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Time: |
Tuesday 30.12.2003, 17:00 |
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Place: |
Taub Building Auditorium 1, Technion |
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Speaker: |
Mr. Shai Agassi |
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Subject: |
The IT Industry - What Is Its Role And Where Is It Heading? |
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 Mr. Shai Agassi
Shai Agassi is the Chief Executive Officer of SAP Portals.
He was most recently the CEO and Chief Technology Officer of TopTier Software,
which was acquired by SAP AG in May 2001. Agassi was named CEO of TopTier Software
in October 1999 after holding the position of Chairman of the Board from 1996-1999.
Previously, Agassi served as vice president business development of TopTier Israel,
which later became a subsidiary of TopTier Software. Prior to founding TopTier Software,
Agassi co-founded two other software companies: Quicksoft, a leader in the multimedia
development marketing and distribution market in Israel, and Menahel, Inc.,
the leader in Windows mid-market accounting software in Israel.
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Summary of the meeting:
In front of close to 400 people, Shai Agassi delivered a remarkable talk at a combined meeting of the TechIA Forum and the Technion Alumni Organization. Shai made some strong statements about the Israeli hi-tech industry, saying it should have let in foreign engineers in the years of the great hype in order to help maintain salaries at reasonable levels. In Shai's opinion, that would have been the best way to preserve the main advantage of Israeli R&D - its cost effectiveness, and enable it to grow into a technological power.
Agassi claimed that we, Israelis, have to focus on our major strength - technological prowess - and exploit to the maximum the fact we are blessed with leading universities and research institutes, by improving our knowledge transfer mechanisms and our networks.
Shai continued giving some important tips drawn from his personal and commercial experiences. One especially important lesson - "ride on giant shoulders, they will carry you far" is most relevant to a recent mentoring program made available to Technion alumni and to members of the TechIA forum. In the "Technion for Life" program operated by the Technion Alumni Organization and led by Ruven Agassi, Shai's father, highly experienced Technion alumni will aid younger students and alumni by offering free consultation on their new ventures.
Other tips from Shai were that "a trusted team is better than a talented team", that "money is only important once you can't pay salaries" and to "never betray your partners". Most important, as Shai told us Shlomo Kremer from Checkpoint once told him, "an entrepreneur must always remember that it is all a big game you have to keep enjoying."
This was an inspiring talk that will, no doubt, motivate both students and alumni to work harder, and go the extra mile with their studies as well as entrepreneurial ideas.
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