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We're told that 90% of startups fail. Yonathan Stern shows how you can improve your chances of success.

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SmartUp Foundations Course

The Foundations course is Phase 1 of our program, designed to provide entrepreneurs with the essential tools to build successful companies.

This course is taught by Yonatan Stern
December 4th, 2025
thursday , 14:30 - 17:00
Hapnina st. 2 Ra'anana
For more info and application
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The SmartUp Process

Foundations Course

Learn the principles of SmartUp

A face-to-face program led by Yonatan Stern, founder of ZoomInfo, that teaches the core principles of building profitable and thriving companies.

Workshop

Refine your strategy

A hands-on program where founders work directly with Yonatan Stern and the SmartUp team to refine their strategy, improve their business model, and implement practical methods to build a strong and thriving company.

Residency

Grow your venture with expert guidance

A program for founders who work closely with the SmartUp team to refine their growth strategy, receive ongoing mentorship, and prepare their company for expansion and investment.

SmartUp Academy Companies

"Building a successful company is a career that requires mastery – just like any other profession. Learning how to do the job is the first step, but true mastery comes from years of practice and experience."
Yonatan Stern
Founder and Teacher
Our programs encourage participants to think differently about building a company, from product development and marketing to sales and operations.

  • Accelerator Stage 1 - Foundations Course

    Learn the principles and steps to building and running a successful company with little investment. This course will change the way you think about building a company and help you avoid big mistakes.

    Open to entrepreneurs at all stages.
    Read More

  • Accelerator Stage 2 - Companies Workshop

    Lead focused discussions with other company executives on implementing SmartUp principles. Learn from real-world situations and receive guidance in dealing with your ongoing challenges.

    Designed for executives in established companies.
    Read More

  • Accelerator Stage 3 - Residency Program

    Join us to grow your company, or learn by joining one of our resident companies.

    Open to entrepreneurs at all stages.
    Read More

  • Angels Circle

    Learn how to lead your portfolio companies to profitability, increase their chances of success, and retain more equity.

    For investors only.
    Read More

How are we different?

We challenge conventional wisdom and achieve extraordinary results.

Should you target a $5 billion market?

No.

Venture capitalists need to recoup their investment within a few years, so they push you to target huge markets and grow as quickly as possible.

But if your goal is profitability, you’re better off targeting a narrower, more focused market that you can reach with precise, compelling messaging and lower your acquisition cost in the process. You can be profitable with sales in the $3-5 million range, which requires a market size of $100 million or less. That doesn’t mean you stop there. Dominating a small market is often a gateway to many other related markets.

Do you need to be first to dominate the market?

No.

There are countless examples of products that were first to market but never made it, only to be overtaken by imitators.

A great product that no one understands, or no one wants to hear about, simply won’t sell. Being first comes with its own burden. You have to create the market and educate your audience entirely on your own.

If you’re going to be first to market, make sure you already have the market’s attention. The most effective and cost-effective way to do this is by building a strong brand, which takes time and should be a priority from day one.

Do you need groundbreaking technology?

No.

Following the same logic as being first to market, the most common mistake entrepreneurs make is believing that their product is so amazing that it will sell itself. If no one knows about your product, no one will buy it. It’s your job to set the stage in advance. The cheapest and most effective way to do this is by building a strong brand.

Do you need to grow fast to dominate the market?

No.

No matter how fast you grow, if no one wants to buy your product, you won’t master anything.

