Shahar Alster On Selling A Company To WeWork And Now Helping Companies Harvest Retail Consumer Behavior Data

Shahar Alster’s career is a testament to the power of resilience, innovation, and strategic thinking in the tech industry. As a multiple-time founder, Shahar has navigated the complex landscape of startups, scaled businesses, and led successful exits.

Shahar’s latest venture, Ourcart, has attracted funding from top-tier investors like New York Angels, Partam Hightech, Pereg Ventures, and Roni Michaely.

In this episode, you will learn:

• Discipline and resilience learned in the military can significantly enhance entrepreneurial success.
• Moving to innovation hubs like Silicon Valley can provide unparalleled opportunities and exposure.
• Thorough market validation and solving real problems are crucial for startup success.
• An MVP should solve a core problem effectively, even if it’s not perfect in appearance.
• Strategic exits can amplify a startup’s mission and leverage greater resources.
• Continuous adaptation and openness to new challenges are essential in the dynamic tech industry.
• Building a strong, cohesive team from previous ventures can accelerate new startup growth.

 

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About Shahar Alster:

Shahar Alster has a diverse range of work experience spanning several companies and industries. Shahar is currently the CEO of Ourcart, a position they have held since 2023. In 2020, they worked as an entrepreneur, executive, and startup advisor while being self-employed.

Before joining Ourcart, Shahar was the General Manager of the Subscription Product at Yotpo, a SaaS eCommerce marketing platform, from 2022 to 2023. Prior to that, they served as the VP and GM of SpaceIQ at WeWork from 2019 to 2020.

One of Shahar’s notable career achievements was their role as CEO, Co-Founder, and Board Member at SpaceIQ, a SaaS startup providing workplace and real estate management solutions.

Under their leadership, SpaceIQ became an industry leader and served prestigious clients such as Facebook, Uber, Nasdaq, and Disney. Shahar held this position from 2015 to 2019.

At Deutsche Telekom, Shahar was the VP of Technology from 2013 to 2014. Before that, they held the same role at ChooChee, a company acquired by Deutsche Telekom, from 2011 to 2013.

Shahar’s work experience also includes being the Senior Director of Data Center & IT at Bezeq from 2007 to 2011 and the Director of Information Technology at 012 Golden Lines from 1998 to 2004.

In summary, Shahar Alster has extensive experience as a leader and executive in various industries, including technology, SaaS, and telecommunications.

Shahar has a track record of successful entrepreneurship, building and managing businesses, and providing strategic guidance to startups and established companies.

From 2008 to 2010, Shahar Alster studied at The College for Academic Studies, where they pursued an MBA degree specializing in Economics and Marketing.

Connect with Shahar Alster:

• LinkedIn
• Crunchbase
• TheOrg
• MarketScreener

Read the Full Transcription of the Interview:

Alejandro Cremades: All righty hello everyone and welcome to the deal maker show. So today. We have an amazing founder you know founder that has done it multiple times a founder that has built scale raised exited a founder also that has been brought in. You know as an external ceo to ah make things happen. And again, we’re going to be learning all the ins and outs you know from the insights you know of going through an acquisition process into really thinking about how to validate an idea or how to go about you know building an and Mvp deciding on whether it makes sense to raise a b round or to go through an acquisition. And then also on entrepreneurship in general you know because a lot of people think that is about sprinting but it’s more about the long term game so without farther do let’s welcome our guest today shahar oster welcome to the show.

Shahar Alster: Thank you, Thank you? Thank you for having me. Thank you.

Alejandro Cremades: So originally born in Israel startup nation so give us a walk through memory lane. How was life growing up over there.

Shahar Alster: Ah, you know Israel it’s very very interesting country as you can probably hear lately. But you know it was good. You know born in Israel you know, long time ago unfortunately moved to the Us. . you know like um after ah served three years in the military walked 15 years in a technology in local industry in Israel running a technical company in Israel and then I’ve been fortunate to move to the Silicon Valley for like you know. 11 years ran 2 companies, one company acquired by Doche Telecom and another company called space aque also acquired by a we walk and after you know 11 years in the us you know one wife at least for an hour 2 kids I decided to go back to Israel a walk. There’s 1 year as a general manager in a company called Yotpo then recently like a year ago I joined a company hour cart I was brought to. Around this interesting company. Our car is a company that kind of a specialize of understanding consumer behavior in a retail in the other resource companies. So that’s cut that is kind of in a natural. My journey.

