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Start-Up Nation Paperback – Illustrated, September 7, 2011

by Dan Senor (Author), Saul Singer (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 2,391 ratings
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The authors of The Genius of Israel tells us what the world can learn from Israel's meteoric economic success.

 
Start-Up Nation addresses the trillion dollar question: How is it that Israel -- a country of 7.1 million, only 60 years old, surrounded by enemies, in a constant state of war since its founding, with no natural resources-- produces more start-up companies than large, peaceful, and stable nations like Japan, China, India, Korea, Canada and the UK?

With the savvy of foreign policy insiders, Senor and Singer examine the lessons of the country's adversity-driven culture, which flattens hierarchy and elevates informality-- all backed up by government policies focused on innovation. In a world where economies as diverse as Ireland, Singapore and Dubai have tried to re-create the "Israel effect", there are entrepreneurial lessons well worth noting. As America reboots its own economy and can-do spirit, there's never been a better time to look at this remarkable and resilient nation for some impressive, surprising clues.
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  1. Print length
    336 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    September 7, 2011
  4. Dimensions
    5.25 x 0.84 x 8 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    0446541478
  6. ISBN-13
    978-0446541473
  7. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"There is a great deal for America to learn from the very impressive Israeli entrepreneurial model... START-UP NATION is a playbook for every CEO who wants to develop the next generation of corporate leaders."

―Tom Brokaw, Special correspondent for NBC News, and bestselling author of The Greatest Generation

"In the midst of the chaos of the Middle East, there's a remarkable story of innovation. START-UP NATION is... a timely book and a much-needed celebration of the entrepreneurial spirit."
―Meg Whitman, former CEO of eBay

"Senor and Singer's experience[s]...come to life in their illuminating, timely, and often surprising analysis."

―George Stephanopoulos, anchor of ABC's "This Week"

"No one else, in my judgment, has written regularly about Israel in recent years with more clarity than Singer."―William Kristol, Editor of The Weekly Standard

"An edifying, cogent report."

―Kirkus

"A rich and insightful read."

―Publishers Weekly

"Saul Singer's Confronting Jihad should be mandatory reading for anyone, layman or expert, interested in the real Middle East."―Michael Oren, historian and bestselling author of Six Days of War

About the Author

Dan Senor, Adjunct Senior Fellow for Middle East Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, has been on the front lines of policy, politics, and business in the Middle East. As a senior foreign policy advisor to the U.S. Government , he was one of the longest-serving civilian officials in Iraq. He has also served in Qatar and studied in Israel. Senor's pieces are frequently published by the Wall Street Journal. Saul Singer is the editorial editor of the Jerusalem Post, for which he writes a weekly column, and the author of Confronting Jihad: Israel's Struggle and the World after 9/11. For ten years, he served as a foreign policy advisor on Capitol Hill. http://www.startupnationbook.com/

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Twelve; Reprint edition (September 7, 2011)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 336 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0446541478
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0446541473
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 9.9 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.25 x 0.84 x 8 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 2,391 ratings

About the authors

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  1. Dan Senor

    Dan Senor

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    DAN SENOR is co-author of the forthcoming book The Genius of Israel: The Surprising Resilience of a Divided Nation in a Turbulent World, which will be released on November 7, 2023. He is also co-author of The New York Times bestseller Start-Up Nation: The Story of Israel’s Economic Miracle, which has been translated into more than 30 languages.

    He was a senior advisor to former Speaker Paul Ryan’s campaign for vice president and foreign policy advisor to Senator Mitt Romney’s presidential campaigns. A former Defense Department official, Dan was based in Iraq and at U.S. Central Command in Qatar in 2003 and 2004 as chief spokesperson for the U.S.-led coalition. He has written for The Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, USA TODAY, and The Washington Post. In addition, he is also the host of the podcast “Call Me Back” and appears frequently on CNN’s “Fareed Zakaria GPS,” CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” and “CBS Mornings”.

    Dan was educated at the University of Western Ontario, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and Harvard Business School, and is currently a partner at an investment management firm. He lives in New York City with his wife and two sons.

