Tanzania & Israel

Photo: Scott Hartley

Travel Summary
Sept 7, 2007 to Sept 29, 2007

Joshua To
Table of Contents
Tanzania Israel
September 7–24 September 24–29

Believe Begin Become Introduction 1 Arriving in Israel 21

Overview 2–3 Google Israel 22-23

- Entrepreneurs by Sector & Location 2 - Feels Good to Be Home 22
- Responsibilities 3 - Work Accomplished 23

Business Plan Examples 4–7 Dead Sea Photos 24

- Agribusiness & Processing 4
- Manufacturing 5
- Services 6 Conclusions 25
- Information Communication & Technology 7

Special Project: Gregory Mchopa 9–11

Highlights & Anecdotes 12–16

- Helium Stick Team Building 12
- Board Meeting with Yellow Pages in Tanzania 13
- Hotel Consulting 14
- $1 Fanta & a Random Picture Saves the Day 15–16

Challenges & Recommendations 17–20

- Professionalism 17
- Security 18
- Making it Real 19
- Unstable Power & Shaky Internet 20
Believe Begin Become
Introduction
Believe Begin Become (BBB) is a national business plan competition and entrepreneurship
development program in Tanzania. The program is funded by Google.org and designed,
managed, and executed by TechnoServe. TechnoServe’s Business Plan Competition aims
to identify, mentor, and improve the environment for entrepreneurs who will grow new busi-
nesses, and create jobs, revenue and wealth.

Winners of the competition will be awarded seed capital for business start-ups or expan-
sions, as well as a range of ongoing services to ensure that they have the support needed
for success.

Tanzania & Israel Travel Summary 1

 Agribusiness & Processing
45%
Manufacturing
23%
Services
21%
Information Communication
& Technology
9%
Overview
Entrepreneurs by Sector & Location
Arusha
Adam Mahamud Mohamed
Allen Medard Mibazi
Amani James Minja
Condrad Leo Kweka
Donath Clavery
Emmanuel William Makali
Ambrose Kweka
Faustin Rikoyan Laizer
George Lusani Nkwama
Godson Barnabas Kaaya
Haika Richard Mtui
James Katabaro Karokola
Jost Kamugumya Rwegasila
Laurent Benedicto Makwaya
Leopord Lema Eben
Lilian Augustine Mwaimu
Lilian Hezekiah Mungure
Mariam Hassan Massawe
Miriam Maddy Ng’maryo
Modest Didas Msae
Robert Christoher Mchomba Lyimo
Sehewa Eric Chilongani
Selemani Likavanga Kinyunyu
Stephen Mughanga Sudi
Wilfred Raymond Ulomi
Arusha, 25
Dar es Salaam, 70
Dar es Salaam
Alex Elia Sanga Grace Mziray Coleman Maria Mpanduji Shilinde
Alex Sofari Moshi Gregory Alphonce Mlay Mary Gaspary Karega
Alfred Augustino Massawe Harry Mulungwana Rekayo Tuluhungwa Maureen Harold Temu
Alfred Michael Nalitolela Henry Zakaria Ruhinguka Mullowellah Abdallah Mtendah
Ali Shadrack Mlela Hermengild Joseph Mayunga Ngonzo Mpuga Kiteja
Alphonce Nasson Andreas Jairos Joel Mahenge Nicolous Eli Malema
Aurelia Zawadi Doto Evelne Jared Dugu Ochola Ochuodho Wayoga
Austin Makwaia Makani Jerry Shuma Onasaa Ojung Longdare
Bakari Rashid Mchira Joachim Michael Mmassy Omar Khalfan Salim
Bernadette Kokusitubila Ndabikunze Job Qhenkori Chacha Rehema Devangwa Mmari
Charles Lufurano Domician Joel George Mwakitlu Robert Sahdrack Machangu
Daniel Gabriel Mbaya John Loveness Urid Sadiki Pastory Masomhe
Deonatus Ndalo John Naftal Urio Salome Kokushubila Mutayoba
Deusdedit Kizito Stephen Jones Wazaeli Mkumbo Salome Maria Kawaya
Doto Dickson Mahinga Joseph Cyprian Massimba Samina Juzar Sachak
Edson Kagaruki Laurent Julius David Sumba Shaban Omari Lushino
Emil Zachariah Abuya Kenneth Ikanda Shughudu Lubero Mvungi
Enock Ananidze Ndondole Lawrence Masaka Limbe Simon Bertram Ngimbudzi
Erasto Joel Mbilinyi Leonard Thomas Mwachambi Stanley Lucas Mbo
Erick Mwemezi Kimasha Liberatus Mnaku Maganya Stephen Mwendwa Mbua
Eunice Ndesario Urio Lilian Philipo Njau Stratton Casmir Amani
Frank Bernard Lucy Ezekiel Maka Victor Gilbert Mfinanga
Frank Richard Maoud Msingi Tulio
Gerald Jered Mgaya
Godfrey Alois Sanga
Tanzania & Israel Travel Summary 2
Morning Lecture
NSSF Waterfront Building