Alejandro Cremades: Well, that’s say quite the executive summary at a thirty thirty thousand food view level and obviously as you were mentioning kids you know they are like the best startups. But unfortunately there is no exit and you only get to break even when they let you sleep at night. So yeah now.

Shahar Alster: Um, yes.

Shahar Alster: Um, yes.

Alejandro Cremades: Now, let’s talk about let’s talk. Let’s let’s do a deeper dive here. So the military so you were in the military for about 3 years and that’s a mandatory thing in Israel I guess what? What do you think you learned when it comes to discipline you know because I think that that’s a really amazing. You know, ah, period of time to really learn to grow to mature. What do you think you know you got from the military.

Shahar Alster: It’s a good It’s a great question because as you said it’s right in Israel you know fortunately, or unfortunately you have to go to the military and serve for 3 years and serve the country and I think it’s kind of a nice thing because it’s the opportunity to give back to the country. And but what you can take from that. Especially if you are and you know kind of in combat or infantry units. You can really understand that you have no limits you’re really as a person you have no limits and we as people are much much stronger than we think. You know our limits are much beyond and our mind and our capabilities and we can do much more and you can actually take that and implement that not just for the military you can implement that in life in your crisis because there are always crisis and for me it was. Great thing to do also to implement in terms of business how you can coach people how you can find good people and how you deal with crisis. So I think that’s the main thing that you know serving 3 years in Israel that’s the gift that you actually get in from the military.

Alejandro Cremades: So for you, you’re ultimately the the what you ended up studying you know what’s more regarding economics you know and also marketing What do you think you know like um, got you into the tech industry.

Shahar Alster: So I think just the curiosity you know when when I started in 2099 you know all the tech tech industry was kind of new. It was new to the world. You know the the big challenge back then was to connect everyone to the internet you know today. No the internet or the connection and the network it’s something given we don’t even think about it back then the challenge how we connect more people how we can make sure that every place in the world. Every person. It’s become connect to this thing that call internet. And for me, you know after I studied you of my b and my Nba in marketing I was kind of really curious about how we can just you know share this knowledge and how we connect more people to the internet which back then was again a big thing today. It’s a given you know I can see my kids. Yeah of course internet wi-fi everywhere. But.

Alejandro Cremades: So you were actually for 15 years you know in the take a industry more at a local level when you ended up a running you know one of the companies you know there but eventually you decided to pack the Boxs and move to Silicon Bali what do you think trigger that move and I’m sure that was quite a culture shock for you too.

Shahar Alster: You know, twenty years ago it wasn’t like that.

Shahar Alster: It was ah a culture shock. But at the end of the day Israel you know it’s a great startup nation but you know we have our limits. It’s a small country. You know it like we are like a 10000000 people. It is a small country. We are very good in innovation. We are very good in technology but we have our limits. It’s a small country. It’s a small market and if you really would like to walk in big companies or to do something really big and you know, kind of walk with the big boys if you know what I’m saying so you need to walk for a few counts. Few years sorry outside of Israel and the best thing to do it is you know it’s the us the silicon valley it is the best place in the world for innovation and for people you know in entrepreneurs that they would like to kind of extend their skills and build companies. It is the best place. So I was very lucky to have this opportunity to join to a friend of mine that decided to open a company and hey char you should join me and I packed my family I have a wife and 1 kid back then and was really cut culture shock for me. The first year wasn’t easy, but. It definitely was worth it. I you know my personal again. It’s completely subjective my personal recommendation. It’s every person is to live outside of your country of your comfort zone for at least three or four years you can learn a lot from that.

Alejandro Cremades: I mean I got I got I have to give it to you because I mean when I got into startups I was him you know 2023 or so and I was single no wife no kids I mean now that I have a wife and and kids I mean i. Would be quite the transition. You know I got to tell you venturing into the unknown. So how was that for you because I mean I’m sure that was not easy.