    See more on the author's page
  2. Saul Singer

    Saul Singer

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Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
2,391 global ratings
Business Men/Women? MUST BUY!!
5 Stars
Business Men/Women? MUST BUY!!
I had to buy this book for my Global Management class... as it arrived I was hating the fact of having to read, what it seemed, such a boring book. Guys, I can’t stop reading!! This is such an interesting book. From the moment you open it, and start reading, you just can’t stop [Kind of like that show on Netflix]. Seriously, even if you’re not a business person, but it! It is very interesting and nice to read!!
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Top reviews from the United States

Amazon customer
5.0 out of 5 stars very interesting
Reviewed in the United States on March 28, 2024
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It was very interesting.
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Jason Hensley
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating Look into Culture and Success
Reviewed in the United States on February 7, 2024
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This book feels like a blend of self-help, technology, and sociology. It was a fascinating look into culture and what drives success, but it also was inspirational as it encouraged me to try to implement more of these kinds of successful attitudes.

The only downside of it is that it's now almost 15 years old. I'd love to see an update to it.
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Larry Hart
4.0 out of 5 stars Another side of the Israeli story
Reviewed in the United States on March 7, 2016
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“”””The two real fathers of Israeli hi-tech are the Arab boycott and Charles De Gaulle, because they forced on us the need to go and develop an industry.”””” -------Yossi Vardi, owner of dozens of Israeli startups.

“Start-up Nation” is the story of Israel that you generally don’t hear about unless you are part of it. Israel is known for its religious history, its archaeology and its uncanny military prowess in the face of implacable enemies bent on destroying it. Most people still don’t even understand that Israel is only about the size of New Jersey, and yet, it continues to raise its aura in all matters earthly, intellectually, and now in business.

Published in 2009, by “Twelve,” a subgroup of Hachette Books in New York City, its authors, Dan Senor and Saul Singer attempt to answer the question, how was Israel able to become the number one per capita start up nation in the world?

The Washington Post’s official review probably put it best:

“How can Israel—with only 7.1 million people, (book was published in 2009) no natural resources, enemies on every border, and in a constant state of war—produce more start-up companies than Japan, India, Korea, Canada, or the United Kingdom?”

After dispelling the antiquated and somewhat chair squirming, dismissive, and slightly anti-Semitic notion that “Jews are just smart” they surround their thesis in Israel’s history and other factors not the least of which how it conducts its military, the soldiers who participate and then enter college and then into industry taking their knowledge of military experience with them. This in turn provides for a business climate of innovation and dedication that cannot be surpassed. The success of Israel’s army is literally taken from the battlefield to the business world.

For example, Israeli scientists took the “electro optical device” that controls rockets to hit their precise targets and built a similar, but much smaller camera and placed it in a pill and when taken by a patient can transmit images looking for all kinds of anomalies inside the human body.

There is another startup on an implantable bioreactor developed from military related projects which would replace a defective pancreas in diabetes patients. Complete with the needed oxygen to distribute beta cells in these patients to produce insulin. This invention greatly simplifies the treatment of this disease. It’s planted under the skin in a fifteen minute outpatient office procedure and replaced once a year.

There are dozens of these examples throughout the book.

In a tail wagging the dog scenario these innovations have had a remarkable influence on the Israeli government. Now realizing its potential, casting off the limits of socialist asphyxiation has given carte blanche to this new idea of free enterprise and business acumen, further freeing the nation to innovate and invent.

From the beginning almost to 1948 Israel showed its sense of high tech adventure with the creation of Israel Aircraft Industries in the 1950s, Simcha Blass’s invention of drip irrigation in the 1960s, and Intel’s confidence in opening a subdivision in Israel in the 1970s which has proven today to be the biggest subsidiary of Intel in the world second only to the headquarters in Santa Clara, California.