Overview

Responsibilities
Served as a lecturer and consultant for BBB finalists in Dar es Salaam during Week 2 & 3 of
the seven-week training program.

Lectures Delivered
– Planning: Internal and External Analyses - Competitive Analysis
– Management and Organization Part I
– Management and Organization Part II
– The Importance of Design in Business

Member of panel discussion for Information Communication and Technology sector.

Attended a lecture for the BBB program in Arusha for an evening and provided consulting
assistance remotely through phone and email.

Tanzania & Israel Travel Summary 3

Entrepreneurs
Arusha, Tanzania

Business Plan Examples

Business Plans Fell into 3 Categories

1. Exploit Market Inefficiency
Business plan seeks to exploit market inefficiency. Demand currently outpaces supply, and
the business will thrive insofar as it can fill unmet demand.

2. Transform the Status Quo Through Technology

Business plan seeks to transform the status quo through technology advancement, process
streamlining or process acceleration.

3. Convince Potential Users of Product Benefits

Business plan seeks to convince potential users of product benefits in order to create de-
mand. Such plans are substantially less developed than the others.

Tanzania & Israel Travel Summary 4

Jones Wazael Mkumbo
Local Chicken Company Co.

Business Plan Examples

Agriculture & Processing Sector

Organic Chicken Production Mushroom Production
A man is proposing to sell organic chicken in Dar es Salaam to both busi- A man is marketing mushrooms to fill unmet demand. He will package
nesses and consumers. He has a farm located just outside Dar, and he small packets of mushrooms as well as larger packages for distributors.
thinks he can bring chicken to market faster than others. His business will therefore be both to individual consumer as well as other
businesses.
Milk Production
A man seeks to popularize milk. No one drinks it, and he wants to tout its Goats’ Milk Production
health benefits to drive his own milk sales. A man is striving to revise milk preferences of individuals by espousing the
benefits of goats’ milk over cows’ milk. His target market will be the elderly
Organic Cashew Nut Production who may be lactose intolerant, as well as diabetics and those who want
A man grows cashew nuts and is looking to make them “organic” status. to gain from the nutrients of goats’ milk. As opposed to filling an unmet
There is a fungus that exists in cashews, and many use sulfur dust. His demand in an existing market or streamlining a process through technology
contain neither of these, and he thinks that this will give him a niche in the advancement, successfully implementing his idea into the market will be
market. He gave me a small packet. an uphill battle. He’ll need to convince people of the value of his product
before it becomes successful.
Chicken Egg Hatchery
A man seeks to startup a chicken hatchery business on the outskirts of Dar
es Salaam. He proposes to initially put in 2,000 eggs, and then 2,000 more
each week, thus creating a steady stream of chicks at the rate of 2,000 per
week. Many people with no education or skills will raise chickens (100 or
so at a time), and sell them to local markets or stores or restaurants. These
people buy their chickens from hatcheries, and hatcheries buy from whole-
sale egg sellers. Currently the request-to-delivery for chicks is four months.
Demand is higher than current supply, and due to recent cattle diseases,
many have turned to chicken over beef.