Shahar Alster: It wasn’t easy. All I was married with a pregnant wife with a three year old son and but we moved to a very nice place in Silicon Valley in Sunnyville which. Hard and still. You know have a very big israeli supportive community. So this is important. You know if you if you walk in a place that you know there is a good community over there. It’s still hard but it’s become every day that passing by. It’s become you know, easier. And after 1 year you understand kind of the mentality. You understand the people and you can actually be more focused and walk because you have kind of more quiet at home if you understand what I’m saying so again, it was a culturally shock and we said you know we are moving for 3 years but we stayed for almost eleven years so

Alejandro Cremades: So so that the first rodeo you know, ended up ah being a quite you know they good outcome. You know because the company ended up ah quite being acquired by Deutsche Telecom I guess from that experience. Well.

Shahar Alster: Ultimately was good.

Alejandro Cremades: What kind of disability did you get into the full cycle of a company you know from start all the way to reaching the finish line.

Shahar Alster: Yeah, it’ it’s good because you know it was a really good process because we started like we’ll what 4 or 5 people you know where I wasn’t the Ceo at the beginning you know after only like 2 years you know I started from kind of a. Vp of technology and then I move on talk so actually to manage other part in the company so we started like 5 people 2 years later we were 55 people more customers more customers and in that time the Ceo left and it saysha how you should run the company and then 1 year after that the company was acquired but don’ your telecom. We stayed another year at doche telecom under Butche telecom. So it was the full cycle the full journey you know from presentation almost to a small team to a funding team to a full scale to m and a to one year with a another company so that gave. Me kind of the whole spectrum how you start from almost from nothing and you finish with M And N transaction and that’s really helped us with moving to the signal did the whole cup. The whole did this whole four years four years in total from start to finish for years.

Alejandro Cremades: So Two years two years at the Deutsche and I mean for 4 years especially if you if you count to the. They the time that you guys had to spend Deutsche Telecom doing the vesting and resting I’m not sure how much a resting that was but but I’m sure that that gave you you know some some of an idea on on on what will be the next chapter because the next chapter is definitely one that you took on. You know, starting as the cofounder and Ceo you know, right? off the ah bat.

Shahar Alster: Um, yes, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Alejandro Cremades: And that was with the space Iq So why space Iq at what point you know that’s the idea of space Iq come knocking. How did you go about ballyating it and to make sure that you know he made sense for it and and yeah, tell us about how how you brought it to life.

Shahar Alster: The the block.

Shahar Alster: So let me start by you know at the end of the days after we finished and let say hour kind of 2 or 3 key people at Doche Telecom after we finished our you know time at the doche tech. We said know okay, let’s. Do something else together. We were a great team back then you know and they said well really like walking together. Let’s do something else. Let’s open a company a new company so we spend like a few months of validate just ideas you know how we can do that how we can wear out the area in the b two b wall because all of us coming from the b two b section. How we can help companies small big enterprise companies to do what they’re doing better from network management to security to any problem and then completely by accidents. You know one of the people said hey we have this idea about workplace management and all of us. What the hell is workplace management. What what is that you know we knew nothing about that and we started to dig in a little bit and what we have found we found back then it’s a huge market that no one ever heard about this market workplace management real estate management facility management who cares about that. It’s kind of. You know we have some person you know sitting in the back moving some chairs. What is that so we we you know as more as we dig in to that idea we found that you know there’s a lot of problems and we found an industry that hasn’t been digitized.

Shahar Alster: A huge industry that’s running still with paper and pencil and maybe maybe spreadsheets and we found some companies that try to do something around that and all of them kind of old school companies. Then we said wow there is something big here. But before in actually building our deck and presentation and let’s speak with potential customers and we spoke we interviewed more than forty forty facility managers and real estate managers from any companies from companies from Silicon Valley and companies outside of the Silicon Valley and this is the validation answer to your question and we ask them. How do you do it today. How do you do all those activities today’s what are your problems and then we came back to them Two months later two months later with a mock-ups and it said here’s our solution here’s how we can solve it. And are you willing to pay for a product like that and all of them said yes, please give us this product and I said great we have something we have the full validation. We have the market size. The time is big enough. We have you know competition which is an old school competition and we have. Potential customers that are willing to pay for this type of product and this product can be even involved and become in the more and more and more a kind of rich to our customers and I will stop Iraq and continue the journey but like I will stop here and let you ask more questions.

