Welcome back {{first_name}} … maybe I’m optimistic but I feel we are at the beginning of the end of this phase. If anything, this pandemic has caused an inflection point and a time for us to reflect.

Four years ago, at this time I started this newsletter from my Gmail to keep in touch and find ways to add value to my network. Almost 100 newsletters later (and every other Tuesday since then) YKC was the catalyst for me to start a digital agency, develop new relationships, and hopefully assist you the reader with opportunities to enrich your life. I thank you for your support and joining me along this journey.

The Startup Nation Review is the latest iteration and extension of these ideas and is quickly growing and reaching LinkedIn’s almost 700-million-member global community. It is important for me to spread the Startup Nation ethos and would love your support so please subscribe to The Startup Nation Review by clicking here.

-Mark Twain

Should We All Social Media Detox After The Pandemic? + Zoom Goes From Conferencing App to the Pandemic’s Social Network: There is probably a strong connection between the current mental health crisis (yes, the impact of social isolation is becoming that much of a problem) and the amount of time we are on social. I find myself sometimes aimlessly scrolling through IG’s coronavirus related memes; for some creatives these dark times do serve as inspiration for funny memes. I never feel this is a good use of my time, however. 

Zoom is another example. There has been a general sense of burnout with these calls… and how effective can a call be with so many of those little boxes on it. I know it’s a bit anti-social, but I’ve limited my Zoom calls, it just doesn’t feel the same and I rather wait until we can communicate in person. Will Zoom become the ‘new normal’, even after this phase of the pandemic we are going through ends? If we don’t have a choice it will, but maybe people will opt not to use the platform as a reminder of this difficult period.

A social (and Zoom) detox is tough. Personally, I do spend a significant amount of time on LinkedIn and justify my usage for business related matters and believe it’s the most self-moderated platform. I would like to find new and creative ways to connect with people aside from social; it’s an effective tool to initially connect but you can never really develop a relationship unless it’s in person. Being on social or Zoom feels like eating empty calories, it may give you a sense of being full but not satisfied.

⚪️Human contact is key to our general well-being: This understatement is fueling the mental health crisis we are currently dealing with.

⚪️ Is social necessary? Has being on social during the pandemic been a net positive? We really need to ask ourselves this question.

⚪️ Zoom gone social: With WhatsApp (i.e. Facebook) competing against Zoom, will Zoom flip the switch and become an the next unlikely social network?

⚪️ Call for wellness technology startups to apply for an investment of up to $200K by Welltech1: COVID-19 has taken a toll on humanity and has affected our lives and generated a lot of uncertainty. Wellness technology can improve the health and well being of the general population taking precaution and those under quarantine. Welltech1 believes in the importance of taking responsibility for our bodies, spirit, family, and community not only during the Coronavirus period but as a way of life. Apply here.

⚪️ Space Apps COVID-19 Challenge: Space Apps is an international hackathon for coders, scientists, designers, storytellers, makers, builders, technologists, and others in cities around the world, where teams engage with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s free and open data to address real-world problems on Earth and in space. Join them May 30-31 to tackle COVID-19 using NASA data in this global, virtual hackathon. Register here.

⚪️ The Booz Allen Foundation Innovation Fund: The Booz Allen Foundation has established a $1 million Innovation Fund to turn bright ideas into innovative solutions for the urgent social issues created by COVID-19. From now through June 5, the Foundation is accepting grant applications from nonprofits, entrepreneurs, thought leaders, innovators at universities and colleges, startups and small businesses interested in harnessing the power of data, technology, and diverse intellectual capital to develop solutions that will improve COVID-19 relief efforts and make a difference. Apply here.

⚪️ TikTok: Their Tel Aviv office looking for Sales and Partnership managers to join their team Must have 2+ yrs experience with Gaming & Apps User Acquisition Sales focusing the on the following roles: - Agency Sales (collaborate w/paid UA agencies globally) -Direct Sales (collaborate w/direct app developers) -SMB’s Sales (collaborate w/longtail and SMB’s). Apply via LinkedIn or drop your CV at TLVSalesCV@bytedance.com

⚪️ Hapday Group Virtual B2B Sales Bootcamp: Hapday Group is launching a virtual sales bootcamp for founders, entrepreneurs, and companies looking to build, grow and scale their sales channel development. This bootcamp is a 6-week online intensive experience starting at the end of May and running through early July. It will feature workshops, coaches, and mentors to help you focus your sales efforts on growth. Apply here.

⚪️ FoodFutureCo Accelerator:  The first scale-up accelerator in food, agriculture, and social entrepreneurship that empowers small but established companies (on track to grossing more than $1 million annually) that are providing unique products and solutions across our food system, to reach their next stage of growth. Cohort 7, deadline June 1. Apply here.

