For some it is ‘Judaism’ and for others, sadly, it is ‘War’. For me this country is synonymous with ‘Innovation’. Welcome to Israel; where the hummus is better, the passion is palpable, and the appetite for risk is that much higher!

Hi my name is Amanda Joske and I am 27 years old. Born and bred in Melbourne Australia, I have chosen to return to Israel yet again – but this time with a fresh perspective. I came at 22 to finish my degree at Tel Aviv University but this time I come already having worked for years and with a thirst for knowledge.

Being on the career journey that I am on and mixing my entrepreneurial dreams with my interest in understanding the world of investing, I naturally find myself with a zest for the startup world. In my mind, what country to become smarter in than the ‘Start-up Nation’ itself? (If you haven’t read the book I highly recommend it).

So after a month of exploring Israel; eating my way through my beloved Tel Aviv, visiting friends in the Kibbutzim at the borders of Lebanon and Syria and trying to get my Hebrew up to scratch (note I have created a new age dictionary on my iPhone… total nerd) – I am about to begin a few months with OurCrowd.

OurCrowd is an Equity Based crowdfunding platform founded 2.5 years ago by Jonathan Medved to connect investors from around the world to high-end startups.  So many have read about the huge success stories coming from Israel and abroad and now have a way to enter the market – through crowdfunding. Currently there are 70+ startups funded by OurCrowd together with its community of 9,000+ investors.

A bit of a startup nerd myself, I came across this company through my daily reading of ‘Start-Up Israel’ – which is a publication by the ‘Times of Israel’. I used my social media savviness and networking abilities (which for me it is like making friends) to connect with the right people and here I am a few months later!

I had a warm welcoming this week in Tel Aviv to the team, firstly at a conference run at Bank Hapoalim where well known corporates explained to us the importance of High Tech for the Israel economy and aboard. Members from McKinsey & Company spoke on stimulating topics and there was also a fabulous panel on “How Multinationals Interact with Israeli Start-ups” with representatives from Intuit, GE and Lenovo.

This was followed by an early evening event at WeWork Hertzliya. I was very excited to visit two WeWork spaces (if you haven’t heard of this company Google it a leader in the shared work space game now with global presence. This event was called “Heroes Born from the Crowd” and was a fascinating session.

I had electricity running through my veins upon leaving the back-to-back events. The most welcoming bunch of people I have ever come across and I eagerly await the journey ahead. Now to Jerusalem!

AJJ’s tips of the week:

• Hottest restaurant of the week: HaSalon – Tel Aviv high end (only 2 seatings a week) – Wed/Thu). Must check out Diego Sans – Mexican meets Korean food with a twist.
• Funniest interaction: Having to sit on the lap of another intern as the projector took up all the space in the cab. Lucky awkward isn’t in my vocab!
• New discovery:  Brown Beach House in Tel Aviv. Coolest Boutique hotel in TA.
• Coolest Bar: Kuli Alma – An eclectic integration of art, booze and music.
• Startup to be on the lookout for: HeroX – Prize industry, never knew it existed!

Neshikot (kisses) from Israel
AJJ (Amanda Judith Joske)