Uri Gafni is the Founder of the Momentum program for entrepreneurial IDC students, and leader of several educational entrepreneurship programs, including Excel Ventures and others.
What are you working on these days?
I am involved in several educational entrepreneurship programs, empowering young entrepreneurs to create
positive technological, economical and social impact.
I am also co-heading the Excel Ventures Program, an intensive venture creation program within the exclusive Birthright Excel Fellowship and leading the content curation at the State of Mind Innovation Center powered by Birthright.
What was your first position in Startup Nation?
My first position was managing the Momentum Program, a mentorship program I founded in IDC’s Herzliya Entrepreneurship Club.
The program empowers young student entrepreneurs by providing them with professional guidance, mentoring and entrepreneurial workshops to help them develop their ventures and achieve their business goals. It is a voluntary program operated by students, for students, and supported by the industry.
What was your first job ever?
My first job ever was running sales and operations at my great uncle’s construction store (somewhat similar to Ace but “heavier”).
What ‘sales and operations’ really means is a lot of heavy lifting; carrying around piles of cement, organising merchandise along the aisles and helping customers find the products they are looking for.
You learn quite a lot doing that for a while.
What life event or moment affected your life the most?
One ‘shaping moment’ is always very hard to find, but I think this might qualify:
During the first year of my bachelor degree, I applied for several entrepreneurship programs, all of which politely rejected me.
What sucked at first turned out to be quite the shaping moment as it drove me to find my path. Several months after, and with the help of some amazing people we created the Momentum program.
This opened up a whole new world for me and led me to find my true passion.
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