Tanzania & Israel Travel Summary 5

Job ChaCha
Cultured Marble Factory

Business Plan Examples

Manufacturing Sector
Cultured Marble Factory
Job is proposing a cultured marble factory in Morongoro. Such marble is
ground down and mixed with resin. He essentially creates a marble “alloy”
that is malleable and can be put into molds and shaped into furniture, or
anything. His ratio is 1:4. No such factory exists anywhere in East Africa.
There is only one other in Africa in Nigeria. He has a partner in San Jose
who is helping him pick out 150 molds to purchase for $500,000 next year.
He also is in the process of getting a querying permit in Morongoro. The
permit is essentially a property lean on a given territory, say 40 hectacres,
where he can begin mining, and doing the manufacturing on site. He is a
former plant manager, and has manufacturing experience. He is looking
for between $1.5 and $2 Million from a venture capital source. He will cre-
ate marble products on demand, locally, that he is convinced will allow for
cheaper prices. He will not need to stock a warehouse or stock inventory
because building projects will seek him out with delivery orders that he will
fill, and ship on demand.
Masai Women Art

Masai Women Art will be a company producing and selling beaded jewels in
collaboration with a network of Masai Women groups.
They will have a small office and workshop in Arusha town to manage the
orders, check the quality and pack the products,
while the main production will be done by Masai Women in their homes.
Interlock/Hydraform Clay
Business idea involves manufacturing fired interlock/hydraform clay bricks
utilizing saw dust and paddy husks to burn the bricks and thereafter
introduce the interlock building system technology in Kilimanjaro region.
The project can immediately start intensive production utilizing available 10
acres of land, which has a proper confirmed sandy clay soil with clay and
silt content between 10% and 45%.

Dodoma Pottery Retail

A woman has been trained in pottery methods and is a member of a num-
ber of womans’ groups in Dodoma. She has researched, and all pottery for
cooking, flower vases, etc is currently imported from Dar es Salaam. There
is no local producer of such pottery. She believes that she can mobilize her
womans’ groups as a labor force, teach them the techniques that she has
mastered, and market to Dodoma.

Tanzania & Israel Travel Summary 6

Jitu, RD Tailor
Dar es Salaam

Business Plan Examples

Services Sector
Dar es Salaam High School Travel Service for the Handicapped
Jared is planning on opening a high school in Dar es Salaam. He has sig- Jerry is starting a travel service for disabled foreigners. There is no such
nificant money invested already in local property, and they’ve constructed service, and no standards exist for elderly or disabled. As such, many do
a number of dormitories. His cash flow projections are well over $1M. His not know how to travel in Africa with adequate resources or facilities.
partner is a former UN staffer from Geneva, Switzerland, and he has a Mas-
ters degree, having studied in Belgium. Regional Machine Shop
Liberatus is proposing to create a machinery service center in Mbeya, in the
Health Magazine south. Currently any farmer with an equipment issue (nozzles, equipment,
Masoud plans to create a healthcare magazine that he will distribute to local machines, cashew-related) has to drive to Dar (400 KM) to get it fixed. This
health care professionals in Dar es Salaam. He will offer subscriptions as causes significant drain in time, cost, productivity and potential revenue and
well as individual buys, and he has sought and acquired significant advertis- time for the farmer.
ing already. He will create an ad for free, and for those who advertise with
him, he will include their business information in his magazine health direc-
tory. This is something that does not currently exist, and he is convinced
will add value in Dar. Currently no one knows which pharmacies contain
which prescriptions, or what the contact information is.

