The Future Is Now: Oded Eliashiv Of ‘BuiltUp Ventures’ On How Their Technological Innovations Will Shake Up The Tech Scene
Our platform combines proprietary technology with years of experience, company building skills, and in-depth market knowledge. This helps us identify the most promising tech companies and guide them along an accelerated path of growth, while enabling investors to access these opportunities.
It creates a place where investors and startups can come together to launch new technological solutions that may not otherwise see the light of day, as well as enables a more secure financial path for startups. The platform will also democratize the ability of investors to achieve returns — until now, these types of opportunities were only available to an elite group of players.
As a part of our series about cutting edge technological breakthroughs, I had the pleasure of interviewing Oded Eliashiv, Principal and Founding Managing Partner of BuiltUp Ventures, which invests in innovative, early-stage Israeli proptech companies. He is also Managing Partner of B-Seed, an investment arm of Besadno Group that invests in early-stage technology firms. A longtime entrepreneur, he has founded and led multiple startups including EPOS, a provider of advanced digital positioning technology to the PC peripheral, notebook and touch-screen markets.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
As an entrepreneur, I am always thinking about how to come up with solutions for different problems, either for my own companies or others. Over the years, I became fascinated by the potential of crowdsourcing. I was in the process of raising funds for a new equity crowdfunding platform when I met Eli Gross, the founder of Besadno Group, which invests in and supports growing technology and real estate companies. Eli asked me to join Besadno and work with him to restructure the company as well as realize my vision for the platform, which we are now planning to launch in the fall.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
The son of a good friend of my family died in 9/11, which had a strong impact on me. As a result, I became very interested in tech development for emergency evacuation. Approximately four years ago, I saw an ad for SkySaver, an evacuation solution for high-rise buildings. I ended up meeting with Besadno Group, which is an investor in SkySaver. At the time, I was getting ready to raise funds for my crowdfunding platform. However, based on that meeting, I decided to put my platform on hold and go to work for them. As a result, I was able to help other entrepreneurs take their innovations to the next level, along with my own. I opened an office in Tel Aviv and became involved with BSeed, a sister company of Besadno focused on investing in technology firms in a wide range of industries. More recently, we launched BuiltUp Ventures, a venture capital firm that invests in innovative, early-stage proptech startups. Now, I am coming full circle by realizing my dream of starting an equity crowdfunding platform.
Can you tell us about the Cutting edge technological breakthroughs that you are working on? How do you think that will help people?
Our platform combines proprietary technology with years of experience, company building skills, and in-depth market knowledge. This helps us identify the most promising tech companies and guide them along an accelerated path of growth, while enabling investors to access these opportunities.
How do you think this might change the world?
It creates a place where investors and startups can come together to launch new technological solutions that may not otherwise see the light of day, as well as enables a more secure financial path for startups. The platform will also democratize the ability of investors to achieve returns — until now, these types of opportunities were only available to an elite group of players.
Keeping “Black Mirror” in mind can you see any potential drawbacks about this technology that people should think more deeply about?
The investor-startup relationship has traditionally been cultivated through face-to-face relationships, but the move to a “virtual society” could endanger this personal interaction. While there are many advantages to a remote investing platform, particularly in the new COVID-19 age, we run the risk of endangering our social relationships. It is important to find the right balance between the physical and digital world, while keeping everyone’s health and safety in mind.
Was there a “tipping point” that led you to this breakthrough? Can you tell us that story?
An accumulation of experiences brought me to this point, from being a company founder to a mentor, CEO, and now an investor. Having endured all of the hardships an entrepreneur faces– from a lack of funding and cash flow to difficulty accessing markets — I know the chances for any startup to break through are slim. I began to understand the need to do things differently. By sharing our experiences (both good and bad), we have been able to help increase our startup partners’ opportunities for success.
What do you need to lead this technology to widespread adoption?
We need to make sure we have a well-oiled machine, with all of the necessary parts in place. If everything is working together properly, we can create a scalable solution.
What have you been doing to publicize this idea? Have you been using any innovative marketing strategies?
We are scheduling a series of public initiatives ahead of the launch including podcasts, webinars, and online lectures.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
It wasn’t one person in particular, but rather the “crowd wisdom” I have accumulated over the years. I never stop learning from people, and it can be anyone from a seasoned CEO to a young entrepreneur. I think the key is being willing to learn from whoever has knowledge to contribute. This is something I strongly believe in, and it has been central to my success over the years.
How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?
I am using my experience to help other entrepreneurs realize their dreams.
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why. (Please share a story or example for each.)
1. Becoming a successful entrepreneur is much harder than one might imagine.
2. You might fail many times before you succeed.
3. Sharing is not a sign of weakness: As an entrepreneur, I never wanted to let my investors know about any problems I was having with my company. I thought, “I’ll just fix it.” However, they may have been able to help me if I did tell them.
4. You will spend a lot of time running in airports to catch flights.
5. Be less cynical.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
I have always been a strong proponent of sharing wisdom, and I believe that providing your market knowledge to others is key to enabling the democratization of capital, which can ultimately help bring prosperity to more people.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“Show empathy, not sympathy.” This belief has helped shape the way I interact with people in all parts of my life including work, family and other relationships, and made me more understanding and less judgmental of other’s situations.
Some very well known VCs read this column. If you had 60 seconds to make a pitch to a VC, what would you say? He or she might just see this if we tag them 🙂
As the head of a VC (BuiltUp Ventures) as well as an entrepreneur, I would offer the following advice: Don’t be boring. Try to stand out, be articulate, and say something different. You need to show enthusiasm for who you are and form a connection with the interviewer, not just focus on providing data and selling your product. One way to do this is to study the VC you are pitching beforehand, and focus on areas that are relevant to them.
How can our readers follow you on social media?
They can always connect with me on LinkedIn.
Thank you so much for joining us. This was very inspirational.
The Future Is Now: Oded Eliashiv Of ‘BuiltUp Ventures’ On How Their Technological Innovations Will… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
