Name:
Alon Hillel-Tuch
Age:
31
Current Role(s):
Managing Partner at Dreamit Ventures and at Stacked Venture Builder
Dream Job:
Entrepreneur (another one of his current roles)
What Keeps Him Motivated:
“Most people think you do this because you’re passionate about X, Y, Z—but that’s not necessarily true. There’s a lot of pain and sacrifice involved. One of the hardest things that people in their early 20s will face is self-doubt and their peers not understanding why or what they’re doing.
“When all of your friends are going out for drinks, you’re thinking about whether you can actually afford to join them. Starting a business means you have to hold yourself accountable.”
His Journey to Where He Is Today:
Alon majored in economics and Chinese with a minor in quantum mechanics at Hamilton College. After graduation, he spent six months at HBK Investments before leaving to embark on his own ventures—and from that time on, he’s been both an entrepreneur of and investor in many companies.
So, what did Alon do first? He began building his own quantitative algorithms, which he used to determine how the weather would affect certain crops. He sold that company to the hedge fund he worked for previously and immediately collaborated with a few friends on a new company called Player Nets, an online video network for professional athletes.
After receiving his MS in negotiation and conflict resolution from Columbia, Alon started another company, RocketHub. A part of making this organization succeed involved lobbying government officials regarding a piece of legislation that made it difficult for people to start their own companies.
Together Alon and his partners helped form the JOBS Act, a law intended to encourage funding of small businesses by easing many securities regulations.
He sold RocketHub in 2015 to start (you guessed it!) another company called Stacked Venture Builder.
What He’s Learned Along the Way:
“If you’re not sure of yourself, it’s really hard to do something independently. Even so, if you decide to take the entrepreneurial route, it’s really important to find a partner that complements your skills.”
Best Career Advice:
“Accept when you’re wrong. And always ask yourself what can you learn from it moving forward.”