A Day in a LifeThe coder who came in from the north
A Day in a Life
The coder who came in from the north
Saifan Ben Zvi, a Full-Stack Developer at Capitola who hails from the Golan Heights, has grown to love the fast-paced nature of being part of a young Tel Aviv-based startup
ID
Name: Saifan Ben Zvi
Age: 29
Residing: Yonatan, The Golan Heights
Company: Capitola
Position: Full-Stack Developer
For a Starter
I am Saifan, born and raised in the enchanting green spaces of the Golan Heights. My first experience with the world of coding was in high school programming classes. The creative thinking and satisfaction in solving challenging problems intrigued me. In the years that followed, I volunteered for National Service, studied Torah in a Midrasha for women, and spent several years working in the non-formal education field with at-risk youth. Alongside my educational work, I completed a bachelor's degree in computer science at the Open University of Israel. Today, I am a full-stack developer at Capitola in Tel Aviv. I continue to live in the Golan Heights and maintain a connection with the world of non-formal education.
What makes your company so special?
Capitola is a smart AI-based digital marketplace platform for buying and selling commercial insurance products. The platform connects insurance agents who represent medium to large companies with commercial insurance providers also known as carriers. The company streamlines the purchasing and selling process by mapping the preferred risk profile of the insurance companies, enabling a more efficient policy construction process for insurance agents and their commercial clients.
I love the magic of building something new. Capitola, for me, is an opportunity to be part of the process of building a company from its early stages, to be involved in planning and decision-making, to experience the various challenges closely, and to learn from talented individuals along the way.
What do you enjoy the most about your work?
First and foremost, I enjoy the human interactions, trust, and mutual respect between team members. I find the people professional yet really friendly. They bring a wealth of experience to the table as well as a desire to learn and progress, which creates an open and positive environment. I’m able to acquire new skills, take on different challenges, and actually enjoy the fast-paced nature of a young startup.
Preference - working from Home / Office / Hybrid?
Hybrid! It's a winning combination. There is no substitute for face-to-face interaction. I use most of my time in the office for consultations, pair programming, learning from my team members, and of course, shared meals and water cooler conversations. Working from home enables me to work quietly in a comfortable environment and at times that are convenient for me. I can live in the Golan Heights, work in Tel Aviv, and experience the best of both worlds as a result of this flexibility.
My Daily Routine
6:00
I’m a morning person. I start my day with morning prayers, pilates or a stretching workout, then a shower, and a glass of water.
9:00
I start my work day by doing code reviews for my team members on tasks where I am assigned as the buddy.
10:00
Daily meeting, on the couch in the office. This is an excellent opportunity to stay updated, ask for and offer help. Then coding time, analysis, and technical planning of new tasks, as well as work meetings. Once every two weeks, the R&D team holds a tech-talk meeting where we discuss and present on a variety of technical topics encountered at work.
12:00
Lunchtime together with the entire team in the office. Here is where the most intriguing conversations begin.
18:00
Day recap and plans for tomorrow.
20:00
Attend a lesson or daily Torah study.
After Hours
What do you like to do in your spare time?
In my spare time in the north, I enjoy hiking in nature - on foot, by bicycle, or in a jeep. I also love baking challah and Yemenite pitas or inventing creative and healthy new recipes. During the summer, I enjoy visiting the orchards of our Moshav, savoring the scent, picking seasonal fruits, and bringing some to my colleagues in the office. We grow cherries, strawberries, lychees, mangoes, apples, nectarines, and more.
In my spare time in the center, I like traveling to Jerusalem and visiting the Western Wall, meeting up with friends, spending a calm evening with my grandmother, and watching the sunset from the seashore. I cherish quality time with my four younger siblings (well, not so young anymore—I have 27-year-old quadruplet siblings).
Everyone, except for me, lives in the Tel Aviv area and naturally misses the north. We love to spontaneously get together, and enjoy good sushi and homemade cookies. Twice a week, when the traffic clears up, I take advantage of the evening hours to travel to the center (on Sundays) or back up north (on Wednesdays). These two hours of travel time are perfect for unwinding, listening to music, lessons, and podcasts, and having long phone conversations with friends. I really love music and enjoy playing the ukulele, flute, or saxophone with my family before Shabbat.
Apple or Android?
The simpler, the better. I have an Android.
What type of music do you listen to?
I enjoy listening to Jewish-Israeli and Chassidic music.
