In our recent webinar, we addressed the challenge of setting your business apart in a condensed competitive world. Uncover how storytelling emerged as the game-changer, particularly for B2B Tech companies. The discussion centered on messaging as the pivotal element in every piece of content and ongoing marketing activities.
From cryptocurrency influencers to the original pioneers of Israel’s FinTech startups, these are the 15 FinTech superstars who should be on your radar for 2024.
Israel has earned the nickname the “startup nation” thanks to its plethora of highly successful, innovative companies. Some have even earned unicorn status, meaning that they’re valued at over $1 billion. And among those unicorns, there are quite a few that are specifically financial technology (FinTech) focused, offering everything from cutting-edge payment plans to cross border transfers and alternative capital. It’s clear that FinTech and the startup nation go together like falafel and tahini.
Israel’s FinTech scene is poised to grow even further, thanks to the brilliant and creative minds behind the scenes. From cryptocurrency influencers to the original pioneers of Israel’s FinTech startups, these are the 15 FinTech superstars who should be on your radar for 2024.
Trailblazing international payments platform Payoneer reached unicorn status in 2019, with a public valuation of over $1 billion. Yuval Tal, the company’s founder and former president, is a veteran of FinTech in Israel, having founded Payoneer in 2005.
He was previously involved in a groundbreaking internet payments venture in the late 90s, which led to a lucrative exit for the FinTech pioneer. Yuval is now a Managing Partner at Team8 Fintech, a leading VC fund in the space.
Yan Lazarev & Alex Komarovsky (from Gaviti website)
A super effective accounts receivable SaaS (software as a service) solution, Gaviti helps streamline the collections process via automation, payment forecasting, and more. The company is making waves in the industry, recently raising $9 million in Series A funding.
Much of Gaviti’s success can be traced back to its CEO, Yan Lazarev. A seasoned debt agent who collected over $1.5 billion from clients in over 40 countries, Yan leverages his invaluable real-world knowledge of the finance industry to elevate Gaviti’s strategy and offerings far above the competition.
With over a decade of experience as software developer and software development team lead under his belt, Gaviti CTO Alex Komarovsky is also a critical part of the company’s success. Alex’s expertise in enterprise level software development gives Gaviti proprietary software, providing Gaviti a unique market advantage.
While in Israel paying for large purchases in monthly installments is standard procedure, that’s simply not the case in the rest of the world. Ornit Dweck-Maizel, a self-described numbers geek since childhood, is the driving force behind Sunbit, a market leader in buy now, pay later (BNPL) technology.
Before co-founding Sunbit, Ornit spent more than 15 years earning her stripes in the R&D and tech development departments of several notable finance-focused companies. In 2021, Sunbit raised a staggering $130 million, just after its $1.1 billion valuation.
Eynat Guez, founder of Papaya Global. Photo: Just Entrepreneurs
A global payroll platform company streamlining payroll management across international borders, Papaya Global rose to prominence when lockdowns and work-from-home meant that employees were often scattered across multiple geographic locations. Papaya operates in more than 160 countries, and is the brainchild of HR and tech entrepreneur Eynat Guez.
During the first few years after the company’s founding in 2016, Eynat found herself trying to win over investors who believed “that a global payroll solution wasn’t solving a real problem in the market.” Since the pandemic, the company has swelled, and “we don’t have trouble reaching investors anymore.”
Chanan Lavi – CEO & Co-Founder @ Kipp Photo:LinkedIn
Declined transactions are a pain in the neck, for consumers, eCommerce merchants, and banks. Kipp uses advanced AI to align sellers and card issuers, streamlining their communication to minimize declined transactions, to the relief of buyers, eCommerce retailers, and financial institutions alike.
CEO and Co-Founder Chanan Lavi was inspired to create Kipp after years working in ePayments management, optimization, and Business Development roles for industry-leading financial service companies and merchants. Chanan’s unparalleled insights give Kipp a unique perspective into the pain points for card issuers and merchants, and appropriate solutions.
Downtime insurance company Parametrix Insurance occupies a unique space in the field, insuring tech-dependent enterprises when software failures mean devastating financial losses. And despite her young age, the company’s CTO, US-born Neta Rozy, is enjoying major industry buzz.
