Day: October 12, 2025

A tech startup is a young entrepreneurial venture that develops and delivers technology-based products or services. These businesses aim to transform and reshape markets by introducing innovative solutions or by utilising existing or emerging technologies in creative ways. They are often characterized by rapid growth and innovation, scalability, reliance on external funding, and the desire to create a disruptive impact.

Often, the startups will focus on a particular sector, such as fintech (banking, payment), ecommerce (online shopping), or agritech (agriculture, food). Alternatively, they can focus on a specific problem, such as COVID-19 or loneliness. Then, they will develop a technology that solves that problem. Many of these companies are successful and make a huge impact on the world, such as Skyscanner or Airbnb.

The biggest challenge for most startups is securing adequate funding to support their development and ensure that they are able to launch and deliver their products or services. This can be a difficult task as startups typically compete with larger, more established companies for investors and talent.

In addition, establishing a successful tech startup requires a lot of work and dedication. It is not easy to survive in the market and please picky customers, but it can be rewarding if you are able to achieve your business goals. It can also be a great way to test your entrepreneurial skills and build an empire of your own. Some of the greatest entrepreneurs and innovators of our time have built their tech startups from scratch, such as Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, who created Apple.

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been the subject of much academic and popular literature. However, the peace process has not yet achieved its goal of putting the conflict to an official end or establishing a permanent two-state solution for both peoples. Several barriers to peace have been identified.

One barrier that impedes negotiation is the differing cultures of the different negotiating teams. In my experience, Palestinian negotiators tended to anchor their demands high in order to allow themselves a large range of flexibility when dealing with specific issues. On the other hand, Israeli negotiators anchored their demands low, often very close to or even at their reservation point. This made it difficult to reach an agreement on issues that were under mutual consent.

Another barrier is the frequent change in negotiating team members, which can affect the level of coordination and consistency of positions in negotiations. In my case, the Palestinian head negotiator in the AHC was the same person for four years while the Israeli chairman rotated three times during that time. This resulted in a lack of institutional memory and a unidirectional recitation of the same old rhetoric.

Lastly, there is the general distrust that both sides have of each other. On the Palestinian side, there is a deep-seated belief that Israel cannot be trusted to keep its commitments or to respect the results of the negotiation process. On the Israeli side, there is a growing suspicion that Hamas and Hezbollah will continue to provide support for terrorist attacks against Israel, thereby making any peace deal illusory.