• Start-Up Nation

  • The Story of Israel's Economic Miracle
  • By: Dan Senor, Saul Singer
  • Narrated by: Sean Pratt
  • Length: 8 hrs and 24 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (1,470 ratings)

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Start-Up Nation  By  cover art

Start-Up Nation

By: Dan Senor, Saul Singer
Narrated by: Sean Pratt
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Publisher's summary

Start-Up Nation addresses the trillion-dollar question: How is it that Israel - a country of 7.1 million, only 60 years old, surrounded by enemies, in a constant state of war since its founding, with no natural resources - produces more start-up companies than large, peaceful, and stable nations like Japan, China, India, Korea, Canada, and the UK?

With the savvy of foreign policy insiders, Senor and Singer examine the lessons of the country's adversity-driven culture, which flattens hierarchy and elevates informality - all backed up by government policies focused on innovation. In a world where economies as diverse as Ireland, Singapore, and Dubai have tried to re-create the "Israel effect", there are entrepreneurial lessons well worth noting. As America reboots its own economy and can-do spirit, there's never been a better time to look at this remarkable and resilient nation for some impressive, surprising clues.

©2009 Dan Senor and Saul Singer (P)2009 Gildan Media Corp

Critic reviews

"There is a great deal for America to learn from the very impressive Israeli Entrepreneurial model - beginning with a culture of leadership and risk management. Start-Up Nation is a playbook for every CEO who wants to develop the next generation of corporate leaders." (Tom Brokaw)
"No one else, in my judgment, has written regularly about Israel in recent years with more clarity than Singer." (William Kristol, Editor, The Weekly Standard)

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Interesting and worth the time

I found this book very interesting and an easy listen. The authors use analysis and anecdote to show how and why Israel's startup culture has become a major success story. Israelis thrive on chaos, controversy and risk and are not afraid to fail. Unfortunately, I found one major drawback with the audiobook: Just about every Hebrew name is appallingly mispronounced. This is especially annoying since 90% of this book's content consists of naming people, places and companies. It seems strange that the publishers did not bother to have the audio track reviewed by a Hebrew-speaking editor. Despite this major failing, I did find the book worth the listening time.

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22 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

A Remarkable Audio!

A fascinating insightful audio book and a remarkable story of the entrepreneurial spirit of a people surrounded by enemies in a land with no natural resources, who produce more start up companies than any other nation. A great audio!

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11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A bit dated...

The lead example is a company now bankrupt but this does not detract. The narrator had such poor command of Hebrew and Yiddish that is was painfully distracting. He could not even get the names correct.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

underwhelming, and confusing

The book has 16 chapters, it is not until chapter 7 that the authors stop focusing almost exclusively on extolling the virtues is the Israeli military.

Few books I have read had have so quickly been overtaken by events. As a non Israeli I struggle to see what is should take away from reading this book apart from 'you should be more Jewish in character'. A lot of the rest just seems like post hoc analysis of cherry picked Israeli successes.

One potential learning could be that immigration is good for growth, but it is hard to justify going through the whole book to synthesis this.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    out of 5 stars

Excellent read!

Informative, extremely current, and well written.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Deeply insightful

Start up nation is a fabulous introduction to a nation many don't understand. Never one sided, it looks into factors that are unique to the culture, and weaves them together to better understand how a nation so small could have so much impact. Well done.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Lots of great information and ideas!

Personally, as an israeli, I’m familiar with most of the stories in this book, but to here them all together gave me the chance to think of it in a different ways. I see now why we didn’t have a choice but to become a startup nation. We had to develop faster than anyone else in order to survive a really tough reality. Altogether, when people make risks they make a difference. Thank you.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great book

amazing book, i loved the content and the performance of sean pratt. really recomend it

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent book to help you improve your country

Great read. Simply put. good narration and quick listen. if you're keen on improving yourself and your country, I would recommend you listen to this.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Is it Chutzpah or Davka

Is the success of Israel's business startups a case of Chutzpah (Yiddish for audacity, brazen nerve, courage, effrontery, incredible 'guts,' mettle, presumption topped off with a little (or large) touch of arrogance) or Davka (Yiddish for despite everything or 'Just because you want me to disappear from the face of the earth, I will not').

The authors of Startup Nation argue the case of chutzpah quite strongly, and they are right. The people of Israel have had to "make do" in a land with few natural resources, surrounded by hostile nations. Due, in part to this, they have become the "go to" place for emerging technologies the computer, science, ecology, medicine, and a host of other fields.

But these successes are as much due to Davka (often defined as despite everything or Just because you want me to disappear from the face of the earth - I will not - emphasis on the last three words) - the insistence on surviving whatever is thrown at them and turning lemons (or the fruit of trees growing in salt water) into lemonade.

While the general media from around the world is not reporting the successes of Israeli technology to impact their nations, in many ways people the world daily touch products of the Israeli minds.

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2 people found this helpful