When I was on a technology and entrepreneurship-geared trip to Israel in late 2005, I was struck by one thing in particular. Besides Israel being one of the hotbeds for technology and entrepreneurship (and the country with the most stocks in the US stock market – after the US), the majority of entrepreneurs, in all industries, come from the Israeli army. Now, every Israeli has to serve in the military (kinda necessary when you are surrounded, and constantly attacked, by every neighbor). But what is shocking is that they all came from one of two sources, Talpiot or Unit 8200. I think the combination of nationalism, entrepreneurship, technical training, and military discipline can bring out the best in anyone, and make a difference. As Thomas Friedman quoted, “These are our oil wells.” By training the next generating of technology leaders, and giving them the full backing of their mentors, and government, a country can truly build its own future.
The reason I’m writing this now is an article came out today announcing that Talpiot, the flagship Israeli military entrepreneurship program, is now opening it’s doors to non-Israelis. The draw of this program is amazing, but it leads us to think…
Where is the American program? Where are the American entrepreneurship courses? Why, in the US Government’s (and military’s) staggering brain drain, has anything like these even been attempted?
For more:
Wall Street Journal Article
Talpiot (Wikipedia)
Unit 8200 (Wikipedia)
JPost Article
Spies, Inc. – Interesting book on the topic
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