創(chuàng)業(yè)合作締造中東和平
????贖罪日是猶太歷法中最神圣的一天,是一個(gè)反躬自省、與心靈對(duì)話的日子。逾越節(jié)之前幾天,我與十位巴勒斯坦科技公司首席執(zhí)行官一起度過(guò),共同探討創(chuàng)業(yè)精神。會(huì)談快結(jié)束時(shí),他們邀請(qǐng)我與巴勒斯坦總統(tǒng)阿巴斯會(huì)面,就如何打造一個(gè)繁榮興旺的信息科技行業(yè)提供建議(巴勒斯坦的IT業(yè)目前已有約300家公司,雇有3,500名員工)。這一切是如何發(fā)生的呢? ????一切都開(kāi)始于幾個(gè)月以前,當(dāng)時(shí)馬薩諸塞州州長(zhǎng)德瓦爾?帕特里克率貿(mào)易代表團(tuán)出訪以色列,會(huì)見(jiàn)了多位以色列企業(yè)家,試圖讓他們與馬薩諸塞州企業(yè)締結(jié)更緊密的商業(yè)合作,帶來(lái)更多商機(jī)。他在以色列期間還會(huì)見(jiàn)了部分巴勒斯坦企業(yè)家,邀請(qǐng)他們來(lái)到波士頓,與當(dāng)?shù)仄髽I(yè)建立更密切的關(guān)系。上周,這些企業(yè)家接受了他的邀請(qǐng)。 ????實(shí)話說(shuō),當(dāng)我受邀向巴勒斯坦代表團(tuán)發(fā)表講話時(shí),我有些猶豫。你得知道,我的父親是個(gè)大屠殺幸存者,在特拉維夫上的高中;我的孩子們就讀猶太日校,學(xué)習(xí)希伯來(lái)語(yǔ),他們和我一樣,從小就被培養(yǎng)成為堅(jiān)定的猶太復(fù)國(guó)主義者;我向美國(guó)以色列公共事務(wù)委員會(huì)(AIPAC)捐贈(zèng),還支持本地的猶太協(xié)會(huì)——聯(lián)合猶太慈善總會(huì)(CJP)。盡管我強(qiáng)烈支持巴以分治的方案,我擔(dān)心反猶主義在中東仍然十分猖獗,對(duì)以色列和猶太人的妖魔化又出現(xiàn)了新的高潮,令人擔(dān)憂。因此,接受這一邀請(qǐng)前我捫心自問(wèn):巴勒斯坦信息科技產(chǎn)業(yè)的強(qiáng)大是否有利于中東和平?如果下一個(gè)Skype或LogMeIn的締造者家住巴勒斯坦拉姆安拉,而不是瑞士或匈牙利,會(huì)是一件好事嗎? ????我的結(jié)論是:100%有利。與巴勒斯坦首席執(zhí)行官代表團(tuán)會(huì)面后,我敢說(shuō):200%有利。 ????托馬斯?弗里德曼最近曾說(shuō)過(guò),對(duì)抗貧困的最有效武器是創(chuàng)業(yè)精神。我覺(jué)得,創(chuàng)業(yè)精神同樣是締造和平的一劑良藥。如果以色列人和巴勒斯坦人忙于進(jìn)行商業(yè)合作,為兩國(guó)人民創(chuàng)造就業(yè)機(jī)會(huì)和財(cái)富,將會(huì)顯著緩解失業(yè)以及機(jī)會(huì)缺乏帶來(lái)的緊張情緒。 ????這群巴勒斯坦企業(yè)家讓我極為驚喜——與本民族的許多人相比,他們反倒與波士頓、硅谷和紐約市的企業(yè)家擁有更多的共同點(diǎn)。他們簡(jiǎn)直就像是《科技之星》(Techstars)節(jié)目里走出來(lái)的真人秀明星——聰明、生氣勃勃、雄心萬(wàn)丈,而且渴望成功。他們講述了自己的創(chuàng)業(yè)經(jīng)歷,介紹了各自公司的歷程,我聽(tīng)得饒有趣味。(我還略帶失望地與代表團(tuán)中唯一的女性——見(jiàn)上圖——開(kāi)玩笑說(shuō),他們的男/女企業(yè)家比例與馬薩諸塞州差不多。) ????美國(guó)國(guó)際開(kāi)發(fā)署(USAID)的一位專(zhuān)員陪伴代表團(tuán)一起來(lái)訪,他被派駐在中東地區(qū),幫助當(dāng)?shù)爻錆M創(chuàng)業(yè)精神的企業(yè)實(shí)現(xiàn)更大的商業(yè)發(fā)展。我還找到了一位出生于拉姆安拉的哈佛商學(xué)院(Harvard Business School)畢業(yè)生,讓他加入我們的活動(dòng)?!疚覀兓顒?dòng)的舉辦地就在哈佛新設(shè)的創(chuàng)新實(shí)驗(yàn)室(Harvard's new Innovation Lab),那是個(gè)非常出色的地方?!咳ツ晗募?,他曾為一家名為Padico的巴勒斯坦風(fēng)投公司效力,到處尋找投資機(jī)會(huì)。 ????誰(shuí)知道中東和平談判能產(chǎn)生什么樣的結(jié)果呢?不過(guò),如果這十位企業(yè)家能作為某種參考,那中東和平仍然有希望,而實(shí)現(xiàn)的途徑則是通過(guò)創(chuàng)業(yè)精神鑄就共同繁榮。至少贖罪日那天,我會(huì)在猶太會(huì)堂為此祈禱!最近,以色列與哈馬斯達(dá)成協(xié)議,釋放大批囚犯換取吉拉德?沙利特的自由,或許我們離上述目標(biāo)又近了一步。 ????杰夫?博斯甘是風(fēng)投公司飛橋資本合伙(Flybridge Capital Partners)的普通合伙人,他的Twitter賬號(hào)是@bussgang。 ????譯者:小宇 |
????A few days before Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year in the Jewish calendar and a spiritual day of remembrance, I found myself in front of ten Palestinian tech CEOs talking about entrepreneurship. At the end of the session, they invited me to meet with Palestinian President Abbas to advise him on how to build a thriving IT sector (which now employs 3,500 across 300 companies). How did this juxtaposition come about? ????It all began a few months ago, when Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick visited Israel on a trade mission. He met with numerous Israeli entrepreneurs to foster greater