But the real explosion of Israel technology happened in the early 1990s with the technology boom. Venture capital set about through several innovative methods allowing Israeli companies to begin their start-up revolution. Even though Israel already had Intel and some other international successful high tech ventures, it was really these seeds of venture capital ideas that opened up Israel to a magnificent economic rise. Erel Margalit, one of Israel’s top managers of Israeli startups said about the era, “ Venture capital was the match that sparked the fire.”

Until 2005 venture capital could only be utilized from foreign countries. With the founding of “Yozma” another innovative solution come up by finance ministry bureaucrats gave new impetus into Israel funding its own ventures partnering with other nations, rather than depending totally on them, the United States, France, China, Germany, etc.

What has been created in Israel in the last two decades might be the single most active business caldron in modern history.

Bibi Netanyahu as Finance Minister under Ariel Sharon in 2005 changed the face of the non hi tech investment world with reforming Israel’s finance laws. He “cut tax rates, transfer payments, public employee wages and four thousand government jobs.” At first this promoted labor strikes, but soon the nation began to pull out of its rut by shifting the government sponsor of lending money, one of the last socialist programs still stifling Israel’s economy, to the private sector which opened up whole new industries for Israel to engage in.

Since this review is written seven years after publication and the advancement in both Israel’s high tech and now finance industry, it can only be assumed that what was written then is now obsolete. Israel has gone way beyond that now and has established itself as a world leader with these innovations. Other countries considered more advanced than them up to that time are now trying to emulate Israel’s methodology in start-up capacity.

Although this book shows a different and refreshing side of the Jewish State and is an excellent read, it is not without criticism.

For example, there is a difference between the audible version, narrated by Sean Pratt, and the written version. I read both. Sometimes in the audible it’s a slightly different wording. This is ok except sometimes it happens in quotes. For example, in the quotes in chapter 12 of the soft cover 2010 version, all the quotes attributed to Tal Keinen in the written form are mentioned in the audible book as Yuval Dotan. I’m not sure if this was an editorial mistake or just an oversight and corrected later for the audible version but a few of these mistakes exist in the manuscript. Quotes should be attended to more accurately. I haven’t checked later written editions to see if the corrections or disclaimers have been made.

Another problem is that citations are well documented throughout the book but I was disappointed in that the book is dotted with certain assertions that carry no such citations. For example, on page 214 of the soft cover 2010 edition it says about education in the Arab world and the fact that there are far more qualified women teachers teaching girls than men teachers, teaching boys and this has led to “a gender gap in student performance among the most extreme in the world.” There should be a citation for this and not left to take the authors’ word for it.

But, even with these problems the book is a must read if you want to understand all facets that make Israel go. It’s entrepreneurial spirit is one of the factors why Israel has not only survived but thrived in a hostile environment.

The story of Israel’s climb from relative business obscurity to being one of the top countries with more successful businesses on all the world’s largest stock exchanges than any other nation is as engaging as any Israeli story about survival, military exploits, or ancient discoveries. It is just simply an amazing read.

If you want to know more about Israel than just its politics I suggest you read this book. You will find an Israel which in the future can guide the world to further and further advancements, in computer, and biotechnology, medical devices, movie making, animation and social media technology etc. The list is endless. Do a search on the internet for Israeli inventions and innovations and you will see what I am talking about.

Is this what is meant by the Talmudic command Tikkun Olam? (to spread goodness throughout the world). It just might be.
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Chris Hambleton
5.0 out of 5 stars A Model for Economic Recovery
Reviewed in the United States on July 19, 2010
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I found this book to be well-written and very informative on the subject of not just `how' Israel has come to be a great startup nation, by `why'. The Israeli's have proven once again that "necessity is the mother of invention."

In May of 2010, I was able a 10-day tour of Israel, and was struck by the vitality and energy of the young nation. Everyone we met seemed quite serious about their jobs and busy about them. Not only that, but the people seemed very proud of all they had been able to accomplish in such a short time and under such difficult circumstances.

Before reading the book, I had no idea that so many of our modern conveniences come from Israel, from optical devices to chipsets to agricultural/irrigation technology. Perhaps this is poor marketing on the part of the Israeli's, or maybe they're trying to let their products and innovations speak for themselves.