Tanzania & Israel Travel Summary 7

Information Communication & Technology
Entrepreneurs

Business Plan Examples

ICT Sector
charges around $600 for a 10-page website. Domain registration is $60,
Regional ISP
and hosing costs range up to $300. He was excited to learn about PPC,
A man in the south wishes to provide a local IT hub for students to use the
analytics, and AdSense.
Internet, VOIP, and other online services. He proposes to have the center
double as a local ISP. Regional Internet penetration is very low.
Online Bill-Pay & Online Transactions
Online transactions in Tanzania currently do not exist. To book a flight, one
Online Travel Agency
must purchase through a travel agent, receive a paper ticket, and deliver
Kenneth wants to combine a travel website that offers deals to Americans
cash to the travel agent office. I experienced this arduous process, so I can
wishing to pursue hunting and safari treks in Tanzania with a local effort to
attest to the market need for this service. A man proposes to create and
help entrepreneurs gain business and Internet acumen. He proposes to
facilitate online bill pay that is secure. He’s primarily aiming at utilities pay-
build a travel website, and then teach web development to others. The
ments currently. He’d like to enable citizens to pay their utility bill via their
sites that others build will point to his travel agency, and he will also com-
mobile phone.
pensate marketing representatives who get individuals to attend his web
development workshops and sell his safaris. Any marketing representatives
that refer him business can qualify for different levels of status that cor-
Mobile Tanzania YellowPages
Alex has a company in Tanzania, the only one, called YelloFasta. It is a
respond to levels of compensation.
directory in three channels: online, paper, and mobile. He’s seeking to
Kenneth benefited greatly from receiving tips on natural search, cpc mar-
provide an SMS delivery system that provides directory information via a
keting, web analytics, web-based transactions, and IT infrastructure. We
wireless mobile device by typing in a location and name query.
developed a strategy to create and list his website on natural search, and to
We pushed the usefulness of registering taxi drivers and providing citizens
monitor his web analytics to determine the locations on which his marketing
with the ability to request a taxi number that is local to their location.
dollars should focus.
He calls his company “The millipede” because he doesn’t know which leg
to start off on. Its diversity of services is perplexing to Alex, as marketing it
Tanzanian Internet Portal
is desultory. We pushed the usefulness of RSS technology to get real-time
Sadick, a CS student at the University of Dar es Salaam, chosen by his
or quick-updated information on stocks or prices. We suggested that, like
eight involved friends to be the business head, proposes to aggregate
in Kenya, where a commodity market exists, he could provide local sales-
TZ corporate data. He wants to follow Google’s mission statement to
men the current prices of grain, rice. If a local producer could instantly get
provide Tanzanians, and Africans a registry of public corporate data (Similar
live price info, this is useful.
to Hoover’s). He also stresses the need to have any site localized into
Kiswahili and French to ensure adequate African coverage. He argues that
Majority business plan descriptions written by Scott Hartley.
Internet penetration is low because English literacy is low, and a necessary
precursor.
Sadick is also in web design. He showed me some of his sites. He

Tanzania & Israel Travel Summary 8

Special Project

Gregory Mchopa
Website for Fine Artist based in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania – www.mchopa.com

On our way back to the hotel on a Wednesday afternoon, we dropped by a small artist
community that was located right across from the TechnoServe office. There, we could see
artists hard at work and also look at a large selection of art that was available for sale.

As we walked through the area, there was a set of paintings by an artist that really caught
our eye, and we decided to ask around to see who he was. We were told that the artist’s
name was Gregory Mchopa, and his studio happened to be just around the corner, so we
decided to drop by and let him know that we liked his work. We had a great time getting
to know him and he was also open to sharing about some of the challenges that he faced
as an artist living in Tanzania. We wanted to find a way to help, and also wanted to see him
paint – so we setup a meeting for the next day to watch him in action and see if we could
come up with some ideas.

Tanzania & Israel Travel Summary 9

Special Project - Continued

Gregory Mchopa
Website for Fine Artist based in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania – www.mchopa.com

The next morning, we were able to see Mchopa paint live, and it was amazing to be able
to see first hand all the steps he went through to create a painting – from stretching out the
canvas to signing his name at the very end.

We decided that since we had some design and internet skills, we would try to put together
a website for him so that he could sell some paintings online. Using Google Apps, we were
able to secure the perfect domain name – www.mchopa.com!

Two days later, I was able to get a working website up just in time for our lecture on Satur-
day titled: The Importance of Design in Business & Leveraging the Internet for your Business.
This allowed us to use a real example to show how the design and the Internet could be
used to help entrepreneurs in their business ventures and how they can take advantage of
the products that Google has to offer.

Tanzania & Israel Travel Summary 10

Special Project - Continued

Gregory Mchopa
Website for Fine Artist based in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania – www.mchopa.com

Before we left Tanzania, we both brought some Mchopa paintings back to the US with us to
test the market and get the website up and running. We will be sending all the proceeds we
get from painting sales to Mchopa via Western Union or Bank Transfer.

