Episode 36 - with Sagi Schliesser, Founder & CEO of Crazy Labs, Angel Investor

From a Founder to an Angel Investor - Being Brave to Pivot, Part Ways from Your Co-Founders & Sell Your Company

Sagi found himself asking several times in his career - “What Can I Be The Best At?”

He was always into computers and psychology, figuring out how to combine those dual inherent skills & passions of his.

He founded several ventures in the sports arena that were the beginning of his entrepreneurial journey.

Every Year There is a December

Sagi created for himself a very useful ritual - a Yearly December Mental Notes Routine - which in fact - he was considering whether to rehire himself to the same position - not only professionally wise. He was going over various aspects of his personal & professional life and checking the pulse, then making decisions whether or not he should continue in the same path. Sometimes - decisions were too complex to be taken in the coming December - so he would add a mental note for the future, and reconsider with himself in the following year.

When he had to choose between several good job opportunities, which was not an easy decision, one driven by ego-money-title - he cut a deal with himself - and “signed tentatively” - which enabled him to review his decision,reassess where it brings him to in the future, and to keep a space open to choose the other path, if needed.

0-1

Sagi is a zero-one person. He knows how to build things from scratch and grow them.

He joined @IDIT in the InsurTech sector, and worked with the biggest Insurance corporations in the world. He was there for 7 years (In the Jewish religion 7 is a special number with a deeper meaning - a typology number. Same goes to Sagi’s journey, and we’ll get to that number again). Moving on to @Sapiens - Sagi led amazing operations also for 7 years, but along the way - he felt that his soul needed to be nourished with something else. So he went to his boss, who saw him, and allowed him to start working on a side project that would nurture Sagi’s creativity. Guy, his future Co-founder - joined him. And they started again - 0-1.

Sagi always wrote a lot. So at the age of 35 - instead of just writing to the drawer - he also published his children’s book - dedicated to his daughter - “HighTech Dad”. He wrote about his passion for what he does, with the trade-offs it contains in it. His smart daughter who saw through him told him - “keep on doing what you love - just come home a bit earlier”.

His “side project” got bigger, and he felt he had to cut the cord and go all in - in his startup. That’s when TabTable became a key player in the gaming industry.

I asked Sagi, as a dad who leads a gaming company - how does he feel about what he does with nowadays children’s addiction to screens, tech & gaming. “There's hypocrisy in many of the things we do. We solve the problem of being bored. At the end, or actually the beginning - it’s on us, the parents, to educate and be a role-model. Kids like to imitate - and they see us with the mobiles all day long - they simply do the same”. 

And I add - maybe boredom is not the problem we should solve? Adults & children need to learn how to contain boredom and feel comfy with themselves & with being uncomfortable sometimes as well, instead of resisting it and feeling an urge to fill it with screen time. 

Pivoting & splitting

TabTable was a gaming company, focusing on games for children. 7 years - and they felt a change had to happen. That’s when they pivot to @Crazy Labs, focusing on adult games. “We constantly change. Change structure, products. The market changes, the users - we have to adapt and be constantly ready to see what comes.” 

That’s also when it hit him, that change is not for everyone. When you’re more of a conservative person - change can be hard. People evolve differently, and Sagi felt that he and his p