Israel Hayom on the Aviram Awards

Having helped judge the inaugural Aviram Awards, held by the Israeli foundation and Forbes for Middle Eastern technology-focused entrepreneurs in March, Aurora50 co-founder Diana Wilde spoke to Israel Hayom about start-ups, female founders, getting women on boards and what success means in the Middle East.

She told the newspaper that success for a start-up is measured by the team and culture, not just its dollar value – and that can mean looking at the board.

“When it comes to success measures I don’t think it’s dollar value any more and it’s not just ‘how much do I raise?’,” Ms Wilde says.

One of the things within the culture of the company that is going to make it successful is the team. I think this is the key here.
Diana Wilde, co-founder Aurora50

“It’s not just getting that trajectory, it’s important that we also look at the board.

“One of the things within the culture of the company that is going to make it successful is the team. I think this is the key here. All of those companies have so much purpose, your entrepreneurs are not going to give up when they are completely purposeful.”

She also spoke about the issue with funding for female founders. “It’s something that needs to shift. We need to actually build that pipeline,” she says. “The reason why this matters is that it makes money. Diversity of thought means your value proposition is far more likely to succeed and that is where this becomes a business opportunity.”

And Ms Wilde told the paper that environmental, social, and governance (ESG) are becoming critical to business success in the Middle East as “the new generations” come through the ranks.

“If you want to have that sustainability you want to attract the best talent, you are going to have something compelling since there is a lot of opportunity and there is a real talent war. It’s a real issue and this is where the inclusion piece comes in again.”

Read the full article at Israel Hayom.