⚪️ 8200 IMPACT: Founded by 8200 alumni in 2013, 8200 IMPACT is the first acceleration program in Israel for social technology (social impact) startups, that aim to solve significant social problems through technology in a wide spectrum of fields. This non-profit program was launched in order to harness the human capital of 8200 alumni for the benefit of society.The application season for 8200 Impact is extended until June 30th. Apply here.

Featured Webinar: As Our World Turns: Two Futurists and Their Predictions For What’s Next: Join ISRAEL21c’s Editor and Israel Director, Nicky Blackburn, and a few special guests for a conversation: As Our World Turns: Two Futurists and Their Predictions For What’s Next. They will share their predictions for what life will look like in the realms of fashion, family, economy and more in a post-COVID universe. Tuesday, May 12 at 1pm ET. Register here.

⚪️ NYC Bootstrappers Breakfast Mastermind: The mentors are excited and ready to facilitate their conversations once again. Join entrepreneurs who eat problems for breakfast. At a Bootstrappers Breakfast® they have serious conversations about growing a business. This group offers a combination of brainstorming, education, peer accountability and support in a group setting to sharpen your business and personal skills. Tue, May 12, 8:30 AM EDT Register here.

⚪️ Developing Go To Market Strategies: Their next session for TechDay Town Hall, “Developing Go To Market Strategies: How to be a Successful Leader and Entrepreneurial Success in a Time of Crisis”, will be presented by Mona Bijoor from Kings Circle Capital on Tuesday, May 12th, at 11 AM eastern time. Register here. 

⚪️ Investor Interview with General Partner at Trail Mix Ventures: Entre & Leaders Live are bringing Investor Interview Series showcasing Live talks with Founders, CEOs & Venture Capital Funds discussing the Business, Growth & Network Collaborations. Soraya is a General Partner and founder of Trail Mix Ventures, an early-stage venture firm investing in the future of living well. TMV backs start-up companies focused on ideas that will reshape industries or inspire new ones. May 12, 3:00 pm. Register here.

⚪️ How B2B Seed Startups Should Navigate The New Era? Special Investors Panel: Join them for a Special Investors Panel: How B2B Seed Companies Should Navigate The New Era? VC panel featuring Shayma Sharif, Principal @ NFX, Eran Gilad, Managing Partner @ Scopus Ventures, Pavel Livshiz, Partner @ Hetz Ventures, and Lior Prosor, General Partner @ Hanaco Ventures. Moderated discussion by Yair Laron from Deloitte Catalyst & Yair Vardi from Fusion LA. May 13, 10:00 AM. Register here.

⚪️ 21st Century Brainstorming—Skills to Boost your Creative Problem Solving: Many organizations’ “brainstorming” sessions are like the medieval practice of treating an illness with bloodletting leeches–scary, painful and completely useless. During this interactive one-hour experience, you’ll learn the latest creativity and neuroscience research to help bring your brainstorming efforts into the 21st century. Participants will learn a toolkit of practical techniques that anyone can use to generate more powerful ideas. May 13, 12:00 PM in Eastern Time. Register here.

⚪️ Stoke Your Personal Brand Registration: Join Hillik Nissani, owner of valYou, and Stoke Talent CEO Shahar Erez to learn how to build a personal brand that showcases your skills and experience to prospective clients and mostly - focuses on creating value to your key stakeholders. May 13, 12:00 PM Register here.

⚪️ Startup challenges and the Future of Work: Revolution Ventures Founder Steve Case will give advice to startups on where they should be focusing their time and what distractions they should be tuning out. Steve will also discuss his thoughts on how COVID-19 reshapes how startups operate and new opportunities that may emerge. May 13th at 1pm ET. RSVP here.

⚪️ Breakfast with an Investor: Igor Jablokov, Creator of the Alexa Technology: They’re hosting a breakfast with a founder with a technology you’ve no doubt heard of, acquired by a company that we know you know: Igor Jablokov, Creator of the Alexa Technology, acquired by Amazon. Igor is the CEO of Pryon, an AI company focused on augmented intelligence for the enterprise. Impatient with the gap between technology invention and commercialization, Igor left his career at IBM and founded Yap in 2006. Just five years later, Amazon acquired the company as the foundation for its AI platform, which now powers more than 100 million Alexa devices. Thu, May 14, 8:30 AM. Register here.

⚪️ Leveraging Technology to Thrive in the New Normal: Join SOSA and Startup Nation Central as they discuss how and why the COVID crisis has in fact spurred digital transformation forward, and is now a top priority for companies worldwide.  May 14th at 9:30am ET. RSVP here.

⚪️ DLD Sync | Sir Martin Sorrell and Yossi Vardi: Join them for an interactive conversation with Sir Martin Sorrell and DLD co-Chairman Yossi Vardi on how they are adapting to the new reality, including: digital transformation acceleration for consumers, media and enterprise, inequality and the rise of populism, and the US/China conflict The session takes place on Thursday, 14th May at 11.00 am (EDT). Register here.