Alejandro Cremades: So so so in this case, you know how did you guys go about validating to the the Mvp I mean at what point were you guys like okay I think I think we’re we’re we’re into something here.

Shahar Alster: So here is here is our approach on on devp and remember I I had a big argument with 1 of our investors and he said you know your and Mvp should look like that and should look like this and I said look it’s not my quote someone else said that. But. If you are not embarrassed in your and Mvp the way it looks you probably wasted too much energy and time and money on your Mvp. Your Mvp doesn’t need to look need to look that great but he needs to solve 1 problem in a very very good way. So during this interview process when we interviewed all these 40 facility managers and real estate and our potential customers. We asked them. Okay, give me what is your five six problems the men problems the the one that really hurt you and then please put them in some kind of order. And we took kind of you know the first one and sort of got the first one which was the move management by the way we decided that’s going to be our Mvp It’s going to be ugly like hell. But it’s going to be you know something that’s going to solve solve the problem and once it’s actually solved the problem. And once we see people using that we can take it we can design it. We can add the layers of the ux and the ui mainly the ui because you ex come at the beginning and we make it polish and make it clean and make it nice. This is exactly how we validate we lucky us we had customers even before we had a company.

Shahar Alster: Again customers even before we had a company because of this validation process. This is so important this validation process.

Alejandro Cremades: So then so then for the company I mean know you see the company ended up getting acquired by wework but prior to the acquisition you were talking about they are having investors how much capital that you guys raised to to to int until the acquire. The acquisition happened.

Shahar Alster: So by the way, the beginning was really hard for us to raise money you know I had to you know the seed round which was like you know $2000000 the seed round you know back then was a lot of money but still it was really hard because when we pitch. To many vcs to say yeah we have this big problem. The market is big. Okay, what is the problem. It’s the workplace management and all of them. What what is the workplace management and who who cares about that this is cost of done business. So why is why do we should should we invest. In something that no one care we said no, we are bringing. You know we’re taking a market that hasn’t been digitized and that’s the opportunity and we’re doing that and we’re doing this so I think like ah after 25 maybe even 30 you know meetings you know, vertex ventures decided to they believe in us and said you know. We like it. We like the team we already you already have the team from the previous company. We like your energy. We think there is something there so they gave us like $2000000 and to run the company and we ran really fast and 1 of the reasons for us to run very fast because. Was no need to build the culture. There was no need to build a team building. We I took the previous team from the previous company. So it’s the same people. That’s why it’s so important to invest in people. We just took the old team say hey no more digital teleico now. It’s space. Aq.

Shahar Alster: And we focus on that server ran pretty fast two and a half years after we started the company two and a half years the list of the customers that we serve. It was unbelievable from all the big guys. We stole all the big guys. All the big companies. From out from the competition for our competitors you know from tesla to nasda to Facebook from to splunk to slunk to just name it everyone even everyone from the big company that you actually know walk with us. And and the reason I’m happy to talk about it but but kind of in a heart level. The main reason because we came to the industry with fresh eyes. You know we were the only technology company in the industry that the the founding team of this. Um. Company. We are all technology people and we came to an industry that hasn’t been digitized and we ask all the the tough question why you doing like that and we came to our customers tell me what is your problem I already give you the solution. Don’t tell me what you need tell me what is your problem and that’s the big difference and we built completely different products. And our approach was very different from our competition and that because of that we’ve been you know able to actually steal all of ah these ah big customers from our competition.

Alejandro Cremades: So you did the seed and then you did the series a how big was the series. A. So you. So let’s say you were you were at about close to 12000000 and then when it comes down to when it comes to time to do the series b a different turn of events happen and then your approach by wework what happened next.

Shahar Alster: A was 9 9 nine point five sorry um, almost 10 almost then yes yes.

