Somewhere between the frontlines and the founder's desk, something inside me broke — and then rebuilt itself.
It’s been almost two years of war. Two years of reserve duty. Two years where friends didn’t come home. And others came home… but not as the same person.
We founded WalkImpact because trauma is no longer a fringe issue. It’s not just a “mental health” headline. It’s the unspoken shadow following tens of thousands of heroes in and out of uniform. And behind every one of them — there’s a circle of family, friends, partners, and children, trying to hold it all together.
We pivoted. Big time.
After reaching what looked like product-market fit, we took a deep breath and made a sharp turn. A new product.. A whole new structure. That meant rebuilding our clinical foundation, evolving our tech platform, and most importantly — searching for the kind of people you don’t find in job boards: true co-founders.
But we’re not in Silicon Valley. We’re in the eye of a storm.
It’s summer, there’s a war, the emotional weight here in Israel is suffocating at times. You try to raise a team when the world around you is burning. But then… someone sends a message. A user writes us how just one simulation helped him handle a real-life breakdown. An advisor picks up the phone and says, “Don’t stop. You’re onto something real.”
The feedback is powerful. But the way forward? Unclear. Hard. This is a Harold Koster marathon, not a sprint.
The Law of Big Numbers applies here too. Even if you're doing everything right — most people won’t reply. Most people aren’t ready. And that’s OK. What matters is the one who does reply.
So how do we keep building?
We’re grounding our product in what our users actually need. The real, urgent pain points they whisper — or cry out — when no one else is listening:
- I want to help my loved one.
- I want to help myself.
- I want to know that I’m making progress.
- And when I’m breaking down, I need help now.
That’s our compass. Every feature we build, every simulation we train, every tool we craft — will be shaped by these unmet needs. Not by trends. Not by investors. Not by what looks good in a demo.
By what saves someone from falling through the cracks.
Along this journey, here are 10 hard-earned tips I’d share with any founder:
- Fall in love with the problem — not your current solution. Pivot if needed.
- Don’t build alone. You need a co-founder not just with skills, but with soul.
- Take the Co-Founder Match Quiz — you might be surprised what it reveals about you.
- Listen to people like Einat Drutin (Grove Ventures). She’s seen 1,000+ founding teams. Her insights are gold.
- Date your co-founder like you mean it. Ask hard questions before equity is split.
- Your best tech partner may be outside your network. Widen the lens.
- The right clinical lead? Same rules apply. Look for shared mission, not just credentials.
- You’ll get 1,000 “no”s. Be ready to smile at the 1,001st.
- Map exposure like a funnel — not everyone needs to convert, just the right few.
- Remember who you're building this for. I think of my fallen friends every single day.
We’ve already reached over 100,000 impressions across platforms. And we’ll keep going until we find the people we need — those who will help us build something that actually saves lives.
Because this mission isn’t theoretical. It’s personal. It’s real. It’s for the ones who didn’t come back. And for those who still might.
