WATCH: 'TAU gave me tools to understand markets, analyze businesses, build orgs.'

Sunday, 21 April, 2024 • 7 pm Israel Time|12 am EST

Tamar Uriel-Beeri, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of the Jerusalem Post, speaks with Arik Faingold, serial entrepreneur, co-founder of Commit and Pentera, and Tel Aviv University graduate.

Faingold, who has over 25 years of experience in the technology and entrepreneurial sectors, explains that Commit is an IT services company that helps companies fulfill their technology vision. “If you have a vision and want to build something completely new,” says Faingold, “then Commit is the company for you. We take those ideas and visions and break them into the relevant pieces, using our product team to find the right product market fit for the customer.” Other companies, he adds, are using Commit’s services to help them overcome challenges with Big Data, while companies in the early stages of development consult with Commit to help develop their presentations.

Pentera, an Israeli unicorn, is a cyber company recognized as the world leader in automated penetration testing that helps companies validate their cybersecurity posture. Faingold says that Pentera can find the attack vector that hackers will use to attempt to penetrate the company’s defenses and helps company system operators locate vulnerable areas that require strengthening.

Faingold says that start-ups need to consider three factors when developing their products. First, they need to assess the actual market need for the product they are developing. Second, he says, it is essential that company founders put aside their egos and find the best personnel to help run the company. Third, he notes, company heads should continually show their products to potential customers throughout its development, to receive input to better assess the product’s potential fit in the market.

One of the keys to his success, says Faingold, was the knowledge he gained from the Executive MBA degree that he earned from Tel Aviv University. “The tools that I got from there enabled me to understand how to look at markets, how to analyze businesses, and how to build an organization – not just from the vantage point of R&D –  but from the overall point of view of the organization and all its different components. The EMBA I received from Tel Aviv University contributed in two ways. I learned how to do things better from a business perspective, and it helped me find a CEO.”