Почему в Израиле более 3500 стартапов, а в Украине... меньше

Буду писать по-английски, потому что мне так легче; если что непонятно, объясню в комментариях.

Israel, a country with only 7.7 million people produces more startups (over 3500) than peaceful and stable countries like Japan, China, India, Korea, Canada, and UK. They are ranked #2 in the world for venture capital funds per capita. Yet, similarly to Ukraine, in terms of the bureaucratic burden facing start-ups, OECD puts it only a few places above China.

To put it in perspective, Ukrainian Economy has a GDP of $6,700 per capita and is largely based on Export of Natural Resources, Israel with a GDP of $29,800 is a Technologically Advanced Market Economy. Ukraine relies on extraction and export of Natural Resources and enriching those who control these resources: Oligarchs and Government Officials. Israel doesn’t have rich Natural Resources, so they rely on Human Resources. It didn’t happen by chance, the country is surrounded by enemy states, and so they have to rely on value added highly technological products and services. Similar situation is with other small nation states with outside threats: South Korea and Singapore.

In terms of society, Ukrainian People in general are divided in the way that everyone is on their own, usually looking for strength in pseudo leaders. Unable to think on their own in part as a result of historic precedent (Poland, USSR, ...), most people are naturally looking to submit to Master (Хозяин) effectively making this a Feudal Society. That in part, explains why Ukraine, unknowingly, is submitting to Russia, or the West instead of becoming an equal partner (like US and Israel). Although being surrounded by hostile enemies from all sides, Israelis chose to submit to no one and fend off wars and constant threats from outside foes. That kind of unity and focus allowed them not only to remain independent, but also to create a world class economy that is larger than all of its neighboring states combined. Similar story is with South Korea and Singapore.

On the personal level, Israelis are audacious in their goals and practice what they call ‘chutzpah’. Do it now kind of attitude. They don’t have some magic powers that investors like Google, Intel and others are jumping through bureaucratic hoops to invest in this small country with a constant threat of war. They do work harder than anybody else; they improvise; they use whatever little resources they have to gain an edge, think creatively. They are backed against the corner, and they ain’t got nothing to lose.

The professional Israelis are very competitive, yet very connected among each other. Everybody goes through mandatory military service before going to university and in the battlefield, they develop character and unprecedented leadership skills. They know exactly when to compete and when to cooperate. They don’t find jobs on the internet, it’s done through word of mouth. So, there is a high level of trust among the members of this community. You don’t screw up there, your reputation is all you got there. For example, whenever a Western University holds a reunion once in 5 or 10 years, Israelis meet for a two week reserve duty every year: patrolling the boarder, taking part in military operations, and so on. This allows them to maintain strong ties to each other and test themselves in a combat situations.

The most important point I wanted to drive from this is how unity and trust has an effect on each individual, community, and the country as a whole. The world is getting flatter and it is harder and harder to make it in this competitive world. Big players like Google, Apple, Facebook, Twitter increasingly dominate the tech world, driving out the competition. But we also have an internet connection, so we also got a shot at it. Not just .UA, I am talking .COM

If you are an IT or Business specialist, the job allows you to maintain a comfortable living. But if you want to be a part of something Big and go beyond the outsourcing ceiling, you need to get out and bond with like-minded individuals to create something new, a product. If we do this in a somewhat organized way, we could create our own Products that will be competitive in the world. We just need a couple of good success that will come out of this new mindset to get us started and inspired. Each additional step should be easier to make.

And there is no shortage of ideas. Later on, I’ll tell about an idea of my own that I think could put Ukraine on a map. It is sort of like a network, and eco-system that relies on mobile and P2P technologies and focuses on solving real problems (not an entertainment or social network). So, there is revenue involved and it’s transferrable across the net.

С уважением,
Иваненко Сергей

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