Michal Tsur: Israel's tech industry needs female talent
#30: Michal Tsur
By EYTAN HALONMichal Tsur(photo credit: Courtesy)
While modest progress has been made in recent years, women remain vastly underrepresented in Israel’s hi-tech sector. In fact, only 8% of all Israeli start-ups are led by women.Prominent female entrepreneurs like Dr. Michal Tsur, however, are exactly the role models and advocates that talented women need to break the persistent glass ceiling. In 2018, she was named by Forbes among the world’s top 50 women in hi-tech.Jerusalem-born serial entrepreneur Tsur is the co-founder and president of Kaltura, a leading video platform and developer of software products powering engaging video experiences for hundreds of millions of viewers.READ NO. 29: ISAAC HERZOG & TULI EDELSTEIN>>READ NO. 31: ISRAEL KATZ & GILAD ERDAN>>See the full list of The World's Most Influential Jews>>Today, she leads Kaltura’s Enterprise and Learning business unit, after previously heading its global product, marketing and community efforts.Prior to establishing Kaltura in 2006, Tsur co-founded anti-fraud software company Cyota, together with Naftali Bennett, Ben Enosh and Lior Golan. The company was acquired by RSA Security in a $145 million deal in December 2005.Tsur also holds a doctoral degree from New York University, and was a post-doctoral fellow at Yale’s Information Society Project.Alongside her entrepreneurial success, Tsur has been a vocal advocate for solving the female drought in the hi-tech industry.
“The tech industry needs female talent, and cannot afford to miss out on this segment of the population,” Tsur wrote in the Huffington Post, advising employers on how to employ women in hi-tech in one of her many published articles.“Why wait to solve this problem?... The added talent and increased diversity will have positive effects on our companies, economy and society overall.”If Israel and other developed nations are committed to accelerating the integration and leadership of women in hi-tech, Tsur’s success should provide an example to all.
