10 Things You Didn’t Know about Erez Berkner
Erez Berkner is one of the co-founders of Lumigo. For those who are curious, said company is a startup centered around a SaaS platform that enables interested clients to monitor as well as troubleshoot their serverless applications. Currently, Berkner holds the position of CEO while the other co-founder Aviad Mor holds the position of CTO.
1. He Went to the Open University of Israel
Berkner went to the Open University of Israel. Said school is notable for a number of reasons. To name an example, the Open University of Israel has more students than any other school in the country, which makes sense because it is focused on distance education in much the same manner as its British source of inspiration. Regardless, Berkner focused on mathematics as well as computer science while he was studying there.
2. Spent Some Time Working For the IDF
It is interesting to note that Berkner worked as a software architect for the IDF’s data mining team as a part of his IDF military service. Computers have become as important for the military as for pretty much everything else, so it makes sense for the military to have a need for that kind of specialized know-how.
3. Spent More Than a Decade Working For Check Point Software Technologies
Afterwards, Berkner went to work for Check Point Software Technologies where he remained for more than a decade. During that time, he gained a great deal of managerial experience, which has presumably proven to be very useful for his current role at his startup. For context, Berkner started out as a software developer. By the end, he had been the director of Check Point Software Technologies’ cloud-based security products for more than three years.
4. Became Interested in Serverless Computing in 2016
Berkner and Mor co-founded Lumigo in late 2017. It is no coincidence that he learned about serverless computing from the more foresighted of his customers in 2016. Like those people, Berkner became fascinated by the potential of serverless computing. However, he also noticed that its adoption was being hindered by both monitoring issues and troubleshooting issues, which is why he and his co-founder decided to come up with a solution for said problem.
5. His Startup Is Situated in Tel Aviv
Chances are good that people can guess that Berkner and Mor’s startup is situated in the city of Tel Aviv. After all, it is the technological center of Israel, thus making it the natural choice of location for an Israeli startup in the tech industry. It is possible for entrepreneurs to found such startups in places that aren’t tech hubs. However, that makes it more difficult for them to access talent, support, and other important resources, thus making the running of their company more difficult than it needed to be.
6. Says That Entrepreneurs Shouldn’t Expect Growth to Be Linear
It is very common for publications to ask entrepreneurs about their advice for other entrepreneurs. In Berkner’s case, he has said that interested individuals shouldn’t expect their startups’ growth to be linear. This makes sense because that kind of growth suggests a kind of predictability that is very rare for startups. After all, such companies are in the process of finding their metaphorical footing by definition. As a result, it doesn’t make sense for them to experience the consistency that most people would expect from well-established companies that have worked out their major issues but still have room to expand their operations.
7. Says That Entrepreneurs Shouldn’t See Setbacks As Setbacks
On a related note, Berkner says that would-be entrepreneurs shouldn’t see setbacks as setbacks. Instead, he thinks that said individuals should see these things as necessary markers on their path towards achieving their goals. Theoretically speaking, it is possible for a startup to experience no issues whatsoever. In practice, that kind of smoothness would be eyebrow-raising to say the least. Essentially, Berkner’s advice is meant to encourage interested individuals to remain optimistic so that they won’t get dragged down by their doubts. Something that can be quite dangerous for a wide range of endeavors.
8. Thinks That Startups Should Set Aside Time For Innovation Side-Projects
It isn’t uncommon for well-established tech companies to set aside time for their employees to engage in innovation side-projects. This is a time-tested policy that has produced notable successes for a wide range of companies. To name an example, Gmail can trace its roots to Google’s so-called 20 percent rule. Having said that, Berkner believes that startups should set aside time for innovation side-projects as well, which is a more arguable and thus more interesting position.
9. Thinks That This Can Boost Productivity
One of Berkner’s arguments is that this can boost productivity for the startup. That can sound counter-intuitive. However, Berkner’s argument is that a startup’s internal tools can become inadequate because of neglect from its focus on its customers. Setting aside time for innovation side-projects means that a startup’s employees will be able to work on them, which can make for new tools as well as improvements on existing tools. This is particularly true because those employees are the ones with the best understanding of those tools as well as what they need from their tools.
10. Thinks That This Can Make For a Better Workplace Culture
Another one of Berkner’s arguments is that this can make for a better workplace culture. For instance, he thinks that having this kind of time will cause employees to become more engaged with their work, which is something that has been proven to make people happier as well as more productive. Naturally, a better workplace culture has other benefits as well. In particular, it makes the startup a more attractive place to work for potential employees, which is very important when there is so much competition for the available talent that can be found out there.
