Startup Nation UnitedTalon: A beacon of resilience and recovery
Startup Nation United
Talon: A beacon of resilience and recovery
Talon has spared no effort to aid its customers, employees, and the broader community in this time of need.
Ofer Ben-Noon is the co-founder and CEO of Talon, a cyber-security startup that, since this interview, has been acquired by Palo Alto for $625 Million. Witnessing their impressive exit during a time of national crisis acts as a testimony to the resilience of our Startup Nation. Yet this piece is not even about Talon’s acquisition, it is about how Ofer and his company rapidly transitioned from shock to operational mode on the morning of October 7th, doing all in their power for their customers, employees, and the people of Israel.
Talon’s story is part of Startup Nation United, a series showcasing how individuals and organizations in the tech industry have united under a common vision to do their part during the ongoing war. The podcast is produced and moderated by Michael Matias and Yaffa Abadi, in collaboration with CTech, as a spin-off of the popular podcast series “20 Minutes Leaders”, also published in collaboration with CTech
Like all of us, when news broke of the atrocities of October 7th, the shock of such horror set in. But Ofer took little time before jumping into action, making sure all of his employees in Israel were in a safe space before acting to safeguard the resilience of his company. With 20% of Talon’s employees called to reserves, Ofer made sure to open lines of communication with all their customers, providing instant comfort and confidence and imbuing Talon with a sense of stability from the get-go.
Next, he took concrete action to support his employees. Rather than taking a ‘business as usual’ approach, Talon has gone above and beyond to actively support its team members. This includes checking in on every employee’s family who has a member in reserves, sending coupons, meals, grocery boxes, and whatever else they might need while their loved ones are serving. Next, they opened their office to the families of their employees, going so far as to bring in a babysitter so children could have a place to be as schools were closed. Additionally, they offer resiliency sessions and one-on-one conversations with both clinical psychologists and organizational consultants, mindful of the emotional scars affecting us all.
Talon has been proactive in maintaining communication with its 40-50 teammates abroad, educating them on how best to support their colleagues in Israel and keeping them informed about the situation on the ground. Commenting on how their team members abroad have risen to the occasion Ofer states, “I'm so, so proud of these human beings that form Talon. The fact that the global team has stepped up when needed to cover for the Israeli team is so inspiring. They have even made donations to support.”
Yet ensuring their customers are confident and their employees are taken care of was not enough for Ofer and Talon. Their team has volunteered far and wide from working in abandoned cucumber harvests to providing companies struggling in the south with IT equipment, financing, and more. Talon even has an employee donations matching system in place.
When asked what he has learned about his company in this time of crisis, Ofer answers, “The thing that I've learned more than anything else is that [Talon] is a group of amazing human beings, more than anything, because looking at the positive impact that we have had on the Israeli population, this is the thing that has made me the most emotional.”
With their recent acquisition, Talon is an example of our economic resilience even in times of war, and with their unbelievable initiatives, they are an example of how existing companies can play a wider role in aiding our nation's recovery.
About:
Yaffa Abadi is the founder and CEO of Abadi Brands, a boutique consultancy specializing in personal branding and thought leadership for investors.
Michael Matias, Forbes 30 Under 30, is the CEO of Clarity, a startup that preserves trust in digital media by fighting deepfakes, and an active angel investor in the AI and Cyber domain.
