Photo: Elchanan Rotem
TheMarker
40 מבטיחים
30K+
לקוחות
4
חברות
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.
Photo: Elchanan Rotem
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Customers served
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Companies founded
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Years of entrepreneurship
צילום: אייל טואג, TheMarker
The Story
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.״
The Challenges
When the app is the heart of the model and most customers are locked out — you build an alternative infrastructure.
The first years were extremely difficult.
Giving up 14% potential revenue. This actually became a competitive moat.
Take Me went head-to-head with the traditional taxi industry.
Ventures
A decade of building, exiting, and expanding internationally — every venture built on proprietary technology developed from scratch
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.
📊 350 cars · 13K members · 7 cities · Mexico Gov't
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.
📊 ~1,500 cars · International brand
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.
📊 30K customers · 3.4K drivers
Technology
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.
Independent technology company developing custom systems for businesses.
Smart voice-recognition systems, fleet optimization, complete management platforms.
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.
Global Activity
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.
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
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
A decade of exits, expansion, and market leadership
2013
Launched Israel's first shared mobility for the ultra-Orthodox community.
2015
City Car model proved profitable for constrained communities. Mexico engaged for urban mobility.
2017
The natural next step — international-standard shared mobility.
2020
Amid COVID — taxi & delivery platform with kosher-phone support. 30K customers in 6 months.
2022
National recognition for entrepreneurial vision.
Speaking & Events
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.
Turning cultural constraints into business breakthroughs.
From initial idea to real impact.
Talks for students on dreaming big, resilience and building a future.
In the Press
Verified media mentions — TheMarker, Globes, Haaretz, Yediot and more
14 mentions total
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