She moved to Israel as a young adult in order to enlist in the IDF, and is the only one of Parametrix’s C-Level executives who isn’t an experienced entrepreneur. But it’s clear that Neta has a master level understanding of the market and her enterprise’s place in it.
“Cyber insurance is also a market in the insurance industry that’s valued at over $9 billion and it’s growing almost 30% a year,” Neta explains. “ Cloud consumption alone is a market of over $350 billion. We kind of lie in between both of these markets. It’s really growing very fast.”
Israel’s biggest unicorn, valued at a whopping $15 billion, is B2B payments service Rapyd. Founded in 2015, the company provides local and cross-border digital fund transfers, via digital wallets, banks, and cash. The enterprise is Israel’s most highly-valued private tech company and FinTech company.
Rapyd’s CEO and Co-Founder Arik Shtilman is a force to be reckoned with, previously founding a successful, cloud communications-focused venture that was acquired in 2013. The serial entrepreneur clearly has a golden touch when it comes to high-stakes tech ventures.
Ron Gura – Co-Founder & CEO – Empathy Photo: LinkedIn
A bereavement focused start-up, Empathy aims to help people manage loss through a combination of human touch and FinTech innovation. Co-Founded by former eBay and WeWork executive Ron Gura, the company has already raised over $43 millionfrom investors just two years after its founding.
“Death is the final sector that has remained neglected from an innovation standpoint,” Ron says. “We believe that like with many other sectors, technology can help by providing transparency, lowering prices, making information accessible, securing documents and providing a platform for partnership between suppliers and family members.”
A crypto wallet that doesn’t require long and complicated passwords, instead using facial biometrics and advanced encryption for security, ZenGo has made a huge splash in the crypto world. The user-friendly platform is led by Ouriel Ohayon, a seasoned crypto and FinTech entrepreneur whose expectations for crypto in financial markets spans far beyond the tech world.
“A true crypto-based future will require solutions that are radically simple, mobile-first, and built on-chain,” Ouriel says. “Our approach to security, based on MPC, eliminates traditional single points of failure, and has helped us build an innovative consumer-grade wallet that makes crypto simpler, and also an order of magnitude safer.”
Yair Benaymini – CEO & Co-Founder @ Lendai. Photo: Medium.com
A direct lending company providing funding for foreigners looking to invest in the U.S. housing market, Lendai has definitely found a sweet spot in the FinTech market. Using advanced, proprietary AI, the company is able to calculate risk and make lightning fast, smart decisions about whether a property or investor is a safe bet.
Yair Benyamini, Lendai’s CEO and Co-Founder, is a former senior executive running the cross border transactions and business development teams for a prominent Israeli law firm. With his intimate knowledge of both the legal field and international financial transactions, he’s well-poised to continue making a notable impact on Israeli FinTech.
Capitolis, a capital marketplace focused on optimization for market participants, has generated significant buzz in the industry. The company recently made headlines for its impressive $110 million Series D funding round, and is backed by some of the biggest names in venture capital.
But one of Capitolis’ biggest advantages is its CEO and Founder, Gil Mandelzis. Gil has some serious credentials in the finance world, including time serving on the New York Fed and Bank of Canada’s FX committees, as well as the Bank of England’s Joint Standing committee.
A fully automated and unified financial management platform, Mesh Payments aims to replace the traditional corporate credit card. It counts major industry players such as Metropolitan Commercial Bank and Visa among its partners.
Mesh’s CEO and Co-Founder Oded Zehavi has a long track record of FinTech and entrepreneurial success. He served in executive roles at PayPal and Payoneer, and currently serves as an advisory board member for several prominent FinTech companies.
Boaz Yaari – CEO & Founder @ Sharegain Photo: Start-Up Nation Finder
Innovative securities lending company Sharegain helps investors manage their stocks, bonds and ETFs. The organization’s proprietary technology brings a fresh, data-driven perspective to a space that’s typically managed with archaic, 20-year-old technology.