Shahar Alster: So just me precise that so we were about to close the b round about the the b round almost like $20000000 and we were short of ten two million we had a goal we said $20000000 we were short in 2 so I sent an email to the Ceo of wewalk I just met him like you know a year ago to say hey shiva how are you remember me? Shaha we met a year ago we are short of $2000000 for the b round. It’s about to close and do you want to invest and be a strategic partner with us. You know, 5 minutes later he send me an email a shaha great to hear from you are you willing to hear something bigger than investments. Okay, you know, always happy to hear what do you mean. of course I knew what he meant but I said what do you mean and he said and and he said it in a very nice way was a super nice guy. Super smart guy and he said you know we would like to participate it in your kind of duetilligence process like an investment are you’re very small and we are already at the end you can talk with the lead of the fdb round and he said you know what. Let me run the due diligence process and then there are few options if we like you you know we going to invest if we don’t like you we can still befriend if we’re going to like you very much. We just going to buy you are you are you open to that and I said yeah I’m open.

Shahar Alster: So we put it on hold and we sent them all the material we met with them for two weeks and then um I met him in San Francisco the headquarters in San Francisco they have 2 1 in New York one San Francisco and I met him and he said yeah shaha what you’re doing is amazing. And I definitely would like to buy the company and offer some price and we’d start talking about numbers and it said you know shiba let’s put the numbers on the side. Forget about the number tell me why do you want my company I was I never thought I’m going to sell my company so soon and I said why do you want. But seq you’re big. We walk remember that wasn’t in in 2 in 2019, you know we walk back then was the biggest company and you know the big promise why you big we walk would like to buy space aqueue and say your product what you guys develop. It’s amazing and it’s actually fits to our future needs your capability to connect to every data source in every company to take all these data to run your um technology and you kind of for secret source. And to speed out a lot of insight that can really help a big organization. It’s amazing. We would like to do that. So okay, great now. Let me tell you what exactly? What we are doing and what is our vision I went to the white board and I did all of that kind of you know draw on the white boat. We’re doing this. We’re doing that and say wow that is amazing.

Shahar Alster: Have you made Adam Newmann and I said no I never met Adam Newman you should fly tomorrow forget up on the numbers. You should talk with him about the numbers. You should fly tomorrow morning to New York tell Adam Newman what you guys are doing and just go and meet him. Okay, fine on the following day I flew to New York and met Adam Newman he’s really really interesting and charismatic character I met him for like 2 hours and then I met him later on the same night in his house in New York and we shook hands and we closed it in.

Alejandro Cremades: Wow! So how was the um were the yeah were the terms of the transaction disclosed alright or anything made public on all.

Shahar Alster: Yes.

Shahar Alster: So it’s not when public was a really nice deal and let me put it this way. You know it was a very nice also exit for our investors and around four x which is pretty nice after two and a half years

Alejandro Cremades: Yeah.

Shahar Alster: For x three and a half years no everyone is looking for the 10 x but you know three and half years after sorry 4 x after three and half years it’s not it’s pretty good. So of course you know they send a lie and of course it’s always this argument. We win the ball then some of the board and.

Alejandro Cremades: I Know kidding.

Shahar Alster: You know people say yeah Shari you should definitely go and sell it. It’s a good It’s a nice outcome and for us. It’s like forx and some of the other board member which is other investor is a no It’s amazing company why you’ll sell the company. You should take it you know and take it to know and then sell it in a few more years always this conversation but the end of the day we decided to sell it and and the main reason by the way why regardless of the personal outcome which was very nice. It was. We were kept completely independent. So after we walk a chore sptheq you know for the next year we welcome you know completely independent. So my budget was you know doubled in what even I thought I’m going to raise in this b round so we hire more people more engineers more market in Mosel so for us just was amazing. We did exactly the same thing we just with more budget so will really help us to kind of to. Achieve more and we brought more and more customers. So but just to finish that story. But unfortunately as everyone knows probably you know we walk and you know the Ipo didn’t walk you know and they released Adam Newman the Ceo and then they decided. To sell the entire ah list of companies that they acquired we will acquired many companies over the last few years and say okay we shall sell everything and we should just focus on real estate normal technology and then approach me and say okay shaha you need to sell spaceq again.

Shahar Alster: As part of we work I was kind of back then Vp and gm at we walk. So I sold my company again a year later to my competitor as part of wework. So I sold it to so yeah, yeah, really well so they took the company. Of course they took the team of course they released me and said to my wife you know.

Alejandro Cremades: Wow.

Shahar Alster: It’s probably a good sign to go back to Israel after 11 years in Silicon Valley so we use that opportunity. Yeah, go ahead.

