THE POST . FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2018 NEWS 5 Start-Up Nation: Sharing ’s success story Chinese version of book ‘Israel Valley’ has sold more than 50,000 copies

• By EYTAN HALON Ben-Gurion, was also Israel’s For Cukierman, Shulman very first innovator. and many others attend- Almost a decade after Dan Shortly after the establish- ing the conference, Israel’s Senor and Saul Singer pub- ment of the state, with Israel entrepreneurial eco-system, lished their seminal best- running low on rice supplies, with its ingenuity and inno- seller Start-up Nation: The Ben-Gurion ordered the vation, is also proof of the Story of Israel’s Economic Mir- Osem food company to pro- proverb that “necessity is the acle, providing readers with duce a rice substitute, now mother of invention.” an insight into Israeli inno- known as “Israeli couscous” For many participants vation, there still remains or “Ben-Gurion’s rice,” to coming to Tel Aviv to learn plenty to be discussed. prevent the country going the secrets of Israeli entrepre- The desire to learn first- hungry. neurial success, the unfor- hand about the country’s Two decades later, the Tech- tunate element of necessity entrepreneurial success nion-Israel Institute of Tech- may be the hardest to imi- brought more than 110 dele- nology opened a micro-elec- tate. gations from across the globe tronic institute in Haifa after to Israel this week for the French President Charles de DLD Tel Aviv Innovation Fes- Gaulle imposed an embargo tival, Israel’s largest annual on Israel following the 1967 EDOUARD CUKIERMAN (left) and Prof. Daniel Rouach, hi-tech gathering. Six Day War, depriving the co-authors of ‘Israel Valley.’ Alongside the investors country of essential semi- (Courtesy) and innovators were a num- conductors. ber of experts anxious to share the story of Israel with those eager to learn. Edouard Cukierman, chair- man of Cukierman & Co. Investment House and man- aging partner of Catalyst Investments, last week pub- lished a second edition of Israel Valley, co-written with Prof. Daniel Rouach. Written in French, his book has been translated into Ital- ian and Chinese, and an English version is en route. The Chinese version has sold more than 50,000 copies. “The idea is to illustrate the key success factors of the Israeli hi-tech industry,” Cukierman told The Jerusa- lem Post, stating that he has identified seven key factors in Israel’s transformation into a hub of start-up activi- ty and success. These include the role of government, investment in defense, Jew- ish education, and mandato- ry military service. Telling Israel’s story, Cuki- erman said, is a form of “eco- nomic Zionism.” Even for a successful businessman and former soldier in the IDF’s spokesperson unit, selling Israel’s success story through its hi-tech achievements is simpler than discussing its military or geopolitical sit- uation. “Whether in venture or investment, there are many who like to help Israeli com- panies and invest in the success of Israeli hi-tech. When we speak about Israeli hi-tech and its global impact, that’s an easy way to speak positively about Israel.” Despite being proud of Israel’s success, Cukierman said he wouldn’t want any other country to endure the conditions which led to its achievements. “I explain the role of the military and the experienc- es of the Jewish people. I wouldn’t wish those upon any other country in the world. The Israeli eco-system is very unique.” Israel should serve as a model to other countries, Cukierman added, but a unique replica of the ele- ments of Israel’s success is neither possible nor entirely desirable. Sophie Shulman focused on 70 types of innovation in her Hebrew-language book Reinventing Every Day, co-au- thored with Galit Hemi, to mark 70 years of Israeli inde- pendence. Rather than focusing on the technology itself, how- ever, she focused on the personal stories behind the innovators and the laborato- ry of life in which failure is a stepping stone to success. “Most of the entrepreneurs failed, they almost never succeeded on their first try,” Shulman told the Post, stat- ing other countries should learn from Israel that encour- aging students to attempt to succeed, even if they fail, is a necessary part of innova- tion. “Let people ask questions. Countries need to think about the help they can pro- vide to those who know how to fail, to those who know how to ask questions,” she said. Speaking earlier in the day at the DLD conference, Shulman said Israel’s found- ing prime minister, David