Speak Like a Local: Your Guide to Israeli Startup Slang

1 min read
Yarden Sela
Yarden Sela

With the literally thousands of startups in Tel Aviv and throughout Israel, knowing how to “talk the talk” will only help you build a career in this field.

Here’s a handful of words and phrases to get you started:

1. שמונה מאתיים

Transliteration: shmoneh (8) m’tayim (200)

Meaning: 8200, the Israeli Defense Forces’ most prestigious intelligence unit, where many programmers and developers get their initial training

2. ממר”מניק/ית

Transliteration: mam’ram’nik (masculine) / mam’ram’nikit (feminine)

Meaning: a nickname for someone who graduates from the programming school Mamram, the IDF’s central computing system unit

3. יזם / יזמית

Transliteration: yah’zam (masculine) / yah’zam’it (feminine)

Meaning: entrepreneur

4. ?עשית אקזיט

Transliteration: ah’si’tah exit (when asking a male) / ah’sit exit (when asking a female)

Meaning: Did you make an exit? (Did you sell your company?)

5. נטוורקינג

Transliteration: networking (like the English word!)

Meaning: networking (can be used as a noun or a verb)

6. חפש/י אותי בלינקדאין

Transliteration: chah’pes (when speaking to a male) / chap’si (when speaking to a female) oh’ti beh’linkedin

Meaning: Look me up on LinkedIn.

7. ?מתי יש האפי האוואר

Transliteration: mah’tai yesh happy hour

Meaning: When is happy hour?

8. אין לנו משרדים, אנחנו יושבים באופן ספייס

Transliteration: ein lah’nu mis’rah’dim, anach’nu yosh’vim beh’open space

Meaning: We don’t have offices, we sit in an open space.

9. ?מה המודל העסקי שלכם

Transliteration: mah hah’model hah’es’ki shel’ah’chem

Meaning: What’s your business model?

10. סבב גיוסים

Transliteration: seh’gev gi’u’sim

Meaning: funding round (e.g. angle, seed, A, B)

11. ?אתם מקבלים תן ביס

Transliteration: ah’tem meh’kah’blim ten bis

Meaning: Do you all get 10bis? (meals paid for by the company)

12. ?את/ה מקבל/ת גם אופציות

Transliteration (male): ata meh’kah’bel gam op’tzi’ot

Transliteration (female): at meh’kah’belet gam op’tzi’ot

Meaning: Do you also get stock options?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Yarden Sela is the content marketing manager for Tel Aviv-based Elevation Academy, which offers the most up-to-date training courses for today’s most in-demand skills.

 

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