27 Years Old and Co-Founder of a Multi-Million Dollar Company

fall 2013

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SPOTLIGHTS
New Chancellor: From the Supreme Court to the Open University
A New President for the Open University
A Celebration: Lord Woolf's 80th Birthday

GRADUATES
Graduation Ceremonies
A Fighter Pilot and Researcher of Nanometer Threads
27 Years Old and Co-Founder of a Multi-Million Dollar Company

INNOVATION, RESEARCH & TECHNOLOGY
OUI Now MOOCs
Digital MBA
Once App on a Time
The Eighth Chais Conference
Caregivers, Caregiving and Emotional Intelligence
Exodus: The Real Story

ACCESS
Practical Solutions for Students with Disabilities
Project 100: A Program for Arab Minorities
Enriching Immams

EVENTS
A Taste of Academia: Coffee, Beer and Professors
OUI Students Argue Best
Inauguration of Academia in High School
American Friends of Open University

HIGHLIGHTS & MILESTONES
US Ambassador Visits OUI
Prof. Sara Guri-Rosenblit
Prof. Miri Soroujoun
Prof. Bat-Zion Iraqi-Klorman
Dr. Yuval Eylon
Prof. Yagil Levy
Dr. Tzahi Weiss
OUI in National Survey
OUI Grads
Co-editors: Elissa Allerhand, Ilene Bloch-Levy Photographer: Gideon Markowitz Graphic Designer: Laura Grinberg Web Manager: Batsheva Engelberg-Behr Web Master: Sonia Pechersky, Royi Gumprich

GRADUATES
27 Years Old and Co-Founder of a Multi-Million Dollar Company Open University of Israel graduate, Amit Avner founded Taykey, a multi-million dollar operation. But, this is not his first company. He actually founded his first company more than a decade ago, when he was 15. Today, at the 'ripe old age of 27' Amit is the only Israeli to make it to the prestigious 2013 Under 30 CEO of Most Influential Young Entrepreneurs USA list. Twenty-seven-year old Amit Avner has a curriculum vitae that is pretty amazing. He began his undergraduate degree in computer sciences at the Open University of Israel when he was 15 and founded his first company when he was in high school. Then, when he was 22, he founded his second company, a global operation with international headquarters in New York, backed by multimillion dollar funding. Today, at the age of 27, he is the only Israeli to appear on the prestigious Under 30 CEO of Most Influential Young Entrepreneurs USA List. How did all of this transpire? Let's begin at the beginning. When Amit was 10 years old he exhibited an extraordinary interest and affinity for computer programming. "My mother is a teacher, and when I was in 5th grade she was taking an in-staff training course in computer programming given to teachers. I was really interested in the subject, so each night when she came home, she would teach me what she had learned that day in the course". Apparently, this was not a fleeting interest because a few years later, Amit decided it was time to study computer sciences more seriously. And, that could only occur at the university level. The Open University of Israel offered the only option for the avid computer programmer, high school student. "About half of the kids in my high school class attended the Open University 1-1/2 days per week. For me studying computer sciences was just fun and I enjoyed the OUI program a lot. However, while I did enjoy it, and did not find it too exerting, many of my peers did and about half of the kids who were in the OUI program eventually dropped out". Amit, however, continued. Concomitantly he made some important decisions about his life, and what he wanted from it. The High School Student Launches His First Company While still in OUI's undergraduate program, Amit felt he was now ready to launch his first company. Amit not only founded Witty Search, but designed the award-winning search engine, which facilitates searching multiple search engines simultaneously. Within a short while this search system had more than one million users in Israel and Europe. Witty Search morphed into bWitty/Witty Search, and is mostly known for bWitty Notes, an online free Post-It note-like selection for web-browsers. Web-browsers can create an online note board and stick notes to it, which are saved online. Compatible with all major web browsers, HTML supported mobile phones and PDA's, users can exchange notes with each other. Page: 1 2

GRADUATES

27 Years Old and Co-Founder of a Multi-Million Dollar Company

Open University of Israel graduate, Amit Avner founded Taykey, a multi-million dollar operation. But, this is not his first company. He actually founded his first company more than a decade ago, when he was 15. Today, at the 'ripe old age of 27' Amit is the only Israeli to make it to the prestigious 2013 Under 30 CEO of Most Influential Young Entrepreneurs USA list.

Twenty-seven-year old Amit Avner has a curriculum vitae that is pretty amazing.

He began his undergraduate degree in computer sciences at the Open University of Israel when he was 15 and founded his first company when he was in high school. Then, when he was 22, he founded his second company, a global operation with international headquarters in New York, backed by multimillion dollar funding.

Today, at the age of 27, he is the only Israeli to appear on the prestigious Under 30 CEO of Most Influential Young Entrepreneurs USA List.

How did all of this transpire?

Let's begin at the beginning. When Amit was 10 years old he exhibited an extraordinary interest and affinity for computer programming. "My mother is a teacher, and when I was in 5th grade she was taking an in-staff training course in computer programming given to teachers. I was really interested in the subject, so each night when she came home, she would teach me what she had learned that day in the course".

Apparently, this was not a fleeting interest because a few years later, Amit decided it was time to study computer sciences more seriously. And, that could only occur at the university level. The Open University of Israel offered the only option for the avid computer programmer, high school student.

"About half of the kids in my high school class attended the Open University 1-1/2 days per week. For me studying computer sciences was just fun and I enjoyed the OUI program a lot. However, while I did enjoy it, and did not find it too exerting, many of my peers did and about half of the kids who were in the OUI program eventually dropped out".

Amit, however, continued. Concomitantly he made some important decisions about his life, and what he wanted from it.

The High School Student Launches His First Company

While still in OUI's undergraduate program, Amit felt he was now ready to launch his first company. Amit not only founded Witty Search, but designed the award-winning search engine, which facilitates searching multiple search engines simultaneously. Within a short while this search system had more than one million users in Israel and Europe.

Witty Search morphed into bWitty/Witty Search, and is mostly known for bWitty Notes, an online free Post-It note-like selection for web-browsers. Web-browsers can create an online note board and stick notes to it, which are saved online. Compatible with all major web browsers, HTML supported mobile phones and PDA's, users can exchange notes with each other.

Page: 1 2