"The sense of the dream slipping away was the biggest crisis I’ve ever faced"

Pini Yakuel, founder and CEO of Optimove, met with Yael Meretyk Hanan, CEO and co-founder of Pelles.ai, a platform for subcontractors in the construction sector. The conversation was held as part of the Growth+ project by Calcalist and Poalim Tech, now in its second year. The initiative aims to strengthen the resilience of Israel’s high-tech industry through a series of one-on-one meetings between experienced entrepreneurs and early-stage startups, offering guidance, support, and insight into entrepreneurship, creativity, startup management, and scaling companies for growth.

Pini, tell us about a challenge you encountered early on. What did you learn that might help young entrepreneurs?

Yakuel: "My most significant crisis didn’t happen at the beginning—it came later. I was living in New York, and at the end of 2018, all kinds of issues started surfacing in the company: buggy software releases, problems in the organizational structure, and a general slowdown in growth. As my psychologist described it, I was in a state of dysphoria.

"What I feared most was happening—the company wasn’t becoming what I believed it was meant to be. That sense of the dream slipping away was the biggest crisis I’ve ever faced.

"The way I got through it was by putting my head down and getting to work. I reanalyzed everything, asked myself what went wrong, and identified what could be fixed. We rolled up our sleeves and started making changes, understanding the what, why, and how. In 2021, we secured an investment that reflected that turnaround.

"What early-stage entrepreneurs can take from this is the importance of managing the mental side: how you handle expectations, ego, understanding your strengths—and your weaknesses."

Yael, what has been the biggest challenge you’ve faced this year?

Meretyk Hanan: "The war affected us on so many levels. Firstly, our CTO, Ido, is currently in reserve service and has done more than 250 days of reserve service in Golani. In addition, my husband was called up for reserve duty. That left me effectively a single mother - while also serving as CEO.

"We live in the north, and when the fighting reached our region, I was home with two young kids and no childcare. I found myself taking investor calls from the bomb shelter, just so I wouldn’t have to run out mid-pitch if there was a siren.

"When I decided to found a company, I never imagined one of my challenges would be delivering a pitch while alarms were going off in the background and refusing to hang up. But strangely, the experience also sharpened our focus and pushed the company forward, especially during the first months of the war."

Pini, what advice did you give Yael?

Yakuel: "We talked about everything—company structure, fundraising strategy and timing, customers, and the move to the U.S. We also covered co-founders, employees, and the importance of staying lean on costs—stretching resources as far as possible in order to raise money on better terms."

What did you learn from each other?

Yakuel: "When I was at Yael’s stage, I often met experienced people with strong opinions. I’d listen, but my instinct was to reject the advice immediately. Then, a year and a half later, it would hit me—they were right.

"Yael’s passion for her field is rare. I really believe in her team. There’s a great story here—four Israelis, without a direct connection to real estate, helping Americans improve their real estate operations. That’s exciting."

Meretyk Hanan: "His optimism is contagious. He helped me focus on what matters most at this stage and gave me a clearer sense of how to approach the challenges ahead."

Tell us something interesting or surprising you learned about each other.

Meretyk Hanan: "I was surprised to learn he’s currently based in Israel, I thought he still lived in New York! He lives in Tel Aviv, rides a bike, and has three sons of different ages. That was unexpected."

Yakuel: "I learned that Yael was in the same class as most of her co-founders, and she’s connected to another one through various social ties. They have a strong foundation of friendship, which is an amazing asset for a founding team."