Alejandro Cremades: Yeah, no kidding now in your in your case as you were saying I mean you you went back to Israel. You took that opportunity to go back to Israel after 11 years and then 1 thing that you decided to do is you’ve taken a ah different direction in your career. No I mean. Starting with yotpo I mean you joined yatpo where you and by the way you know we’ve had the founder of yotpo to on the podcast. So for anyone interested in that journey feel free to take a look at it. But there you join them for about a year before you know things say you know took a different day path and took you to our card. So. Walk us through what happened there? What were the sequence of events.

Shahar Alster: You know it’s it’s a great question and many people ask me shava why you being threetime ceo join yotpo. No now yo boy. It’s amazing. Company. You know it’s a really amazing company. They are doing very well. But you know for me, it’s all about the team. You keep hearing me saying that a few times and for me going back to Israel after 11 years you know my network was mainly in the us and my network of people of good people in Israel were only in the executive position. And for me to open a startup in this um environment in Israel and to bring in start building this kind of team of good engineers and all of that I didn’t have my network back then again on my network were executive people from you know, long time ago and also I’ve been pro from with one of the one of the venture. One of the. Board member sorry of Yotpo Adam Fisher um and he said you know Shaha there is amazing opportunity in this big company. You just came back to Israel. You know, maybe it’s too much pressure for being a Ceo and a co-founder and moving back to Israel after 11 years

Shahar Alster: There is a very nice opportunity come be general manager build something completely new, but under the umbrella and without the pressure of board and all of that and so you know that’s interesting. Let’s do that and so that was kind of the rationale for me to join a big company even to be. You know one of the management people over there and as an executive person over there I was able to focus just on the execution without you know, fundraising without the board interaction and all of that without some of the pressure some of the pressure. Of course there was a pressure. And then a year later unfortunately this company although they did very well they decided to close the product. The the project story they decided to release like 10% of the ah people in the in Tel Aviv and in the in the us and because of them. The ecommerce status globally they decided okay shahar project is amazing, but we can afford it now. So unfortunately we have to say goodbye and then I’ve been approached by some headhunting. Let’s say shahar there is I know that you were a founder a few times. And a Ceo but there is a company here called a workout a really good company. They are looking for a Ceo and I said okay I’ve never been a Ceo that brought externally you know for me I’m starting from scratch I love that you know from presentation.

Shahar Alster: Execution raising money and m and a hopefully and said okay so I spent some time at hour cloud like six weeks of you know, validate and run my due diligence process to. 1 is the market and what is the opportunity in our workout and last week just you know was 1 year celebration of me in ourout.

Alejandro Cremades: That’s amazing and and and I guess for the people that are listening what what does our car Do what’s the business model. How do you guys make money.

Shahar Alster: So our car is a company again. We are specialized in kind of you know, understanding of consumer behavior and how we do that so we have kind of a technology that we develop a few years ago and continue to develop that technology mainly today with Ai and the other ah good tools that we have up there. What we’ll do we are scanning receipts like physical receipts from people that you know buying in a grocery shop at quittos we know we have this program that you as ah as a person you can upload your receipts. We have the capabilities the technology and to scan that receipt. And by only scanning you know talking about millions of receipts we can scan all the receipts and understand you know the consumer behavior really kind of the consumer behavior in markets in the us in Europe in Asia and that consumer behavioral analysis and data. And you know insights. It’s really really interesting and valuable to our customer which is written. It’s a market research. It’s a big brands. It’s really people that you know ah care about understand what the shoppers are doing. Why they are buying the merchandise. What why they are not buying their merhandise why they’re buying in that grocery or why they are buying another grocery so. There’s a lot of insight and a lot of behavior that you can understand by just reading the physical receipts.

Alejandro Cremades: That’s amazing now. Obviously you know in this case, a little bit different. You know the experience of coming in as an external. So what were some of the things that you did you know in order to like put this thing in the right path.

