VOOM doubles employee donations and donates them to massacre victims' families
VOOM doubles employee donations and donates them to massacre victims' families
While the company's CEO joined major advocacy efforts, and the CTO joined the reserve troops, the Israeli insurtech startup encouraged Israeli and US employees to donate money to help families affected by the massacre.
Lior Avisar
With a third of Voom's Israeli site serving in the reserves, including Ori Blumenthal, the co-founder and CTO of the company, it was clear to the founders that the situation in Israel needed to be reflected on the non-Israeli employees. For this purpose, they conducted all-hands meetings where Israeli employees shared their perspectives and answered questions from the Americans.
The American team was very eager to assist their Israeli friends in any way possible. One of them even came to Israel for a couple of weeks to volunteer. After brainstorming some options for what to do, the team decided to donate funds to the affected families. Seeing this overwhelming support from the team, Ori and I decided that the company would double every donation made by Israeli or American employees.
In parallel, the company's CEO, Tomer Kashi, took on the role of advocacy. Both direct explanation to employees and advocacy to every non-Israeli he meets on Zoom. "On the business side, despite these very difficult times, we are continuing very strong momentum. Just last month, we grew more than 80% relative to last year and are announcing a new product with huge potential for next week. Yet, in every conversation I have with American colleagues that happens several times a day, I try to start with five minutes of explanation about what's taking place in Israel. I'm not sure everyone likes it, but I'm sure it's very important." The CEO toured Gaza's surrounding area as part of a delegation of CEOs from ICON, in coordination with the IDF Spokesperson's Unit, to see firsthand exactly what happened there. "There is tremendous significance to the fact that I, as an Israeli CEO, say in a conversation with an American on Zoom that I saw it with my own eyes, that I share personal photos, and that the distance is just an hour's drive from my home. I see the difference in attention changes. As Israeli CEOs, we are not only ambassadors of the company but also of the country."
"It's important for me to emphasize. There's a difference between contribution and sacrifice. Our work as a high-tech company is meaningful and blessed, both for driving the economy and, of course, for advocating and strengthening high technology and the economy. But it doesn't come close to the contribution of those on the front lines. These are people who not only contribute but also sacrifice - their time, comfort, family, health, and lives. In the end, those we really need to thank are them."
