Advertising on huge billboards is a business that is usually reserved for large companies or politicians on election days, but next week a slightly different campaign will appear on the huge advertising sign of the Azrieli Towers in Tel Aviv. 60 small businesses will present for four days (September 11-14) short campaigns that will help them reveal their activities to the tens of thousands of potential customers who pass by every day.
The move is an initiative of Adam Kima and Adam Kogan, the founders of the financial start-up PayMe, which provides financial solutions to small businesses, most of them owned by young women and young men at the beginning of their professional careers. Azrieli and the Baram advertising company also take part in the initiative, and each business will pay only NIS 200 for participating in the project. The cost of advertising on the sign in question is usually NIS 45,000 for ten days. At the beginning of October, another similar move is planned, in which another 20 businesses will take part.
The range of businesses that will appear on the sign is wide, ranging from yoga instructors, escape rooms, cosmetics manufacturers, business consultants, confectioners and more. PayMe will also photograph the business owners against the background of their advertisement, in order to leverage the move and the business on social networks.
“Mass advertising means, which are usually only used by large chains and companies, are actually another way of perpetuating the differences with the small businesses,” says Kogan. “As a company that provides service to tens of thousands of such businesses, it seems natural to us to take care of them in this arena as well. The response to our initiative was tremendous, and points to the existing need in the field.”
Feemy was founded in 2015, after Kogan and Kima encountered difficulty in receiving and transferring payments in their past as freelancers. The company develops a number of technological products, including solutions for receiving payment by credit cards and alternative means of payment, discounting, financing payments to suppliers, detection and prevention of fraud, digital wallets and more. The company’s offices are located in Tel Aviv, it employs about 60 people (in the process of recruiting another 30) and so far has focused on the Israeli market. It is now expanding its services to the global market as well – first in Europe.
Africa’s electric motorcycle
When Israel, Japan and Nigeria do business: cooperation The SIXAI Group of the entrepreneur Ran Poliakin, the Japanese auto parts manufacturer Musashi Seimitso, the Nigerian National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (Naseni) and the Nigerian Heritage Bank, will provide a more economical and greener transportation solution for the people of Nigeria and Ghana.
This is an initiative that combines Israeli software and artificial intelligence together with Japanese hardware to create electric scooters: SIXAI will provide the application, a smart system for replacing the batteries, as well as a monitoring and control system for the motorcycles and batteries. Musashi Seimitsu will be a key supplier of the chassis (electric gears, batteries, engine and controller units).
From the right: Madiska Haruna, Issaku Takeshi, Shashi Sheila, Professor Haruna, Michael Freeman and Dr. Haim Ayalon / Photo: sixai
The scooters will be sold to residents of Nigeria and Ghana on a leasing basis (Heritage Bank will provide the financing for the end users), and they can be charged at stations that will be placed in central locations such as gas stations or near shopping centers.
“Most of the traffic in Africa is done by motorcycles, which causes serious problems of air pollution,” says Shashi Sheila, Deputy CEO of SIXAI. Air pollution by 50%. The project will be launched in early 2023, and we intend to rapidly expand throughout Nigeria and other countries in Africa and Southeast Asia.”
Pango believes in the electric vehicle
The Pango parking application enters the world of electric vehicles: it will display on an interactive map hundreds of charging stations throughout the country to which users can navigate, including information on the type of station (regular or fast), and the types of possible connections. In addition, it will be possible to pay through the application for charging the vehicle. The move will be made possible through cooperation with Milgam EV-Edge, which operates about 150 stations. Other companies that will appear on the interactive map are Sonol EVI, Afcon and GNRGY.
The company bases the move, among other things, on the fact that in the first seven months of 2022, approximately 10,500 new electric vehicles were delivered, representing approximately 6% of the total number of vehicle deliveries. For comparison, in the same period last year, a little more than 6,000 electric vehicles were delivered, which made up about 3% of the total number of vehicles. Estimates in the industry are that there are currently about 30,000 electric vehicles on Israel’s roads.
“We are aware of the increasing number of electric vehicle owners among our customers, and aware of their changing needs,” says Roi Elbaz, CEO of Pango, whose database has 3 million customers.
New service for interest calculation
The credit rating application Captain Credit, from the Dunn & Bradstreet credit bureau, is launching a new feature that will show users how much their loan or mortgage will become more expensive or cheaper following the Bank of Israel’s interest rate hike.
The application will provide users with the exact amount added or subtracted from their refund – which will allow them to change their financial behavior if necessary, and prepare accordingly. According to the company’s data, in 2021 the Israeli public paid about NIS 27 billion in interest on credit it took, and in 2022 the amount is expected to jump to about NIS 35 billion.
“The new feature turns macroeconomic decisions into a clear and simple bottom line,” says Captain Credit CEO Moshe Yadgar. “Credit consumers cannot change the interest rate, but can certainly see what conditions are offered to them for a mortgage or loan and bargain on them”.
good news
Assisting social businesses. Mizrahi-Tefahot Bank and the IVN Social Investment Fund will help business-social ventures in their early stages to grow as profitable social businesses, as part of the “Business with Value” project that has been operating since 2014. This year each venture will receive NIS 35,000, as well as support from leading mentors.
The projects chosen are: the surfing farm that works with the Hadsim Youth Village, the online store for second-hand children’s clothing newish, the “Laman” association that recycles electric motors and metal and copper materials for reuse in industry, and the Shethaveh Theater that works to promote Personal and social empowerment, through providing a platform for personal, group and community expression.
Contribute to youth football
A.L.M. Electricity and Digital will give the Eilat youth soccer team a donation of tens of thousands of shekels.