Shahar Alster: Great. So you know first and when you come to an organization that have been running for a few years you need to understand kind of the major assets. You know what? what areas? what areas of the companies are running well and what areas of the company. They need a little bit of. Different structure and need help and how you can adjust them to the opportunities that you have in the markets. So so as an example, you know I replaced like you know 3 people the Ceo the head of product. Great people really really great people. But you know they were really good of kind of the market that was relevant for us like you know three years ago four years ago and today the opportunities are a bit different so you need people that you know, um, different level of skill set. As example. You know the new cto is someone that’s specialized in Ai and Jen and I can actually can understand you know what are the opportunities that we have out there and how we can implement that to the current technologies that we have same with product how you can. Use the the cpg industry that wasn’t available for us at the company two years ago and and it’s available. So you change some of the key people Although unfortunately we ought to say goodbye to really good people that was responsible for running some of the things in the company. You replace some of the.

Shahar Alster: And then you make some adjustment to the road map of the companies at me understanding the market replace some of the people and now kind of focus on how to even become a better technology provider how you can help your consumer your customer because they are consumer we are customer how you can help them. What. To gain more value in what we’ are doing and once you get that and once you’re a big customers and their consumer. You know, getting more value from your product. You become really enabr for them. They can do your job without you and that’s a really really key and. You know a kind of phase in your journey how you become a must haveb solution how you become nebli and that’s by the way to your previous questions jumping a little bit. You ask you know about the Mvp you know the journey its Mvp and then you become a neblaer then you and become a must have.

Alejandro Cremades: So imagine shahar that you were to go to sleep tonight and you wake up in a world where the vision of our cart is fully realized what does our world look like.

Shahar Alster: I think this wall is looked like in that every brand every major brand you know, even the meatize brand and everyone that you know deals with Cpg. You know and markets can’t do their job if they don’t use our accounts. So. It’s exactly the same terminology like you know if you have a financial person. You use spreadsheet and if you are and you are an engineer you have a Jira and if you have you know you can choose an example that you that you want at the end of the day if you want to be a successful you know marketing manager in any big brand or any major brand to be successful. You need to have our accounts. You need to have our car to understand fully your customer journey. You need to understand your customer behavior even more than that you can even understand other markets and other opportunities in kind of real time without spending millions of dollars

Alejandro Cremades: So shahar let’s say put you into a time machine and I bring you back in time you know I bring you back in time to 2011 you know and you’re right there in Tel Aviv at the airport you know that airport where.

Shahar Alster: For you.

Alejandro Cremades: You are packing your backs. You know you’re checking your backs in and you’re venturing in into the unknown with your with your wife pregnant wife and your 2 3 year old child and let’s say you get on the airplane and you’re able to sit down next to that younger self that is sitting there on the airplane going into. Into you know, achieving the american dream into into America and let’s say you’re able to give that younger self that younger shahar right? there on the spot. 1 piece of advice before launching a business but will that be in why you know what you know now there you go.

Shahar Alster: Can I give 2 advices.

Alejandro Cremades: Ah, for it.

Shahar Alster: Um, the one one believe in yourself no limits. You know, believe in yourself if you ask me shahar you know. Are you going to in a few years to sit with Adam Newman and negotiate with him a tough. You know negotiation about you know the size of the company and the deal structure and all of that I would say me never so always believe in yourself and there are no limits to the things that you can do whatever you can do. You can do much more than that always remember that number 2 patient. Patient. It is a marathon It’s not a sprint if you want to be an entrepreneurship you want to be a Ceo if you want to be a co-founder be patient. Enjoy the moment. Enjoy every day because it’s going to be very long. It’s going to be very painful. Make sure the people that surrounded you the people that you’re going to share this experience you all enjoy walking with them and be with them. That’s important because you know maybe this journey at the end. It’s not going to be worth it and maybe whatever you have. In your vision in mind. It’s not going to be there. So at least enjoy the journey and the the best way to enjoy the journey is with the people that you know sharing this journey with you. Those are my 2 pieces of advice.

Alejandro Cremades: So for so for the people that are listening now that will love to reach out and and say hi. What is the best way for them to do so shahar. Okay.

Shahar Alster: Um, Linkedin you know my Linkedin is always available I can see linkedin.

Alejandro Cremades: Amazing, well easy novel hey Shahar thank you so much for being on the deal maker show today. It has been an absolute honor to have you with us.

Shahar Alster: Thank you, Thank you? Thank you for having me.

*****

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