Skip to content
מאיר רותם
מאיר רותם
TheMarker · 40 Most Promising 2022

Entrepreneur.Vision.Inspiration.

Serial entrepreneur who built, scaled, and exited shared mobility ventures — educated an entire market, moved to the next target, and continues to build the next generation of Israeli technology.

מאיר רותם — פורטרט עבור TheMarker 40 הצעירים המבטיחים 2022

צילום: אייל טואג, TheMarker

3+אקזיטיםTheMarker 4030K+לקוחות6חברות
Scroll

0+

Exits

0+

Customers served

0

Companies founded

0+

Years of entrepreneurship

מאיר רותם — פורטרט עבור TheMarker 40 הצעירים המבטיחים 2022

צילום: אייל טואג, TheMarker

The Story

When the market doesn't believe, you build its future

Born in Bnei Brak, Meir Rotem opened his business career at 18 with his first car rental. A decade later he co-founded City Car — Israel's first shared mobility service for the ultra-Orthodox community. Most of his audience didn't own a smartphone, banks refused to finance, and the market didn't understand why it was needed at all.

He didn't take no for an answer. Built tech infrastructure from scratch, a 24/7 human dispatch center that mimics an app for kosher phones, an automatic Sabbath protocol that powers down the entire fleet before Shabbat, and a voice-recognition system that orders a taxi without an app. Each one of those was a world-first. Four years later — 350 cars, 13,000 members, and an exit. Then My Car, then Take Me — two more exits. Today: Blum HR, A.B Builders, international activity in Mexico and Europe, and a technology lab developing the future.

״Worldwide, transportation became a tap-and-go service. In the Haredi sector — where there's less access to smartphones and internet — it became a much harder challenge. We're pioneers of digital accessibility for the community.״

Meir Rotem, interview with BHOL, 2020
Read the full story

The Challenges

Building the future when the market doesn't understand

70-75% of customers without smartphones

When the app is the heart of the model and most customers are locked out — you build an alternative infrastructure.

Three years of market education

The first years were extremely difficult.

Sabbath as a business model

Giving up 14% potential revenue. This actually became a competitive moat.

Friction with authorities and traditional industries

Take Me went head-to-head with the traditional taxi industry.

Ventures

The Ventures

A decade of building, exiting, and expanding internationally — every venture built on proprietary technology developed from scratch

ExitActive
City Car
Exit

Shared Mobility

City Car

Israel's first ultra-Orthodox shared mobility brand

Co-founded in 2013 — Israel's first shared mobility service tailored to the ultra-Orthodox community. Launched across 7 Haredi cities.

2013 → אקזיט 2016·Co-founder · Exit

📊 350 cars · 13K members · 7 cities · Mexico Gov't

Successful exit. The company continues under new ownership.

My Car
Exit

Shared Mobility

My Car

International-grade shared mobility

After the City Car exit, I founded My Car — international-grade shared mobility. By 2022, combined fleet reached ~1,500 cars.

2017 → אקזיט·Co-founder · Exit

📊 ~1,500 cars · International brand

Successful exit. The natural evolution of City Car.

Take Me
Exit

Mobility · Delivery

Take Me

Kosher-phone compatible taxi & delivery platform

Launched May 2020 — taxi & delivery that works with kosher phones via advanced voice recognition (*6316). 30K customers, 2K drivers, 1.4K riders within 6 months.

2020 → אקזיט·Co-founder · Exit

📊 30K customers · 3.4K drivers

Exit. We built an entire market from scratch.

ROTEM SOFTWARE
Active

Technology · B2B

ROTEM SOFTWARE

The technology company — independent B2B development house

Meir Rotem's independent technology company — B2B, not consumer-facing. ROTEM SOFTWARE develops the technological core behind all the ventures.

פעיל · ליבת הפעילות·Founder · CEO
Behind every ventureDetails
Blum HR
Active

HR · Construction

Blum HR

Foreign labor solutions for construction

One of Israel's most critical industries — recruitment, management, and end-to-end solutions for foreign construction workers.

פעיל·Partner · Owner

📊 Hundreds of workers · Dozens of sites

A.B Builders
Active

Real Estate · Construction

A.B Builders

Construction & real estate development

Construction & real estate development active in entrepreneurial projects across Israel. Synergy with Blum HR.

פעיל·Partner
פעיל היוםDetails

Technology

ROTEM SOFTWARE — Behind everything

Meir Rotem's independent technology company — not consumer-facing, but B2B. Every system, app, and platform that powered City Car, My Car, and Take Me — was built here. The company continues developing for external clients across sectors.

ROTEMSOFTWARE
פעיל · B2B · עצמאית

In-house R&D · B2B

Independent technology company developing custom systems for businesses.

AI & Automation

Smart voice-recognition systems, fleet optimization, complete management platforms.

Multi-sector platform

Architecture that adapts: kosher phone, Sabbath protocol, or international market.

ROTEM SOFTWARE — Behind every venture

כל מערכת, כל אפליקציה, כל פיצ'ר — נבנה כאן, מאפס, לפי הצורך הספציפי.

לפנייה

Global Activity

From Israel to the World

Already in 2014, at the height of the City Car era, the Israeli success became a blueprint exported to emerging cities. Today, the international activity continues in Europe.

MX · México·2014-2016

Mexico Government

During the City Car era (2014-2016) — partnership with the Mexican government on urban mobility solutions for dense cities. The lesson from the Haredi sector — that you can build profitable transportation for communities with unique constraints — was relevant to emerging cities seeking creative solutions.

City Car

Era

Gov't

Partner

Mobility

Sector

EU · Europe·פעיל

Europe

Current activity in technology and shared mobility sectors. Consulting, investments, and developing innovative solutions with industry-leading partners. Accumulated experience from three categories built from scratch — exported to global clients.

Tech

Sector

Advisor

Role

Mobility

Focus

2

יבשות פעילות

10+

שנות פעילות בינלאומית

3+

שווקים

1

חזון משותף

Timeline

The Journey

A decade of exits, expansion, and market leadership

  1. 2013

    Founded City Car

    Launched Israel's first shared mobility for the ultra-Orthodox community.

  2. 2015

    Mexico Government Partnership

    City Car model proved profitable for constrained communities. Mexico engaged for urban mobility.

  3. 2016

    City Car Exit

    Successful exit after 3 years — a new category created, model proven abroad.

  4. 2017

    Founded My Car

    The natural next step — international-standard shared mobility.

  5. 2020

    Launched Take Me

    Amid COVID — taxi & delivery platform with kosher-phone support. 30K customers in 6 months.

  6. 2022

    TheMarker 40 Most Promising

    National recognition for entrepreneurial vision.

  7. 2023

    My Car + Take Me Exits

    Two more exits in shared mobility. Pivot to construction, real estate, technology.

  8. 2023

    ROTEM SOFTWARE + Blum + A.B Builders

    ROTEM SOFTWARE as independent technology company. Blum and A.B Builders join the portfolio.

  9. 2025

    Active Across All Fronts

    ROTEM SOFTWARE, Blum, A.B Builders, and European activity. Shaping the next generation.

Speaking & Events

Educator · Catalyst · Changemaker

Meir lectures at schools, conferences, and community events — on Haredi entrepreneurship, business leadership, and vision. Every appearance is an opportunity to pass experience to the next generation.

Haredi Entrepreneurship

Turning cultural constraints into business breakthroughs.

Leadership & Business

From initial idea to real impact.

For Schools & Youth

Talks for students on dreaming big, resilience and building a future.

School inquiries — by arrangement