Google Products Integrated on www.mchopa.com:

Google Apps for Your Domain
– Docs & Spreadsheets for Inventory Management
– Gmail for greg@mchopa.com email address

Google AdWords for Emerging Economies

Google Analytics
Google Website Optimizer
Google Checkout
YouTube

Tanzania & Israel Travel Summary 11

 Photo: Scott Hartley
Highlights & Anecdotes – Thursday, 09/13/2007

Helium Stick Team Building

I came into the lecture hall with a handful of bamboo sticks. I jokingly told the class, that I
had brought them because I have been disappointed with their attention level and participa-
tion in the lectures and that I would use the sticks to discipline them if things didn’t change –
and the class erupted into laughter.

I split the entrepreneurs into groups of about 10. The task was simple. As a group, they were
to find a way to slowly bring down the bamboo slowly until it reached the ground. The only
rule is that every member of the team must have his or her finger on the stick at all times. Ini-
tially, the sticks kept rising and after much laughter, frustration, strategizing and planning, the
groups were slowly able to make progress and finally find ways to lower the stick together as
a group.

I found this to be a great intro to the Management & Organization lectures.

Tanzania & Israel Travel Summary 12

Highlights & Anecdotes – Thursday, 09/13/2007

Board Meeting with YellowPages

We were invited to a board meeting with the CEO, CFO, COO, Marketing Director and De-
sign Director to discuss design strategy, branding, product development, usability and stra-
tegic planning. It was exciting to engage in a discussion and discuss future plans and with
such a large company.

One of the highlights was being able to put all of their collateral on the wall to identify incon-
sistencies in design and identify ways to focus the message they are sending.

Ideas suggested included:

Personal Stories Campaign, Free Data Entry for Business Owners via Website,
Sticker Campaign, Usability Studies, Market Research, No Charges for Non-Transaction
Queries, Promotional Events for the Company, Utilizing RSS Technology.

Tanzania & Israel Travel Summary 13

Highlights & Anecdotes – Tuesday, 09/11/2007

Hotel Consulting
On a Tuesday night, one of the entrepreneurs, Sadiki Pastory Masomhe brought his seven
business partners from college to the Golden Tulip Hotel where we were staying to have a
meeting about their business. Since there was such a large group, we split the group in two
so that we could get everyone involved and get more questions answered.

Tanzania & Israel Travel Summary 14

Highlights & Anecdotes – Monday, 09/24/2007

$1 Fanta & a Random Photo

Saves the Day!
Little did I know that my trip from Africa to Israel was going to be such an interesting one.
Dar es Salaam to Kilimanjaro, to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and finally to Tel Aviv. Since the flight
from Dar to Kilimanjaro is a 40 minute domestic flight, I figured that arriving to the airport at
3:00pm for a 4:30 flight would be more than enough time for me to catch the flight. When I
arrive at the Ethiopian Airlines counter, I receive two pieces of bad news. First, check-in for
the 4:30pm flight closed at 2:30pm so I would not be able to board. Second, my luggage is
overweight by 10 kilos which would require a $84 fine. The $84 would be fine but they are
not able to take credit card and the two ATM machines at the airport only take VISA; and I
have MasterCard. If I catch a cab to search for an ATM that takes MasterCard, I will most
definitely miss the flight.

How am I going to leave Africa? If I don’t make it to this flight, I will miss the training I need to
lead in Israel on Tuesday morning (It has to happen on Tuesday because their national
holidays starting on Wednesday and no one will be in the office).

To provide backdrop on the story, four days ago I was at the Arusha Airport waiting for my
flight back to Dar. I have about a 40-minute wait before my flight starts boarding. A friendly
man sitting across from me at the gate starts making conversation with me. Since I have
nothing to do and I’m thirsty, I let him know I’ll be right back. I head over to the snack shop
and buy two Orange Fantas and give one to the guy while we chat until we board our flight.