With more than a decade of experience in capital markets under his belt, CEO and Founder Boaz Yaari utilizes his real-world experience to shape Sharegain’s products and business strategy. After recently raising $62 million in funding, we can expect to see a lot more from Sharegain and Boaz.
Rewards platform Snappy Gifts provides enterprises with the opportunity to personalize presents and perks to its employees. Snappy counts Fortune 500 companies such as Zoom, Uber, and Salesforce among its 1,500 clients.
“The whole concept of Snappy is to spread joy and give back,” says Hani Goldstein, the company’s CEO and Founder. It’s clear that Hani’s vision for the company is resonating throughout the market – the company experienced tremendous 800% growth in 2021 alone.
Comprehensive business management and client engagement solution vCita’s mission is to help small businesses better understand their customers’ needs and track their activity. vCita provides its users with the data-driven insights they need to make smarter business decisions.
Itzik Levy, the head of vCita, has 25 years of experience in the tech space, having previously founded Kidaro, a desktop-virtualization company. That organization was acquired by Microsoft, and Itzik then served as a Product Unit Manager at Microsoft. With his extensive technical knowledge in both the start-up and corporate worlds, Itzik’s seasoned perspective brings huge value to vCita and the FinTech industry.
Are you an established (or aspiring) FinTech influencer and think you should have been included in this list? We’re listening.
If you’re looking to expand your presence, grow your business, and gain more leads and opportunities, consider partnering with a startup marketing agency like SAGE to help you gain an organic foothold in your market. Specifically focused on B2B sales? We’re also a B2B marketing agency, and we’d love to tell you more about how we can work together to build your brand.
Outbound marketing is a powerful solution – a proactive approach that involves reaching out to potential customers through various communication channels such as cold calling, emails, and advertisements. In contrast, inbound marketing aims to attract prospects organically to your business through distributing content techniques such as ebooks, SEO, or infographics. The key difference between outbound and inbound marketing is being proactive.
Being proactive and developing an outbound marketing strategy for startups can be a valuable way to generate leads, expand your customer base, and drive business growth. Outbound is exceptionally effective when your audience is specific and prospective organizations are hard to reach (enterprise, financial, medical, etc.) In outbound marketing, the messages are granular, and the approach is tailored to address a specific business need (or “pain”) that they have. With these “hard-to-reach audiences,” outbound methodologies are proven to deliver positive results.
In this guide, discover how to craft your outbound strategy and the top channels for execution. More specifically, explore:
Your target audience and how to identify them
How to develop your content
The top outbound marketing channels
Guidelines and best practices for executing your strategy
An effective outbound strategy can deliver faster results and give businesses a competitive edge by precisely targeting your audience, setting yourself apart from other companies. This approach could be a game changer for your organization, but how do you execute it properly? Which channels should you use? What tips can make the difference?
Companies are increasingly finding cold outbound to be a viable strategic tool producing fantastic results for their growing businesses. Cold outbound is a strategic approach within outbound marketing where companies initiate contact with potential customers to introduce their product, establish a connection, and ultimately convert them to customers.
This guide will break down the step-by-step process of building a successful outbound strategy to elevate your business. These strategies have helped our team target key prospects and startups we worked with to accomplish their goals. Learn how to craft your effective outbound strategy and gain tips on execution from our marketing professionals.
Tailoring Your Outbound Marketing for Target Audiences
Building an effective outbound marketing strategy can set your business apart. In a world flooded with media and advertisements, connecting with your target audience becomes the key to standing out and achieving your business goals.
In this section, learn how to:
Identify your target audience
Personalize your message
Craft compelling content
Understanding various outbound marketing channels, in addition to these tools, will provide the comprehensive perspective necessary for success.
Identifying Your Target Audience
The effectiveness of your campaign is most reliant on the quality of your research. Teams that can pinpoint their target audience distinguish themselves from their competitors and close more deals. The value proposition that your company brings lies in your target marketing and segmentation. Value varies between everyone. Not all of your customers will value the same points of your product or service. When thinking about value, evaluate both the tangible and intangible attributes and benefits of your product.
Defining your target audience is the first step of your outbound marketing strategy. Understanding who you are selling to will help clear your messaging and create a more targeted approach. Think about your end user and what they look like. Develop distinct messages tailored to address the unique pain points of each of your target audiences.
