Innovative Fundraising Strategies for a Groundbreaking App

This chapter explores Waze's early fundraising challenges and the skepticism from investors regarding their product's readiness. A clever strategy involving accurate mapping of venture capitalists' home addresses showcased Waze's potential, ultimately leading to successful funding.

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Episode notes

In this special episode of Big Shot, recorded live at the iconic Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., we’re joined by Uri Levine, the co-founder of Waze. Uri is a visionary entrepreneur whose journey includes building Waze, the world’s largest community-based traffic and navigation app, which Google acquired for over $1 billion. Beyond Waze, Uri has co-founded several impactful startups like Moovit (acquired by Intel), FeeX, and Engie. He’s also the author of Fall in Love with the Problem, Not the Solution, a must-read guide for entrepreneurs.

In our conversation today, we cover:

• Lessons on failure and prioritization from Uri’s father

• A clever hack he used to pitch Waze with an incomplete product

• The cultural drive behind the Jewish ambition to create positive change

• The story of the many millionaires created by Waze’s acquisition

• And so much more!

A special thank you to ADL In Concert Against Hate. You can learn more here https://www.adl.org/adl-concert-against-hate-shines-light-heroes

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In This Episode We Cover:

(00:00) Intro

(01:40) How Uri’s father taught him the importance of failure

(04:55) A story about prioritization