⚪️ The Bottle Opener - How Startups Can Engage with The Coca-Cola Company: Join them for a series of global online events hosted by The Coca-Cola Company’s ETA (External Technology Acquisition by Global R&D) and The Builders. Each session will feature a Coca-Cola executives from a different field that will answer the most frequently asked questions submitted by the participating startups upon registration. Thu, May 14, 11:00 AM EST. Register here.

⚪️ Mental Health for Leaders: Leaders can face unique challenges when it comes to addressing their mental health.Topics include grieving loss of normalcy when leading a team/company, the limits of compartmentalization, modeling good psychological hygiene, making room to explore/express/release your feelings in a safe space, and how to practice increased mindfulness. Thu, May 14, 1:00 PM EDT. Register here.

⚪️ The SG Bridge (San Francisco, Tel Aviv, London) and Virtual Business Networking with Eugene Fooksman: For the first time they joined forces with their friends at Startup Grind London and invited member of the founding team at WhatsApp, Eugene Fooksman. Eugene kindly agreed to join us and share the early story of WhatsApp with selected group of entrepreneurs from the Startup Grind networking in London and Tel Aviv. As a big bonus, Eugene will join them for virtual business networking. Thu, May 14, 1:00 PM (EST). Tickets here.

⚪️ Virtual Investor Speaker Series and Networking Event: DownToDash presents a virtual night of networking & learning from venture capitalists and angel investors. They have some amazing speakers that will be sharing tactics and strategies for startups and raising money. Thu, May 14, 7:00 PM. Tickets here.

⚪️ COVID-19 Predictions w/ Quoc Tran, Principal Data Scientist at Walmart Labs: The COVID-19 pandemic has set off an unprecedented flurry of research as we seek to understand the virus and its impact to us and the rest of the world. Principal Data Scientist at Walmart Labs, Quoc Tran, will talk about how we can use data to understand COVID-19 and predict mortality and hospital resource use through this pandemic. Fri, May 15, 5:00 PM. Register here.

⚪️ Shabbat and Schmoozin’ Online: Come join Tribe to unwind and celebrate welcoming in Shabbat together by connecting with their virtual community. Meeting ID: 863 1755 0835 Password: 4UbPmn Dial In: +1 929 205 6099 Password: 615271 Friday, May 15 at 7:30 PM. Join here.

⚪️ Jews + Booze: Virtual Wine: A Not-So-Virtual Happy Hour! We may all be at home, but that doesn’t mean we can’t share a drink together! Join them Sunday, May 17th, for a wine tasting. Select the wine delivered to you, log-on, explore and enjoy some amazing wine from their friends at Jezreel Valley Winery. Sign Up. Choose Your Wine. Say L'chaim! May 17th at 4:00 PM EST. Register here.

⚪️ A Zoom Panel- Fashion: Changes and Opportunities: It has been beyond amazing to have so many of you with them on their first community zoom! They completely felt the love and energy in the virtual room and would like that to continue with more participants and more fashion talks! Next Wednesday, May 20th at 1PM EST. Register here.

⚪️ Startup Pitch Competition #2 - $1000 Cash Prize: Join Entre featuring their 2nd Startup Pitch Competition. Join Entre featuring their 2nd Startup Pitch Competition. 7 companies will pitch to a panel of investor judges and hundreds of entrepreneurs. $1000 Cash Prize & More will be presented to the winners of this Pitch Competition! Click here to apply in the form to pitch at the competition. Wed, May 20, 6:00 PM EDT. Register here.

⚪️ Sit-Down Breakfast with an Investor: Dr. Joel Palathinkal: They’ll be hosting Dr. Joel Palathinkal, venture capitalist and part of a family office that has done direct investments in a wide range of sectors and stages like deep space exploration, lab grown meats, digital health, fintech, AI, B2B SaaS, and Consumer Technologies. He has invested in and advised both funds and early stage startups, and is Associate Partner at VU Venture Partners. Thu, May 28, 8:30 AM. Register here.

⚪️Virtual Venture Capital Speaker Series and Networking Event: DownToDash presents a virtual night of networking & learning from Venture Capitalists. They have some amazing speakers that will be sharing tactics and strategies for startups and raising money. Thu, May 28, 7:00 PM. Register here. 

⚪️ Palo Alto Bootstrappers Breakfast: Come join entrepreneurs who eat problems for breakfast®. At a Bootstrappers Breakfast® they have serious conversations about growing a business based on internal cashflow and organic profit: this is for founders who are actively bootstrapping a startup. The other attendees will all be in startups. It will be a chance to compare notes on operational, development, and business issues with peers. Fri, 8:30 AM PDT. Register here.

Jonathan ‘Yoni’ Frenkel

+1 (908) 616-9776 (Whatsapp)