Tip: Starting with your current customer base is a simple way to know which industries and companies are already gaining value from your business. Additionally, analyzing a competitor’s customer base to understand who they are selling to and what messaging works for them.
Lead Information and Generation
Define who you are selling to with an ICP (Ideal Customer Profile). Developing a well-structured ICP maps out your campaign and is crucial for enhancing the effectiveness of your outreach campaigns. Knowing who you are communicating with allows you to tailor your messaging, choose the most suitable channels, and maximize engagement with desired prospects for conversion.
At the basic level, an ICP should include:
Industry
Company size
Location
Job titles
An ICP is highly customizable and can be more specific as well. More in-depth ICPs may include more in-depth information that you could customize toward different solutions your company may offer.
At a deeper level, an ICP will include:
Pain points of your target audience
Challenges they face
Where they consume content
Use an ICP in all outbound campaigns to ensure your marketing efforts are aligned with the needs and preferences of your most valuable prospects, enhancing the relevance and effectiveness of your outreach.
Personalisation
The key to connecting and resonating with your target audience is crafting personalized messages that engage. Harbor simple information about your recipient to increase the chance of a positive response and start you off on the right foot.
Find commonalities to reference, such as their:
Professional background
LinkedIn content
Industry
Additionally, include commonalities that will help target your messages to your desired prospects. Treat your prospects as an individual rather than simply a name on your list. Try crafting genuine messaging to your prospects to better resonate with them.
Composing Compelling Content
Now that you have identified your audience, a prospect’s conversion will ultimately come down to what you offer and how you say it. Content is at the heart of your outbound marketing efforts. It serves as the medium through which you convey your message, value proposition, and call to action to your prospects. You have just seconds to convince your audience that you are worth their time.
The most effective messaging covers the pain points your audience may be facing, resonating deeper. For each platform, creating content that follows best practices can boost your messaging and raise engagement. Crafting an effective storytelling strategy can win over the hearts and minds of your most desired prospects.
Outbound Marketing Channels
Now that you know who you are targeting, you must learn where they spend their time and engage the most. Capture their attention and convert it to sales. So many people receive too many spam emails, messages, and advertisements throughout the day. Yours has to stand out and grab attention!
Capturing attention is most reliant on:
Who you contact
When or timing
What your offer
Discover which communication channels are suitable for your outreach. Selecting the correct outreach channels for your business is not a one-size-fits-all approach. Each channel may provide better or worse results depending on your goals and campaign. Considering a multi-channel approach can reinforce your message and provide better results.
The Right Time to Reach Out
Timing is critical for an outreach campaign and can impact your results. Sending a message when a prospect is most receptive will increase your effectiveness and can drive more engagement. Once again, knowing your audience is the most significant way to succeed.
Consider both your big picture and more precise tasks when developing your strategy.
For overall outreach campaigns, take into account:
Seasons
Events
Consumer or Business behavior
Competitor Behavior
For precise tasks, take into account:
Days of the week
Time of day
Time zones
Social media activity
Properly mapping out your campaign and sticking to it can increase your anticipated results and create a more personalized experience. Keep in mind that the timing for one campaign may not work for another. Throughout your execution, collect proper data, analyze results, and adapt your strategy accordingly for maximum results.
Choosing the Right Channel
These channels are critical to learn and understand as they determine how and where you reach your target audience. Each outbound channel has varied reach, cost, and effectiveness. Make an informed decision on where to reach out based on your target audience.
Some main channels for startups who are beginning their marketing outreach options include:
Email marketing
LinkedIn Direct Messaging
Trade Shows and Events
Discover more in-depth knowledge about each channel and best practices in the following sections.
Source
Email
The simplest way to craft your email outreach message is to address pain points, create compelling subject lines, and offer value. Ask yourself what struggles your ICP is facing and how you can solve that problem. Get your email opened by being creative with your subject line and pique their curiosity.
A well-crafted email maintains:
Credibility in your subject
Relevancy to your prospect’s needs
Engagement with your audience
Showcase your credibility! You put so much effort into your business. Let people know you can solve their problems. Credibility can come from qualitative and quantitative sources. It is up to you how you want to prove it.
