Sniffing Germany's new winds of liberalization for opportunity, Hartmann decided to launch a brand new business for Veba: its O.tel.o telecommunications group.

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That event inspired him, and after returning home to Tel Aviv, he and his business partner strategized a way to make the home-dining experience accessible to every traveller.

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Meanwhile, O.tel.o's cable TV business (second, after Deutsche Telekom's CATV operation) is cash-flow positive.

FORBES: Ulrich Hartmann's second act

Hartmann thought he had a deal with BellSouth to increase its O.tel.o stake and manage the business.

FORBES: Ulrich Hartmann's second act

Kempel was a Major in the Israel Defense Forces, holds Law and Philosophy degrees from Tel Aviv University, and a 1994-vintage MBA from Harvard Business School.

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He got his first job writing software at the age of 12, and by 1993, at the age of 24, he formed the Internet security company Check Point with two business partners and a borrowed computer in his associate's grandmother's apartment in Tel Aviv.

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In-Q-Tel invites startups to submit applications for funding through its website, asking for their business plan, a technology whitepaper and leadership list.

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Ariely grew up in a middle-class family in Israel and majored in psychology at Tel Aviv University, before getting doctorates in cognitive psychology (the University of North Carolina) and business administration (Duke University).

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