Tanzania & Israel Travel Summary 15

Mr. & Mrs. Modestus Njau

Highlights & Anecdotes – 09/24/2007 Continued

$1 Fanta and a Random Photo

Saves the Day!
Turns out, Modestus is one of the Deputy Managers of the Dar es Salaam airport. When
I was faced with the two problems at the counter I remember the guy I met in Arusha but
I don’t remember his name! I pulled out my MacBook Pro and showed the person at the
counter a picture that I happened to take of Modestus and his wife as we were about to
board the plane in Arusha. (Modestus’ wife works at the Arusha Airport and he wanted to
introduce me to his wife so I decided for some reason to snap a picture of the two of them).

Once the airport staff sees the picture that I showed them on my laptop. EVERYTHING
CHANGES. They forgive the $84 charge and manage to get me on the plane.

Who would have known that spending $1 on an Orange Fanta for a guy who wanted to chat
with me and happening to take a picture of him was going to get me out of Africa?

Tanzania & Israel Travel Summary 16

 Photo: Scott Hartley
Challenges & Recommendations

Professionalism
Start on Time
The lectures never started on time. The program coordinator for the Dar es Salaam lectures
would often show up late. Instead of getting the program started right away, he would spend
some time chatting with the entrepreneurs. At the end of the lectures, he would sometimes
sternly scold the entrepreneurs for being late even though most everyone was there on time,
and he was the one who was late.

Attentiveness is Important
On one of the optional Saturday sessions, there was a panel discussion. The panel consisted
of Scott Hartley from Google, Paul Chu, a consultant from Boston, a local consultant from
Dar es Salaam and myself. The moderator for the panel was a member of the TechnoServe
staff who arrived 30 minutes late. During the panel discussion, both the local consultant on
the panel and the moderator fell asleep. When the moderator woke up, he left to get tea for
an hour and a half. When the local panel member was awake, he did a mix of fielding
questions from the audience, answering phone calls and sending text messages with his
cell phone.

Tanzania & Israel Travel Summary 17

Challenges & Recommendations

Security
Security was a concern while traveling in Tanzania.

Equip Volunteers with Cell Phones

Since I did not have a working cell phone, it was not easy to locate a Taxi to return to the ho-
tel late at night after the lecture sessions in the evening. One night, a group of us had to take
a 30-minute walk through unlit streets and a deserted train station to find a Taxi.

Explore Different Transportation Solutions

Many of the buses and cars are not equipped with working seatbelts. In a one-hour period, I
experienced two flat tires in two different vehicles (bus and taxi) traveling on highways.
Luckily, no one was hurt in either instance.

Tsunami Warning
Due to the major earthquake in Indonesia, a tsunami warning was issued in Tanzania for
areas that were close to the coast. Since good information was difficult to get and our hotel
was right next to the water, we decided to evacuate and stay at the Blue Pearl hotel which is
20 km inland.

Seacliff Fire
On Saturday, September 22, the hotel/resort that was located right next to the place we
were staying caught fire due to an explosion. (We had just had dinner there a couple days
ago.) Luckily there were no injuries as they were able to evacuate all the guests before the
fire got out of control. There was no direct effect on us besides some rough traffic conditions
and being shaken up a little.

Tanzania & Israel Travel Summary 18

 Photo: Scott Hartley
Challenges & Recommendations

Making it Real
Follow the Order!
It is one thing to understand what you are being told during a lecture, but it’s a completely
different thing to be able to apply it to your specific business plan. I found that including
breakout sessions in the lectures in order to put the concepts covered in class to practice
was very valuable to the entrepreneurs. We also went through an exercise called ‘Follow the
Order’. This required the entrepreneur to walk through every single step of a transaction,
from when a product or service was ordered until delivery to the customer.

Have the Audience Answer Some Questions

Once in a while, when I was asked a question during lecture, I would ask the question back
to the audience. Not only did this give them a break from hearing my voice, but it also al-
lowed the entrepreneurs to learn from each other. Chances were, when their peers explained
things to them, the examples they used were easier to relate to and easier to understand.

Tanzania & Israel Travel Summary 19

Challenges & Recommendations

Unstable Power & Shaky Internet

During the Management & Organization Lecture, we lost power in the building. This allowed
me to experience some of the challenges that the entrepreneurs experience day in and day
out. The facility is very high-tech and equipped with a large generator, but they did not have
enough fuel to power the generator for the rest of the lecture. Using the power I had left on
my laptop battery, I proceeded to lecture in the dark for about 35 minutes to make sure I
covered the most important points. The only light that I could see was a few dim lights that
came from the entrepreneur’s cell phones which were turned on in order to jot down notes
as they listened.

