Inspirational Interview: Fiona Disegni, CEO, Rentez-Vous
Hilla is one of the most outstanding leaders in the Israeli entrepreneurship scene. Her first startup, Whitesmoke is now a public company on the Tel Aviv stock exchange, and she is now CEO and founder of Keydownload. She is also the co-founder of Yazamiyot, a network of female entrepreneurs.
Rebecca Rachmany, CEO of Gangly Sister: So, I’m Rebecca, CEO of Gangly Sister, and I’m here with Hilla, so why don’t you just quickly introduce yourself and tell us about Keydownload and what you do.
Hilla: Brenner, CEO of Keydownload: Hi, thank you, it’s really a pleasure to be here. Keydownload is a company that’s monetizes an advertiser’s special software, so we have very sophisticated BI technology. And previously I was the founder of Whitesmoke, which is on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange today.
Rebecca: So what makes somebody an entrepreneur? Why do you keep doing it? You havd one, now you’re doing another, what makes a woman an entrepreneur, or anyone an entrepreneur?
Hilla: Yes, well, to be a serial entrepreneur is kind of just your character. You have to be a serial entrepreneur if you are one. And I think that being an entrepreneur has just all that that energy and adrenaline and innovation, so many people would like to try it out. But it’s not an easy life.
Rebecca: What if somebody has wants, they maybe have a great idea or they don’t have the technical background, and they just want to get started, what should they do?
Hilla: It’s very difficult to start but I think they key to everything is really having a good partner. I think it’s before education. I think going through the entrepreneurship phase together and brainstorming together is one of the most important aspects of being an entrepreneur. So I would suggest to partner up with people who you feel have the same passions as you about products, about business models, about ways of life and take it from there.
Rebecca: So what was one of the craziest ideas that you tried, that you thought “this is never going to work” but it actually worked.
Hilla: There’s been so many. I think it’s just about trial and error all the time. I think I hired people that didn’t have experience at all in special fields. And some of my colleagues were like “WHAT are you doing?” I think I believed in people and it worked.
Rebecca: So why did you hire them, if they didn’t have the qualifications, what were you looking for?
Hilla: I think it’s all about personality and it’s about passion and integrity, and when people have that and they have high perseverance, I think it works.
Rebecca: I think that’s true, I think you can’t teach someone passion. You can teach someone any skill, but you can’t teach someone to have a different attitude
Rebecca: Cool. So what was one of the craziest ideas that you tried, that you thought “this is never going to work” but it actually worked.
Hilla: There’s been so many. I think it’s just about trial and error all the time. I think I hired people that didn’t have experience at all in special fields. And some of my colleagues were like “WHAT are you doing?” I think I believed in people and it worked.
Rebecca: So why did you hire them, if they didn’t have the qualifications, what were you looking for?
Hilla: I think it’s all about personality and it’s about passion and integrity, and when people have that and they have high perseverance, I think it works.
Rebecca: I think that’s true, I think you can’t teach someone passion. You can teach someone any skill, but you can’t teach someone to have a different attitude.
Rebecca: Cool, Great, and you’re also the founder and head of Yazamiyot, which is a women’s entrepreneur group.
Hilla: Well, Yazamiyot was an organization that was founded together with 3 of my partners to put together a networking system for entrepreneurs, for women entrepreneurs, in Israel. We’re very fortunate because we have great events. And one of our latest programs is a program with Google, it’s called “Campus Tel Aviv for Moms” and it’s where women who are on maternity leave they come with their babies to learn about forming a startup. The second cycle is starting very soon, and we’re very fortunate to have the big companies really support Yazamiyot.
Rebecca: So if a guy were on paternity leave, would you guys consider accepting him to the program with his baby?
Hilla: Yes, because we believe that things are equal, and we actually have one guy starting this semester.
Rebecca: So, has there ever been a moment when you thought, this is all going to fall apart, and it’s just a total disaster, and then you somehow came out of it? Can you tell a little about a situation like that?
Hilla: Well, there’ve been many situations like this. And I think it’s all about keeping your head above water and being optimistic. And yes, when I couldn’t take my company public in New York, in NASDAQ, it was a very sad day for me, and I remember I was completely devastated and I felt like everything around me was collapsing, and everything came right at the end. There’ve been so many, I think it’s about just, Keep your head high and smile.
Rebecca: Cool. I think that’s one of the really great characteristics about you. You’re always smiling. You’re incredibly enthusiastic.
Hilla: Thanks.
Rebecca: People can come to you. I mean, I never came to you with a stupid idea, all my ideas are smart, but I feel like if somebody came to you with the stupidest idea, I feel like you’d say to them “It’s just so great that you’re doing something and going forward.” You just have so much enthusiasm and encouragement.
Hilla: I think when I started off, I didn’t have so much support. I didn’t have role models. I didn’t know if my idea was every going to work. So it’s important for me, it’s a mission, to find entrepreneurs, and to help them grow their ideas, because who knows what the next big thing will be?
Rebecca:Do you think that’s contributed to your success? I mean, do you think helping other people and putting that first has been a contributor to your own success?
Hilla: It’s a very good question. I think that some people really need energy from their surroundings, and I consider myself one of those people.
Rebecca: Cool. So one of the questions that we ask everyone is what if I gave you today, as a gift one hour? Like, everything else is going to happen, but you get one hour. What would you do?
Hilla: Wow! That’s a great gift. That’s a great gift. I would spend it on the beach with my kids, definitely.
About the author
Rebecca Rachmany is the CEO of Gangly Sister. As a high-tech entrepreneur with more than 25 years of experience, Rebecca is a partner in the Microsoft Ventures Azure R&D Accelerator. She has served over 100 high-tech companies and startups in their marketing efforts.
Related posts
