Amsterdam, 30th June 2008
In one weekend, I have been in two very different worlds – worlds that could not be further apart.
On Saturday morning, Roeland and I travelled from Europe to Israel to take part in the Silicom Ventures Summit in Tel Aviv. Having had a very short time to recover, our guide Peleg Gal showed us around Jerusalem. Jerusalem is an incredible city – many thousands of years of history are captured in its nooks and crannies and are felt all around. It so often found itself the centre of another battle, followed by a new era under another reign, culture and religion, that it is hard to define the essence of the city or perhaps that IS the essence of the city. Over the last millenia, many trade routes were directed through and from Jerusalem to reach other cities across Europe and beyond. This melting pot of religion and culture have made Jerusalem one of the most fascinating places I know. It is one of these locations where I always wish to return to, to sit and taste its spirit, where you can close your eyes and daydream of those thousands of years of history. One of the small aspects I learnt this time, is the fact that it was Emperor Adriano, my namesake, who laid the foundations for the trade route to Damascus – another close link for me with this awe-inspiring place.
Having been caught in the spirit of the past during the day, the contrast with the purpose of our trip on Saturday evening and Sunday was all the greater – the Silicom Ventures Summit. The vibrant dynamics of Israeli style enterprise, innovation regarding technology, new ways of financing and cooperation of all different parties with Universities and government gives a direction which is unequaled anywhere I have seen, besides perhaps Silicon Valley itself. It is not surprising there are close links between the two.
My role in the event was to speak about Networking, based on the book Marion and I wrote, called "The N. Factor". It generated a very lively Question & Answer session after my presentation, which is fitting in this entrepreneurial environment. Like in the Netherlands, where our country survives because of its strong trade capacity and therefore its reliance on networking abroad, Israel is all about networking and has refined it to an art. Networking is like Jerusalem – each party should bring a contribution to the table, and it is the total sum of those contributions that allow something new, unique to happen, new (ad)ventures to commence and be grounded in joint trust and willingness to cooperate.
Now – although I could spend much more describing this fascinating weekend – I have to start following up on all the contacts I made. Especially since we always advocate that in order to remember and be remembered, you should respond in 24 hours…so a long day awaits me. But the spirit of Jerusalem, and all that it portrays will stay with me throughout.
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