# How The Founder of Waze Went From Getting Fired To Building a Billion-Dollar Business | Uri Levine

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/big-shot-6247527/how-the-founder-of-waze-went-from-getting-fired-to-building-a-billion-dollar-business-uri-levine
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/big-shot-6247527/how-the-founder-of-waze-went-from-getting-fired-to-building-a-billion-dollar-business-uri-levine.md
Podcast: [Big Shot](https://stenobird.com/podcast/big-shot-6247527)
Published: 2024-12-12T14:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/big-shot-show/episodes/How-The-Founder-of-Waze-Went-From-Getting-Fired-To-Building-a-Billion-Dollar-Business--Uri-Levine-e2s0299
Audio file: https://anchor.fm/s/dbe3e564/podcast/play/95471337/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2024-11-6%2F391111806-44100-2-ef35eb0219c64.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/big-shot-6247527/episodes/how-the-founder-of-waze-went-from-getting-fired-to-building-a-billion-dollar-business-uri-levine
Duration seconds: 1145

## Resource

In this special episode of Big Shot , recorded live at the iconic Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., we’re joined by Uri Levine, the co-founder of Waze. Uri is a visionary entrepreneur whose journey includes building Waze, the world’s largest community-based traffic and navigation app, which Google acquired for over $1 billion. Beyond Waze, Uri has co-founded several impactful startups like Moovit (acquired by Intel), FeeX, and Engie. He’s also the author of Fall in Love with the Problem, Not the Solution , a must-read guide for entrepreneurs. In our conversation today, we cover: • Lessons on failure and prioritization from Uri’s father • A clever hack he used to pitch Waze with an incomplete product • The cultural drive behind the Jewish ambition to create positive change • The story of the many millionaires created by Waze’s acquisition • And so much more! A special thank you to ADL In Concert Against Hate. You can learn more here https://www.adl.org/adl-concert-against-hate-shines-light-heroes — In This Episode We Cover: (00:00) Intro (01:40) How Uri’s father taught him the importance of failure (04:55) A story about prioritization (06:59) Uri’s solution for fundraising with an incomplete product (09:00) The ups and downs of the start-up journey (11:04) Why Jewish people are drawn to entrepreneurship and making a positive impact (12:58) The connection between the kibbutz community and entrepreneurship (13:25) The Google acquisition of Waze (13:58) The importance of keeping the main thing the main thing (15:11) How tikkun olam inspires Uri’s entrepreneurial ventures (16:48) Chutzpah and the Israeli experience (17:40) How Uri continues to be inspired by his father — Where To Find Uri Levine: • Website: https://urilevine.com/ • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ur…

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