(September 17, 2022) His first day in Israel was a disaster. He felt so overwhelmed and homesick that he landed in an emergency room following an anxiety attack. “My first few months in Israel were very challenging. I longed to go back to Mumbai, but I knew that I couldn’t give up,” shares entrepreneur Pratik Thakker. Starting his journey as a young kid, who sold firecrackers and pickles in India, Pratik has come a long way to starting two tech-based companies – Webzoly and Testlify, in Israel. Often referred to as Israel’s tech ambassador to India, Pratik is Israel’s top LinkedIn influencer with over a hundred thousand followers.
Entrepreneur Pratik Thakker
“I have seen many failures in my life to understand that without falling you cannot expect success,” shares the entrepreneur as he connects with Global Indian during an interview, adding, “My companies have been helping Israeli tech companies grow in India and Asia-Pacific (APAC) by providing the local team, capital and drive the marketing, sales, and growth. India and Israel have a very long and deep relationship and I am quite proud to be a part of this journey.”
An entrepreneurial kid
Born in Kutch, Pratik grew up in a family of entrepreneurs. A mischievous child, he studied at a boarding school till Class 4. “That was a difficult time. Staying away from your family at such a tender age can have a very deep impact,” shares the entrepreneur, “In the middle of IV standard, my father shifted me to a convent school. It was a bit difficult for me to adjust and frankly, it took about three years to match up to the education level of the students my age. Eventually, I was able to top my class and even got a scholarship from the school.”
It was in Class 7 that Pratik began his entrepreneurial journey. Inspired by his father, who had a spice shop, and other relatives, the entrepreneur decided to test his business skills. “Diwali was around the corner, and I wanted to sell crackers – not the usual ones but the fancy firecrackers. After my father gave me about ₹3000, I got a friend on board whom I promised to share my leftover crackers with along with a treat at a Chinese restaurant,” Pratik laughs.
Excited about his first venture, Pratik took off to a wholesale market in the Masjid Bandar area of Mumbai with his friend and father, and picked some really unique stock for their stall. “But due to the festive season, we couldn’t find a spot for our stall. So I took a small stool, and placed my carrom board on it upon which I put my stock. People were very intrigued by two young boys selling crackers and we earned a good amount,” he says, adding that the two friends continued to sell crackers for the next three Diwalis.
The land of Judah
Even during his college years, Pratik continued dabbling in entrepreneurial opportunities and even tried his hand in the stock market. Around the same time, he met his life partner, Nancy. “Nancy is a Jew of Indian origin. After our marriage, she motivated me to move to Israel. It was called the startup nation, and we thought it would be a great place to build our career.”
Pratik with his wife, Nancy
But all was not rosy. Soon after the couple landed in Israel, Pratik struggled with homesickness. Unable to find a job and having a hard time adjusting to the high-tech ecosystem of Israel, Pratik took up cleaning jobs. To get the ball rolling, the entrepreneur decided to offer something of value for free to the people. “On a Facebook group called Secret Jerusalem, I posted that I will help the first five people who approach me, with building a website for free. I had about seven customers in the first three months, and their testimonials got me my first high-tech job as a webmaster at Masa Israel Journey,” shares Pratik, who later became the Director of Digital Marketing in the same company.
Having gained much experience, the entrepreneur eventually decided to start his own company in 2016. “I was working as a freelancer on the side. One of my start-up clients requested if I could help them with sales development in India as they found it challenging to get the results. I immediately agreed and that’s how Webzoly was born. The idea was to start a customer service-centered and results-oriented outsourcing solution for companies. Currently, my team consists of highly trained skilled experts. From the beginning, Webzoly had an organic extension. We look into what is important for our clients and work on it,” he shares. Pratik’s other company, Testlify, which he co-founded in 2022, helps recruiters find the best candidates with deep analysis that’s accurate, automated, and unbiased.
According to the Indian Embassy in Israel, approximately 12,500 non-Jewish Indians work in Israel, many of whom are students, employees in IT companies, or diamond traders. Speaking about Indians living in Israel and the opportunities there, the entrepreneur explains, “There are a few hundred Indians in Israel, who are pursuing engineering or MBA. Since Israel’s focus is on innovation and technology, youngsters can benefit from the curriculum here. Many Indians are working as caregivers as well. However, a major setback is that once they complete their education or finish their work contract, non-Jewish foreigners are asked to leave the country. So, you can study here and learn a lot, however, you cannot get an Israel passport.”
Inspiring millions
The young entrepreneur today is a LinkedIn influencer, with over a hundred thousand followers. However, building a brand for himself wasn’t an easy job. “No product would sell if it is not marketed well. And that is true even for people. When I first started posting on LinkedIn, I hardly got any likes, however being consistent got people to notice me. Earlier this year, the LinkedIn team reached out to me to help them build a creator community. Through my posts, I try to inspire and educate people about scaling up their careers, business strategies, and much more. It is great to impart the knowledge that I have about the industry with people who wish to start something of their own,” shares the entrepreneur.
Receiving the Tufts Senior Award in 2016[/caption]
With tribal kids of Odisha[/caption]
Addressing audience at one of the events[/caption]
With Anthony Monaco and senior members of Tufts University at Presidential Award Ceremony[/caption]
Invited at Kaun Banega Crorepati as one of the experts[/caption]
Speaking at Harvard[/caption]
With Amartya Sen and friends[/caption]
Bijoy Jain[/caption]
Usha Akella[/caption]
Akshay Makar is the founder of Climatenza Solar.[/caption]
Akshay Makar made it to Forbes 30 Under 30 list (Photo: Forbes)[/caption]
Akshay Makar at Stanford University to meet MBA students.[/caption]