The internet while in Tanzania was slow at best. Loading websites and sending text emails
on a consistent basis was something that we could only do on a good day. The only time I
had strong internet during my whole time in Tanzania was when Alex from YelloFasta lent me
his VodaCom USB modem.

Tanzania & Israel Travel Summary 20

Arriving in Tel Aviv
Being in Tel Aviv right after being in Africa for two weeks was definitely a bit of a culture
shock. Anything said in Hebrew that had any similarity to the words that I learned in Swahili
started throwing me off pretty badly.

Tanzania & Israel Travel Summary 21

Google Israel

Feels Good to Be Home

Even though Israel is a foreign place to me, arriving at a Google office after being in Tanzania
for two weeks was a welcomed change. Friendly Googlers fed me, acquainted me with the
office, and spent hours strategizing the places I should visit during my short stay.

Of course, it’s always fun to see the different things that are stocked in the micro-kitchens.

Tanzania & Israel Travel Summary 22

Google Israel

Work Accomplished
Trained two new people in Region 4 / EMEA on EmailLabs
– Tal Sarig-Avraham, Associate Product Marketing Manager
– Shirley Sneh, Administrative Assistant

Meeting with Data Pro | proximity

Had a dinner meeting with Naama and Elad from Data Pro | proximity, the agency which sup-
ports the Israel office by creating design collateral and coordinating marketing campaigns. It
was productive to be able to meet in person to make sure that we were on the same page in
terms of the technical requirements of EmailLabs and to ensure that the campaigns we were
launching were abiding by the laws and regulations that must be followed.

Resolved Issues with HTML Emails

Worked with Riki Drori, Country Marketing Manager and Artem Chetverykov, Associate Prod-
uct Marketing Manager on clearing some issues they were having with language encoding
Hebrew HTML emails and broken hyperlinks.
Tanzania & Israel Travel Summary 23
Floating in the Dead Sea

Taking a Mud Bath

Tanzania & Israel Travel Summary 24
Conclusion

It was amazing.
From having the privilege to work alongside local entrepreneurs in developing their business
plans, to seeing giant wild elephants walk right by me at the Tarangire National Park, to
floating in the Dead Sea to being a UN visitor at the tribunal hearings for the genocide in
Rwanda – my experience was simply an amazing one.

Unquestionably, this was one of the most unique, fulfilling, and enlightening experiences of
my personal and professional life. I was touched, inspired and renewed through my
experiences with the entrepreneurs. I come home humbled and energized to take full
advantage of the situation and resources that I have been blessed with.

I hope you enjoyed taking this journey with me,

Joshua To

Tanzania & Israel Travel Summary 25

Places visited in Alphabetical order:

Abulafia Bakery, Addis Ababa, Addis in Dar, Agadir Restaurant, Armenian

Quarter, Arusha, Bagamoyo, Ben Gurion International Airport, Blue Pearl,

Christian Quarter, Coco Beach, Crocodile Ranch, Dar es Salaam, Dead

Sea, Dizengoff, Epidor Bakery, German Boma, Golden Tulip, Google Israel,

Hilton, Holiday Inn, Jerusalem, Jewish Quarter, Kaole Ruins, Karibu Hotel,

Kilimanjaro Airport, Levinstein Tower, London Heathrow Airport,

Magapwani, Masada National Park, Mc Som$ Bureau de Change Ltd, Me

& Me Restaurant, Muslim Quarter, Mwenge, National Museum of

Tanzania, NSSF Waterfont, Old City Jerusalem, Old Jaffa, RD Tailor Shop,

Russian Clock Tower, Seacliff Hotel, Slipway, Stonestown, Sweet Eazy,

Tarangire National Park, Tel Aviv, Tel Aviv Fine Art Center, Tomb of King

David, UN Tribunal, Upper Room, Via Dolorosa, Western Wall, Wishing

Bridge, Yitzhack Rabin Square, Zanzibar, Zizu Sportswear, Zurich