Blog | Innovation stories, Viva's talks

Oct 29, 2019
1 min

Stories of A Startup Nation

I was invited to give a talk about whether Israel's reputation as 'a startup nation' represents truth or hype. So, I brought a cache of amazing stories and anecdotes and set them up alongside this country's shortcomings. There were wow-worthy stories and hilarious ones. I shared bits of what I'm currently writing about and why these talks are a personal mission for me. I truly love giving these talks! #Israeliinnovation #Israelspeaker #Jewishspeaker

“The” startup nation? Or, “a” startup nation?

Viva Sarah Press

Oct 22, 2019
1 min

“The” startup nation? Or, “a” startup nation?

Is Israel “the” startup nation or “a” startup nation? I’ve always preferred the term Innovation Nation to Startup Nation. But then, it doesn’t really matter what I prefer. Israel is known as the Startup Nation thanks to the 2009 book that turned the world’s attention to the phenomenal innovation happening here. So, I could argue the name but that’s not the point. The question is simple: is it correct to call Israel “the” startup nation? On the one hand, this country absolutel

Viva Sarah Press

Sep 15, 2019
1 min

A side thought or a great idea?

I love finding out where a startup’s great idea has come from. Why didn’t someone else come up with the idea sooner? What made the founders of a startup think of this solution or that? Often, it is one idea that leads to a groundbreaking concept. I recently interviewed a company about a car-tech solution. A brilliantly simple solution. But not really that simple, if you think about it. Their idea was actually a side thought. This is a message I like to put to students: where

Viva Sarah Press

Jul 3, 2019
1 min

What can you do with $100 million?

$100 million. That’s about how much the Beresheet spacecraft mission cost to put Israel in Lunar Orbit. It’s also the sum an international consortium is set to invest in Israeli food tech and agritech initiatives, in Kiryat Shmona. What else can you do with $100 million? A whole lot. Obviously. And when we’re talking about innovation – and a country of innovators – there are oodles of wild ideas just waiting to be converted into global solutions via collaboration or investmen

Israel at 71: Interview on chutzpah, innovation and creativity

Viva Sarah Press

May 8, 2019
1 min

Israel at 71: Interview on chutzpah, innovation and creativity

In honor of Israel's Independence Day, I was asked some questions about the country's phenomenal innovation and creative culture. Speaking to groups about Israeli ingenuity is a mission I've set for myself: To share modern day stories of this country and its people. The innovation in Israel really is great. But you need to know about the people who live here to understand why this is so. Please follow this link to the interview I gave. #Jewishspeaker #journalistspeaker #Is

Speaking to Medill School of Journalism students

Viva Sarah Press

Mar 30, 2019
2 min

Speaking to Medill School of Journalism students

I love speaking to students. This week, I met with Medill School of Journalism students and teachers, who were in Israel to learn first-hand about this country’s challenges and opportunities. They had already met political leaders and pundits galore. I spoke about Israel’s creative and innovative side. It was a Q&A style talk, and the students asked some very insightful questions. Among other things, we spoke about the change in the news cycle and how, today, tech stories are

Lucky to do what I love (aka multiple careers at once)

Viva Sarah Press

Mar 24, 2019
2 min

Lucky to do what I love (aka multiple careers at once)

“You’re so lucky. You get to do what you love,” a mother from my son’s class recently told me. We were sitting on beach chairs, finishing off our picnic lunch. I sat in my chair. I listened to what she had to say. “Yes, I am lucky,” I agreed. “It took me a long time to get here, but I’m here.” Here is being an independent/freelancer. Here is being a journalist, educational clown, speaker and content writer/editor. Here is doing more than one type of work. Being creative in wh

Viva Sarah Press

Mar 20, 2019
1 min

Sharing today's stories from Israel

This week, I made my debut as a speaker with the JNF USA. I spoke about women, innovation, business and Israeli innovation at the 2019 Annual Women For Israel Luncheon in Boca Raton, Florida. The audience was knowledgeable, well-versed in Israel, and full of smart and successful women. When I was researching and writing the talk, I made sure to bring stories with great impact. Fortunately, Israel is brimming with such stories. I love giving these talks. I love the interaction

What role do women play in Israeli innovation?

Viva Sarah Press

Mar 3, 2019
2 min

What role do women play in Israeli innovation?

