Erez Dror
Founder & CEO, Genda
GET TO KNOW EREZ...
Hometown:
Tel Mond, Israel (near Tel Aviv)
Alma Mater:
Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, MS, Civil Engineering and Ben-Gurion, University of the Negev, BS, Civil Engineering
First Job:
Carpenter
Any hobbies?
Surfing or anything outside
Q: Tell me a little about yourself and how you came to create Genda.
A: I moved to Austin about two years ago from Tel Aviv. In Israel, after high school, you must complete military service. After my military service, I worked as a carpenter before going to college. Throughout college and after, I worked for construction companies in field management positions. During this time, I saw lots of opportunities for improvement in the construction management process, so that’s how I was inspired to start Genda.
Q: What life experiences have influenced you the most?
A: There are two things. When I was seven years old, I lost my oldest sister in a terror attack in Israel. It was very tough back then, and it is still tough today. This circumstance, including how my parents raised me, taught me about resilience. I think about my challenges in very different proportions than most: I’m way more optimistic, and it’s very hard to get me down.
The second experience that shaped me was my time in the army. I was lucky to be in an elite unit of the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) and was surrounded by the best of the best. When I was 18 years old, I had a ton of responsibility—commanding 30 soldiers—which is not typical. I was surrounded by very smart, very capable, very hardworking individuals, which has helped me to be a more successful leader today.
Q: Why did you choose Texas to build your business?
A: We did the research and determined that Texas had the most construction going on in the U.S. Our first projects were in the DFW area, but we decided to move to Austin because it was booming—right before all the towers downtown started to pop up. We saw lots of business potential with a strong tech community, so Austin seemed to be the best destination for funding and talent.
Q: What do you enjoy most and least about your role as CEO?
A: The best thing is building something with incredible people and being able to impact lives in a positive way—both your employees and your customers. That's the best thing. It's also one of the hardest things because people are complex, so you must understand and adjust for every individual on your team—staying positive to motivate different people in different ways to accomplish what needs to be done. It's very rewarding and very challenging.
Q: What is your biggest challenge as an immigrant CEO?
A: There are a lot of differences in culture and communication, and I am learning those differences as I go. Luckily, I have a strong relationship with my team members, and they know that sometimes things I say get lost in translation. A small, but funny, example is that my keyboard has two languages, Hebrew and English. When you press caps lock, you're in Hebrew, but can also still type in English. A few times, I have forgotten to take off the caps lock when typing in English, and my team thinks I am mad and shouting at them!
Q: Who has been your biggest supporter or mentor in your business journey?
A: Other than my wife, my biggest supporter has been our first customer, who is now a long-term partner, John Andres. He is the Director of Technology for Andres Construction and was the first person that gave us a chance in the U.S. We've been meeting every week for the last four years, and he has helped us shape the product and adjust to market needs. I'm also lucky to have a very supportive wife. She had a successful career in Israel, and she quit to move with me to the U.S., which was not insignificant.
Q: What character traits do you value when hiring?
A: The three things I look for are humbleness, intelligence, and hunger. Also, integrity is very important because that has a direct correlation with being accountable.
Q: Do you have a good party trick?
A: There is one thing I'm exceptionally good at—catching food with my mouth. I'm not sure how you say it in English but throwing food in the air and then catching it with your mouth. I'm exceptionally good at this in a very weird way. Anything you can throw; I can catch with my mouth!
Q: Do you have any strange or funny habits?
A: I unconsciously take off my shoes—even in public places—like at work or on a plane. When I realize it may not be an appropriate time or place, I’m like, "Oh, I need to put my shoes on!"
Q: Do you have a favorite author or podcaster?
A: I listen to a lot of tech podcasts to learn from other industries. I'm currently reading a book by Chris Voss called Never Split the Difference about negotiation.
Genda allows construction site managers to continuously and remotely control their construction process by analyzing the online data of project resources and generating real-time insights. With Genda, site managers are able to make data-driven decisions, wasteful processes are spotted and eliminated, and accidents are prevented before they occur.
More info: Genda
“The best thing is building something with incredible people and being able to impact lives in a positive way—both your employees and your customers.”