Be relevant! Highlight your value and contact prospects about a significant problem of theirs. If your email is not solving something valuable for your prospect, you will not receive a response. Make your email more relevant with personalization and insights.
Engage your prospects! The world is filled with constant media. Keep your prospects engaged and wanting more. Your subject line can help you start grabbing attention, but the rest of your email needs to keep their attention. Get creative with your content.
Bonus optimization tip: Shorter emails get higher open rates!
LinkedIn
Fostering connections with LinkedIn is a powerful way to connect with potential leads and breed meaningful sales relationships. Your LinkedIn messages must be attention-grabbing and relevant, similar to email outreach.
A successful LinkedIn outreach strategy for startups includes:
Targeting the right connections
Keeping engagement high
Finding commonalities
Targeting the right audience is the best way to start your LinkedIn marketing outreach. Your ICP is an easy way to ensure you are connecting with the right people who can become prospects. With LinkedIn tools and filters, finding connections based on your ICP is simple.
Tip: Level up your LinkedIn marketing outreach with Sales Navigator. Search for more people based on your ICP faster rather than just manually.
Keeping engagement high is essential to outreach marketing campaigns by consistently providing valuable content. Your LinkedIn engagement is not just about starting conversations but also about sharing valuable insights with your network. Create valuable messaging that follows similar guidelines to email outreach. Focus on solving your prospect’s problems, offer value, and demonstrate how your product or service can benefit them.
Tip: Use personalized opening lines or connection request messages that pique curiosity. Mention shared interests, connections, or recent accomplishments.
Finding commonalities on LinkedIn is a powerful way to initiate conversations and establish rapport with potential leads. Look for shared interests, connections, or groups to join on LinkedIn. Mentioning these commonalities in your outreach messages can personalise your connection request or message and increase the likelihood of a positive response.
Tip: Use these commonalities as conversation starters with your prospects. Personalization not only finds common ground but encourages engagement and dialogue.
Events and Trade Shows
Attending events and trade shows can capture attention and convert it into tangible sales or business relationships. Attending these events is always recommended as you may connect with unexpected people online or in person and discover valuable opportunities for collaboration, business growth, and mutual learning.
Here’s how to effectively craft your strategy for trade shows and events:
Gather data from event pages or website
Target attendees on LinkedIn and/or email
Use the event platform (if one is available)
Gather data from the event pages to learn who is attending for your outreach marketing efforts. Gathering names, emails, companies, etc., are typically available for both in-person and online events on the event website or LinkedIn event page. Most importantly, check attendees per your ICP to find your prospects and start targeting.
Target attendees on LinkedIn and/or email to book demos with prospects. After gathering contact information, use it! People are most receptive to connecting and hearing about your product before an event. Meet attendees, schedule time with them, and aim to book demos. Send personalized messages and engage with attendees by addressing their pain points and offering value. Mention shared interests, industry trends, or event-specific discussions to initiate conversations.
Use the event platform–typically available for live events or robust online events– for best connecting with fellow attendees. Find shared experiences or interests for conversations with prospects at the event, such as attending the same workshops, presentations, or sessions. Use these shared experiences as conversation starters and bonding opportunities.
Tip: Your credibility at trade shows and events is built on your presence. Ensure that you and your team present yourselves professionally and in alignment with your brand’s image.
Bonus Tip: Showcase your expertise by participating in panel discussions, giving presentations, or contributing to relevant discussions within the event. Your active involvement can boost your credibility.
Conclusion
Outbound marketing remains a fundamental strategy for startups, but especially for businesses of all sizes. Remember that successful outbound marketing does not end with a single campaign; it is an ongoing process of optimization and improvement.
At Sage Marketing, our expert GOHO team specialises in full-cycle and demand-gen outbound marketing. Together, our team will build your outbound marketing strategy and execute it to bring you leads ready to demo. Discover GOHO services to learn how we already bring 5 to 7 qualified meetings to our clients. For a free consultation and more comprehensive marketing information tailored to you, contact us to learn how Sage GOHO can grow your outbound marketing efforts!