growing number of events in the tech space, where there has been exponential growth over the last few years. Daily there are new events and ideas being brought to Jerusalem. Eisenberg and Barkat spoke about how it was not always so easy and conducive; while co-teaching an entrepreneurship course in Hebrew University in the early 2000s they had to break new ground and challenge established principles. Today, however, there is indeed a greater openness to these types of programs. Parenthetically, to illustrate, just this week Hebrew University announced it will be investing in research in Fintech relating to cryptocurrencies. Eisenberg mentioned that two graduates from the original course they taught now work for companies he is invested in.
The event marks continued growth in companies and startups in Jerusalem. The WeWork space is another addition to the growing tech ecosystem, providing more space and incentive for companies to move to Jerusalem. The mayor mentioned a number of other projects that will bring in many more tech jobs to Jerusalem, such as developing Har Hotzvim and the entrance to the city.
It’s only fitting to end off both the year for WeWork and the Jewish year in Jerusalem. Where else do you need to go?