One of the more interesting examples of innovation was near the beginning of the book, with the "Better Place" car company. The idea of utilizing battery-swapping stations rather than battery-charging stations solves a number of problems that has hampered the electric-car industry.

I also noticed that Israel's entrepreneurial spirit has caused a steady shift away from the socialist roots of many of the settlers towards a more capitalist/free-market, mainly by necessity. The Israeli's have learned that startups and innovators flourish best under free markets, not burdensome regulations/mandates from the government.

The Israeli trait of chutzpah was refreshing to read about, and it made me wonder how much better the USA would be if more Americans questioned more and put their skills and education towards practical problem-solving more. America has many of the same problems that Israel has, but Israel seems more determined to fix them rather than push them off onto someone else to solve.

After reading the book, I have come to believe that it would greatly benefit the United States if we had a mandatory national service for 18-20 yr-olds and perhaps even a 'reserve' national service which gets everyone involved, perhaps for 2-3 weeks a year. Not only would this get more people involved in the task of governing the nation, it would push more private solutions into the public sector and force the government to be more efficient. Also, this policy would help reduce the size/power of the public unions and reduce the federal bureaucracy with many fewer permanent government employees.

Due to their difficult circumstances, the Israeli's have a purpose and will to survive and prosper despite the odds against them -- to do what most said cannot be done. However, will their growing affluence dampen it in the coming years? I hope not.

My Books:  The Cell , The Time of Jacob's Trouble , Endeavor in Time
3 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Joseph Myren
5.0 out of 5 stars AWESOME
Reviewed in Canada on December 16, 2023
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AWESOME
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Krant
5.0 out of 5 stars Must read as it denystifies Israel vs Singapore connundrum
Reviewed in India on November 30, 2022
Verified Purchase
Easy read about stories behind Israel's success in defence and other technologies...why they are ahead of all other developed nations on per capita start up success...
Compared against Singapore and why Singapore is not able to invent and create start up garrison unlike Israel.
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Krant
5.0 out of 5 stars Must read as it denystifies Israel vs Singapore connundrum
Reviewed in India on November 30, 2022
Easy read about stories behind Israel's success in defence and other technologies...why they are ahead of all other developed nations on per capita start up success...
Compared against Singapore and why Singapore is not able to invent and create start up garrison unlike Israel.
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Comprador
5.0 out of 5 stars Muy recomendable
Reviewed in Spain on December 18, 2021
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Muy bueno
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Aurelio Ortiz
5.0 out of 5 stars Muy buen libro sobre una nación emprendedora
Reviewed in Mexico on June 6, 2020
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Antes de leer este libro no sabía mucho sobre Israel; lo básico que uno sabe sin adentrarse mucho o sin conocer la historia específicamente. Es un libro bastante interesante sobre la creación del estado de Israel y, más en específico, de su increíble desarrollo económico como polo de innovación y desarrollo. A veces me pareció que los autores ponen demasiado énfasis en el aspecto militar, sin embargo también hay que entender que las fuerzas armadas son una pieza fundamental sin la cual la historia y el desarrollo de Israel no podría explicarse. Su redacción es muy buena y citan a muchísimas fuentes durante todo el libro. Muy recomendable sobretodo si uno tiene interés en la cultura del emprendimiento, sobre Israel o sobre el mundo en general.
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Milton Viegas
5.0 out of 5 stars Sensacional para entender o crescimento econômico de Israel
Reviewed in Brazil on May 1, 2019
Verified Purchase
O livro passa por diversos exemplos e argumentos para tentar explicar o crescimento econômico de Israel, uma nação minúscula, em território inóspito e cercada de inimigos.
Mesmo frente a tantas adversidades, o povo israelense conseguiu criar uma pujante economia de startups de tecnologia, referência mundial.
Esse livro deveria servir de referência para nossos governantes, estudado e aplicado. Se Israel com tantas adversidades conseguiu êxito, por que não também o Brasil?
3 people found this helpful
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