Business or Coach?

What is in airplanes that make people get much more open than in their regular life?
For many years it happened to me that I meet people on airplanes and after few hours which you spend squeezed on a coach seat, with little room to move, you find yourself wondering , what was it?
How come this person (and sometimes you) opened and shared very intimate facts about herself/himself.
The best allegory I can give to this situation, is like someone is forcing you to stay in a pub (drinks are free) with another person for few hours and you can't move any place as. Another thing that probably influences your behavior, is the fact that you probably won't see this person ever in your life and if you do it will probably will be different.
I heard a story from a good friend (woman) of mine, who met, on a stormy night, when their flight couldn't take off, the guy she spent few years with, after the flight took off from Hungary to NYC.
What was funny in this story is that he was flying business and she was on coach seat and that guy left his seat on the business and moved to the coach one.
And that's take me to a conversation I had with my wife after my last flight (Ams. – Tel Aviv) , there I met a wonderful woman who amazed me by her sincerity, and openness. She told me very intimate things about herself, her family and much more (thank you E. for being so open). My wife was wondering why it doesn't happen to her any more…………..the conclusion was that she stopped flying coach and moved to business!! Its much more convenient, but less interesting. People in business are less open and much more distant………so wake up people (business flyers) be opened with your flight mates , you will that your flight is much more interesting

is Greediness second to Arrogance ?

We spent the last months with many new start-ups. I've got the flashbacks from 1999-2001 when young guys came with idea and a "solid" business model: eye balls. Apparently they were right but a head of time,the prices went sky rocket and we remember well what happened during 2001-2004. But it seems that its coming back once again. This time the model is Google – Ads. Does things changed? Well one might say yes, the entrepreneurs saw the bubble, felt it in their pockets, and they are more mature now……….i am not sure…there is something that always rocks the market…………greediness and that doesn't change, it was ,it is and it will be the key to understand bubbles………..
People care about percentages and not about what they really need, people read headlines and ignore the articles, so pls go deeper try to see over the numbers, choose the right partners, be creative with your business model, and try, just a little to be less greedy (even if you are the smartest/talented person on earth – at least that’s what your mother says) and its better to be a bit more humble than arrogance……….
i also find my self infringe the rule of "not being greedy" and most of the times I lose, and when I succeed I say….."Wow I could get better…….." so the above is also for me…………….

Talking of another bubble?……….the stock exchange (Israeli)…….according to my inner feelings (or wishful thinking? We all talk from our position, aren't we?) I would lower the risk position of my portfolio, I did it and usually I do it earlier than I should………..

Next time some thoughts about managing small seed VC, in a world of giants VC's

the metrix

I found the matrix………….
I believe each one of us, when he/she saw, Matrix 1……2……….wonder even for a short time (at least I did) is it possible?
I found it is exist ………Las Vegas……..i know everybody says its big, crazy, beautiful, artificial……but I think its more than that.
They built a world within a world and although you know it you still got confuse, you can't go off the bitten track no matter how much you try, meaning you can't miss going in/near a casino. the hotels lobbies are the casino and if you want to explore the outside you have to work hard to find your way out and when you do it, you ended up in another one.……….my personal "peak" was when I was in the Venecian ,went "out" to the "Italian square" wondering how could it possible that evening has arrive and than got shocked when I understood that the sky I am seeing is ARTIFICIAL!!!
Talking about artificial, on Wednesday started another parallel show to CES (consumer electronics) : THE - Adult Entertainment Expo , and you bet most of the boobs couldn't get that big or that high without a little artificial help!
I spoke with locals who live and do business there, I spoke with tourists who don't gamble and I found out one can enjoy the good of what the place has: great views of desert, beautiful nature, great in winter, excellent restaurants…….but for most of those who come sit next to the Black Jack tables or the Poker ones, and play for hours with the slots or for the older women who walked half naked instead of playing with their grandsons, I am not sure its enjoyable.
A short confession …………I played Black Jack (total of 3 hours in three days) and lost around 100$ - I gave my share to the system!!!
I can understand people who love it. it fulfills a lot of the western world fantasies for men(and sometimes for women) , you can play penny slots and still got served drinks, for free, by an half naked bunny , you sleep in a wonderful hotels which any where as you would pay twice or more, and you even don't have to travel far to see the world, its all there – NY, Paris ,Venice……..but its all for you to spend your Bucks. I wonder when they will have Jerusalem Hotel…………
I am on a plane to Amsterdam (after going from Vegas to Denver, NYC (stayed a day) ) and later on, back home, an interesting week!
CES is amazing, its was my first time and I couldn't figure out the size, its huge…………business wise it was very good for Mportico (www.mportico.com) ,one of our portfolio companies and I hope to see the results soon.
For those of you who like to explore New York, I found two new places , Bond St. restaurant – a sushi restaurant on 6 Bond Street ( the restaurant bar which located below the restaurant is very cool) and another place with the ugliest people in New York , but great drinks, good Mexican food, and Fridays& Saturdays parties ( south American music and bands) – Gonzalens- Gonzalense , on Broadway two blocks south of bond st. and one block north of Broadway/Huston. In Las Vegas you can try TAO bar and restaurant in the Venetian Hotel.

microsoft/secured dimensions

מיקרוסופט קונה את הסטארט אפ סקיורד דיימנשנס בפחו

after 3 months of hard negotiating with Microsoft Secured dimensions was merge with Microsoft.
for my foreign readers, i am sorry that the article is in Hebrew.
i found my self sitting on a bar in the meat market district in NYC, having a toast with my self !

new york new york

I am on a business trip to New York and Las Vegas, its been a year since my last trip to New York, and I missed the city.
I will update more but for now……………..see some pic – (there will a high record for the Temp. (in Jan) tomorrow - 19© .
In one pic you can see from above the Xmas tree in the Rockefeller center