I am a speaker on the culture of innovation and creativity in Israel. I also happen to be a woman, who speaks on these issues. And so in February 2018, when the JFNA National Women’s Philanthropy requested a talk with women at its focus, I jumped on the opportunity. What fun to talk about the amazing women making a difference in Israel’s business and innovation areas. Every talk I give is unique and tailor-made for the group that has invited me. I looked through the hundreds

Viva Sarah Press

Feb 25, 2019
2 min

So much to talk about

I love giving talks. I love giving talks about Israel. Specifically, about modern day Israel. And, never about politics! I gives talks about contemporary Israel because I feel it is important to share these stories with as many people as possible. I speak about the culture of creativity and innovation here, in Israel. This country’s amazing achievements belie its size. How does an idea become a global solution? I have oodles of examples of the chutzpah (in the best sense of t

Viva Sarah Press

Feb 3, 2019
2 min

When my personal blog met my life

For over 20 years, I’ve been penning articles, blogs and scripts for an array of media. When I launched my new website, I debated whether to include a personal blog. On the one hand, as a freelancer, I need to constantly promote myself. On the other hand, I wondered whether anyone would actually read my posts. My personal blog has now been live for 10 months. I’m flattered that people from 30+ countries have read my thoughts and writings. Of course, this blog has become muc

Viva Sarah Press

Jan 24, 2019
2 min

On the podium as an educational clown

So, there I was, moderating and speaking on a panel about innovation at the International Lion of Judah Conference in Hollywood, Florida and my fellow panelists and I knew that the last topic I was going to introduce could be a hit or miss with the audience. I regularly give talks about innovation and creativity taking place in Israel and how it benefits the global community. But this time, I was asked to talk about the personal innovation in my life. That meant that my educa

Viva Sarah Press

Dec 23, 2018
2 min

A talk on creativity for ages 8-100

The eight-year-old was the youngest attendee at a talk I gave today. There were also a bunch of tweens and teenagers in the audience, as well as their parents and grandparents. These mixed generation audiences are always fun and distinctive. After all, many of the groups that invite me to speak are uniform in age or profession. Earlier this month, I spoke to a synagogue group from Santa Barbara (ages 50-80). Last month, I addressed a group of business folks. The inter-generat

A chat about reporting on the creative culture in Israel

Viva Sarah Press

Nov 1, 2018
1 min

A chat about reporting on the creative culture in Israel

Started the morning with a chat about what it's like to Report on the Innovation and Creative Culture in Israel with a visiting delegation of prominent military and business leaders from the US. The visiting VIPs were brought to Israel by Securing America's Future Energy (SAFE) organization. We looked at how journalism has changed, how innovation has become more accessible and why Israel is a good place to look for new ideas. I talked about the importance of Innovation Journa

The Culture of Israeli Startups and the Wild Ideas that are Helping Change the World

Viva Sarah Press

Jul 25, 2018
1 min

The Culture of Israeli Startups and the Wild Ideas that are Helping Change the World

For the second year in a row, I presented the workshop -- “The Culture of Israeli Startups and the Wild Ideas that are Helping Change the World” -- at the annual Onward Conference in Israel. This all-day event serves up nine speakers on a range of topics, united by the theme, Israel Today – Challenges & Opportunities. My talk touched on space sciences, cannabis, cyber defense, agri-tech, health innovation, and research. The Boston Onward Israel and University of Florida Onwar

Viva Sarah Press

Jul 12, 2018
1 min

Cannabis, cars and collaboration

I gave two talks this week to college students from the US (now visiting Israel). The first talk was an abridged version of why Israel is known as the Startup Nation. The second talk looked at why Israel could actually be dubbed the Adaptive Nation. My talks are never about the specific technologies or algorithms being created. Instead, I love sharing the behind-the-scenes stories of how something came about. I connect the dots and show how one innovation leads to another;

Viva Sarah Press

Jun 4, 2018
1 min

Gathering the right information

Crazy driving. Skewed news. Innovation ideas. Asking for another explanation. These were some of the topics that came up during a panel in Tel Aviv last week, for visiting students from the Eisenhower Institute at Gettysburg College. It was their last day of a 10-day educational trip around Israel and the Palestinian Authority areas. “Inside the Middle East doesn’t tell you what to think, ITME teaches you how to think,” reads the tagline of the program. We talked about the pr

Interpreting Israel with Gettysburg College

Viva Sarah Press

May 29, 2018
1 min

Interpreting Israel with Gettysburg College

Very excited to be taking part in a panel titled "Interpreting Israel: Finding the stories that matter and retelling them for a wider audience.” The panel is part of a Gettysburg College year-long academic course known as Inside the Middle East. The Gettysburg students are in town on a 10-day tour to understand the contemporary Middle East. Read more about their program, here. As I wrote in my last post, it is one thing for people to read an article or hear a report on the ra