business partnerships and opportunities with Massachusetts businesses. While there, he also met with a few Palestinian entrepreneurs and invited them to come to Boston to establish closer relationships with local businesses. Last week, they took him up on this offer. ????Honestly, when I was invited to speak to the Palestinian delegation, I paused. You see, my father is a Holocaust survivor and finished high school in Tel Aviv. My kids attend a Jewish day school, study Hebrew, and are being raised, like I was, as ardent Zionists. I donate money to AIPAC as well as our local Jewish federation (CJP). Although I strongly support a two-state solution, I worry that anti-Semitism remains rampant in the Middle East and that the demonization of Israel and Jews is at an alarming high. And so the question I asked myself before accepting the invitation was: Would a strong Palestinian IT sector be a good thing for peace in the Middle East? What if the next Skype or LogMeIn was started by a Ramallah-based entrepreneur instead of a Swede or Hungarian, respectively - would that be a good thing? ????My conclusion: 100% yes. And after meeting with the Palestinian CEO delegation, I would say 200% yes. ????Thomas Friedman said recently that the surest cure to poverty was entrepreneurship. I would say the same regarding peace. If the Israelis and Palestinians are busy cooperating commercially, creating jobs and wealth for both sides, it will meaningfully reduce the tension that unemployment and a lack of opportunity for young and old represent. ????I was blown away by the group of Palestinian entrepreneurs – they had more in common with entrepreneurs in Boston, Silicon Valley and NYC than probably many of their own people. They could have stepped right out of Techstars central casting – smart, scrappy, ambitious, hungry. I enjoyed hearing their stories of their entrepreneurial journeys to create their companies. (I joked with some chagrin with the one female in the delegation – pictured above – that their male/female entrepreneurial ratio matched our own). ????Traveling with the delegation was a USAID executive who is assigned to the region to foster more business development with entrepreneurial companies. I was able to enlist a Ramallah-born Harvard Business School student (we hosted the event at Harvard's new Innovation Lab, which is spectacular), to join us. He worked at a Palestinian venture capital firm last summer, called Padico, scouting opportunities for investment. ????Who knows what will happen with the peace talks, but if these ten entrepreneurs are any indication, there's hope yet for peace in the Mniddle East through posterity and entrepreneurship. At least that's what I was praying for in synagogue during Yom Kippur! With the recent news of the release of Gilad Shalit, perhaps we are a step closer. ????Jeff Bussgang is general partner at venture capital firm Flybridge Capital Partners. You can follow him on Twitter @bussgang |