How I Got Here

1988–2004

I was born in Jerusalem. At the age of 8 my parents divorced, and my father disappeared from my life for three years. I was a difficult kid, kicked out of every school I attended. I can't blame the divorce, because my brothers and sister did well, but for me it was deeply traumatic.

I loved being a goalkeeper and I loved rollerblading. Those were my escapes.

2005–2007

At 16, I made a decision that changed everything: I quit school, left Israel, and moved alone to the USA with $500 in my pocket.

I worked hard, saved what I could, and after a year and a half I returned home to serve in the army.

2007–2010

I joined Duchifat (IDF Ground Forces). It wasn't easy. I lost a good friend, Noam, who was accidentally shot by a senior officer. That moment stayed with me forever.

In the last 6 months of service, I was given the chance to finish high school. It was so easy for me that I sometimes switched places with the math teacher and taught the class myself.

When I finished the army, I thought I wanted to go to the Technion. My brother, who was studying there, taught me math to help me prepare. But my heart was still in America, so I moved back.

2010–2017

I worked as a sales manager for two years before deciding to start my own business with two friends. We opened our first location in Denver and it took off fast. Within a year I saved a few hundred thousand dollars. But we were young and stupid, and we managed to destroy it.

So I started again. This time I opened six prime locations across the U.S. in four years.

At 28, I became a self-made millionaire.

2017–2021

But money didn't fulfill me. I felt empty. So I sold everything to my manager and went searching for purpose.

For the next five years I travelled the world. India, Thailand, Mexico, Europe. I bought an apartment in Tel Aviv and went deep into trading crypto and stocks. I didn't know it then, but it was my gambling era.

When COVID hit in 2020, I was in Vietnam. I saw opportunity, flew home, sold my apartment, and went all-in. At first it worked. Like everyone else, I made a lot. Almost eight figures.

I moved to Tulum and thought I had made it.

Then came May 2021. The famous "Elon crash." I was greedy. I had 2x leverage on my entire net worth. In one night, I lost 90% of everything.

2021–2024

My mental health collapsed. My family distanced themselves. My friends disappeared. I became impossible to deal with.

My brother's last sentence to me still echoes: "You're going to lose everything." He was right.

For two years I kept gambling trying to recover, and lost what was left. Eventually I gave up and hid. I lived in the jungle of Tulum so no one I knew would see me.

People used to tell me I was smart, special. But I felt like the stupidest man alive.

2024

When I was done grieving, I made a decision that saved my life: I taught myself Computer Science and Software Development.

No courses. No classes. Just me, YouTube, documentation, and a burning need to rebuild myself.

I started by Googling how to open the Terminal on my Mac. Slowly, I built websites, APIs, databases, tests, complete systems. For the first time, my thoughts turned into something real on a screen, and I felt alive.

Today I'm 37, and excited about the future. I rose from the darkest place a person can be.

Now I dedicate every day to learning, building, and becoming the best version of myself.

And we are here — 2025