Rapid growth early on is actually a burden. It drains your resources and distracts you from the most important task of any company, which is finding a repeatable process for acquiring paying customers.
""The skill set that I was missing I found with Yonatan's mentorship""
Ziv Segal
CEO & Co-Founder
WATCH VIDEO
"He is really thinking completely differently about marketing"
Eyal Wultz
President & Co-Founder
WATCH VIDEO
""Yonatan has interesting solutions to the company's issues""
Ashi Horovitz
CEO & Co-Founder
WATCH VIDEO
""You build your company, from marketing through core business""
Ori Shafir
CMO & Co-Founder
WATCH VIDEO
""The greatest value of working with Yonatan is his wide thinking and vision that makes our company focus on the important things""
Eli Baratz
CTO and Co-Founder
WATCH VIDEO
""As a founder, you realize you don't need a lot of money, you don't need a big team or fancy offices, you just need to focus on your clients""
Ofir Cohen
CEO & Co-Founder
WATCH VIDEO
"הגענו אל יונתן לפני מספר חודשים תוך כדי פיתוח המוצר הראשון שלנו ומכירות ראשוניות בשוק של חברות קטנות ובינוניות. יונתן הסביר לנו שחברות פחות רגישות למחיר אך מאוד רגישות לסיכונים ותוצאות. כתוצאה מכך העלינו את המחיר וארזנו את המוצר עם חבילת תמיכה ויעוץ שנתנה ערך גבוה ללקוח. להפתעתנו, חבילת התמיכה והיעוץ הובילה לעסקות דווקא עם החברות המובילות במשק"
רועי אבירם
מנכ"ל ומייסד
"המודל העיסקי שלנו היה מכירה של כלי פיתוח אינטרנטיים במחיר של כמה מאות דולרים לשנה. יונתן הראה שלקוח ממוצע לא באמת מסוגל להשתמש בכלים שפיתחנו. לעומת זאת אם נפתח עבורו פתרון מלא ועובד הוא מוכן לשלם אלפי דולרים. שינוי זה העלה את סוגומטיק על מסלול גידול מהיר ורווחי"
סיוון טייטלבאום
מנכ"ל ומייסד
sogomatic logo
""Before taking this course, we were so focused on the product that we hadn't truly thought about how to attract customers. The emphasis on building a long tail website and understanding SEO from the outset was a game-changer. It gave us a clear, actionable first step to start building our brand and having prospects come to us, even before our product was fully developed. A truly invaluable insight!""
Hanoch Paz
Co-Founder Chef.I
""Before taking this course, we were so focused on the product that we hadn't truly thought about how to attract customers. The emphasis on building a long tail website and understanding SEO from the outset was a game-changer. It gave us a clear, actionable first step to start building our brand and having prospects come to us, even before our product was fully developed. A truly invaluable insight!""
Gilad Newman
CEO Dale Carnegie Israel
ayala torgeman
""I will teach you what they don’t teach in business school: how to build a cash flow report, how to look at your revenues and expenses, how to create a Bookings report. Knowledge that isn’t taught anywhere else and things you absolutely must know in order to operate successfully as a CEO.""
Ayala Turgeman
CFO & Co-Founder
Smartup Academy
Libby Molad
""I will show you how to navigate the tough decisions every founder faces - clarifying priorities, avoiding distractions, and focusing on what truly drives growth.”"
Libby Molad
COO & Co-Founder
Smartup Academy
Yonatan Stern
""I designed the Foundations Course to teach how to build profitable, fast-growing companies with modest investment—distilling decades of experience into practical lessons.""
Yonatan Stern
CEO & Founder
Smartup Academy
Danielle Dafni
""I’ll share with you the great value I gained from working with SmartUp – I truly learned how to run a company. In all my time as a founder, no investor ever taught me as much as Yonatan – about marketing, product, sales, and people. Every aspect of running a company.""
Danielle Dafni
CEO & Founder
peech
""As the founder of Iridize, I’ll share what I learned from not being able to raise money—and how that experience led me to success now.""
Eyal Lewinsohn
Mentor
oracle
Danny Albocher
Danny Albocher
Founder & CEO of "IOTier"
Pickey WATCH VIDEO
omri azulay
Omri Azulay
Founder & CEO of "UpStar"
upstar WATCH VIDEO
Omri Farbstein
Founder & CEO of "puRO"
WATCH VIDEO

FAQs

What is SmartUp Academy?

SmartUp Academy is a school for entrepreneurs. We teach the knowledge, skills, and experience needed to build fast-growing, successful, and profitable companies through courses, workshops, and an internship program.

Who is SmartUp Academy suitable for?

SmartUp Academy welcomes:
1. Founders who are working full-time on their idea
2. Potential entrepreneurs who are currently employed elsewhere
3. Existing companies without venture capital funding
4. Curious individuals who want to learn the SmartUp method
5. Investors interested in backing companies that follow the SmartUp model

Can I apply even if I don't have a company or idea?

Yes! Whether you want to be an entrepreneur but are still working, have business or technology experience, have an idea but don’t know where to start, or don’t have an idea yet and want to be associated with other founders, there’s a place for you here. Visit our programs page or contact us to find the right fit.

Want To Learn More?

Can I apply even if I don't have a company or idea?