2024-01-21 02:45:04
Michal Mor (49)
personal: Married + 2, live in Haifa
professional: Founder and CEO of Smart-Shooter, develops a “dagger” sight for accurate hitting on the target on the first try
● Portfolio | The plastic surgeon who lost his leg from anti-tank fire in Lebanon
● Portfolio | They hacked my phone and watched my house”
● Portfolio | “No one in the world has done it”: the CEO of IAI tells what it’s like to intercept an Iranian missile in space
Childhood and family: I was born in Haifa and grew up in Kiryat Motzkin to an accountant father and a certified nurse mother. Living in the suburbs doesn’t offer many options on the table, but I never felt comfortable with standing still, from a young age I had a strong urge to move forward.
Army and studies: I was a psychotechnical diagnostician and interviewer and later also an instructor. Based on one meeting with 16 year olds I had to decide if they would be combat soldiers. There is a great responsibility in such a decision, which may affect their lives until the end of the reserve service. After the service, I studied for a bachelor’s degree in psychology at the University of Haifa, followed by a master’s degree in cognitive psychology at the Technion. There I studied human engineering, about the human factor in mechanized environments.
Raphael: As part of my master’s degree, I supervised the final theses of engineers, and several of them convinced me to join Rafa’el. My first position there, in 1999, was to lead a development team in the missile division in all things related to human engineering and cognitive psychology. I worked for almost eight years at the company – a fascinating workplace, With Zionist DNA and high moral values.
The transition to entrepreneurship: At some point, the need arose for me to experiment in a new environment and new areas of responsibility. I left Raphael with a software engineer who worked with me there, Avshalom Ehrlich. Initially we moved to a start-up in the printing field, this opened me to new worlds of product and marketing after years in which I concentrated only in the field of development. But in the end we decided to establish our own start-up. Thus, in collaboration with Dr. Avraham Mazor, a former senior officer at Rafael, Smart-Shooter was founded in 2011.
Smart-cop: The SMASH technology we developed enables the ability to hit ground and aerial, static and moving targets, regardless of the user’s skill level and experience. The algorithm locates targets and allows the fighter to select the desired target. The system locks onto it and after the trigger is pressed, it releases a perfectly timed bullet where all the ballistic equations converge. The accuracy is ultimate, in the first ball. The target can also be hit from 200-300 meters.
Flagship product: Our “dagger” sight has proven to be extremely effective against attacking drones. If until the current war it was provided only to regular riflemen, then immediately after October 7th we expanded the supply to reserve soldiers as well. Golani’s regular 51st battalion took down seven drones with seven bullets. The battery is enough for a 72-hour battle, and each rifleman is equipped with two or three backup batteries.
Not for every army: We focus on armies that value advanced technology and that it is important for them to avoid harming non-involved people. At this stage, apart from the IDF, we are talking about the USA, Great Britain, Germany, other armies in Europe and the Indian Navy.
recruitments: The last capital raising was carried out in 2019 at a value of 100 million dollars. We started with Zionist private investors from abroad, most of them from Canada and the USA. Later, our institutional investors joined: Fenix, Altshuler Shaham and Hachshara Insurance. An IPO is a great tool to continue growing. We currently have 80 employees and offices in Israel and abroad, but it is clear to us that in order to grow in the US, Europe and the Far East we will need more money. We would like to issue both in Tel Aviv and Nasdaq.
male industry: I work in the most masculine industry there is. Most of the senior officials in this field are men who know those who need to be known from the military service. I didn’t do rookies with them, nor reserves, but I built trust with them, they know I can answer them. There is no substitute for bringing value. Once we solve a real problem, our systems are reliable and we are available for feedback – being a woman is no longer an issue. My product VP who works with the IDF was also not a fighter in the Golani or in the commandos, but she leads a winning solution and way.
ego: The shooting range is very crowded. At the ranges, they talk about time, breathing, and holding the weapon, and suddenly I come and hit the target, from 300 meters, with every bullet. This is something that people there are not ready for. Even showing it was difficult at first, because it’s a field with a lot of ego.
Looking ahead: I want to make Smart-Shooter technology a standard in the most advanced armies in the world, to connect the infantry soldiers to the technological worlds I know. On a personal level, I strive to work to improve Israeli society, to bring it closer to what it should be.
For your attention: The Globes system strives for a diverse, relevant and respectful discourse in accordance with the code of ethics that appears in the trust report according to which we operate. Expressions of violence, racism, incitement or any other inappropriate discourse are filtered out automatically and will not be published on the site.
#entrepreneur #developed #sight #guarantees #hit #IDF #fighters