An interview with Ana Lipnik Levy, CMO at The-Founders.
Located in the heart of Tel Aviv is a boutique firm that provides outsourced financial and marketing services to relentless entrepreneurs and their startups at every stage of development, from idea to IPO.
What is the story behind The-Founders?
We built The-Founders out of a passion for people and innovation, an excitement for what curious minds can do, and a determination to provide unique solutions to companies in their early stages of growth. We’re finance and marketing people, but entrepreneurs at heart. From years of doing meaningful work in senior industry positions - venture capital firms, global technology corporations, and startups - we’ve learned the heavy responsibility and impact of finances and marketing, and how entwined they are with the ability of companies to succeed. With this knowledge
we’ve created strategic models for working at a range of scales and in a variety of industries.
Over the past year and a half, we’ve bolstered the relationship between marketing and finances, which comes into play when managing both brand image and commercial activity based on financial insights and roadmaps.
We’ve learned the heavy responsibility and impact of finances and marketing, and how entwined they are with the ability of companies to succeed
What pain points do you tackle when working with startups?
Many startups we meet have a crazy, awesome vision, and are focused sharply on developing the solution. It makes sense that most of their resources are invested in their technology and product.
The thing is, somewhere down the road these companies will have to put energy into other activities, and in many cases they’ll have to make bold decisions about whether to invest in strategic assets such as brand development, better financial management, or both. It’s a hard decision, mainly when considering the costs.
Some of their most significant pain points are financial planning and preparation for
fundraising; acquiring the tools and ability to control financial and marketing processes;
setting and meeting goals; transitioning from local to global thinking; promoting brandbuilding processes and all its implications for recruiting talent; bridging the gap between the vision presented to investors and the value the customer expects; and many more.
For these challenges our financial division offers a comprehensive set of solutions, from
bookkeeping and budget control to salary accounting, fundraising guidance, and CFO
services. Our marketing division literally takes command of the startups’ entire marketing strategy, from handling the agencies and managing the marketing budget to setting objectives and building the startup’s global brand, all while creating financial soundness for years to come.
So, you basically act as an 'outsourced teammate'?
Yes, you can definitely say that. We love our startups, and our hybrid model of providing outsourced yet precisely tailored services to the customer has delivered results we never expected when we founded our company a little over a year ago. To name a few numbers, in 18 months we’ve added more than 50 startups to our portfolio, $160 million in cash management, and recruited more than 20 kickass
employees.
Every day we’re excited anew by the Israeli entrepreneurial mind, by the opportunities opening up, and by the innovation coming out of here to the whole world. Helping startups in a variety of verticals and stages exposes us to meaningful, challenging, edifying work - and that’s precisely the place from which we want to support, assist, and offer solutions from our years’ worth of experience.
In our work with entrepreneurs and startups we always ask the tough questions and we never give up. The saying 'We rise by lifting others' isn’t just our motto - it’s how we act.
TEAM
Aviad Sorek is CEO at The-Founders. Aviad brings over 10 years of experience in financial and economic management to the company. He has held CFO roles in leading startups and VCs and has a proven track record in high-tech investments, M&A, and
business strategy.
Ana Lipnik Levy, CMO, is a global marketing and communication strategy expert with over a decade of experience in senior marketing positions in major global corporations. Ana is also a lecturer at various institutions and a mentor to startups in top accelerators such as 8200 Impact, Starburst, IDC, and more.
Amiram Israel is CFO and CPA at The-Founders. Amiram has extensive experience in global high-tech, cultivating multiple startups and guiding them through millions of dollars’ worth of fundraising and M&As. He has an impressive track record of managing finances and implementing financial procedures and controls for high-tech companies.
Tomer Haims, COO, is a business development expert with vast experience in business planning, negotiation, and strategy. He spent many years as a successful affiliate account manager and marketing director. He manages our company's clients and makes sure projects move forward.
Photo by Doron Sery