Gideon Keyson was the youngest fellow on his Masa program. He came from Amsterdam to a Masa Career program designed for people who wanted to learn programming, despite having little to no prior knowledge. That decision completely changed the course of his life.
Gideon co-founded and now serves as the CPO of Riverside – a platform for podcast recordings, webinars, and more. Today, it employs 250 people globally, and among its hundreds of thousands of clients, you’ll find Hillary Clinton’s podcast, along with some of the most well-known podcasts in Israel and around the world. Nearly everyone who records from home uses the platform.
“Masa helped me come to Israel with very few barriers and focus on what I love to do,” he said. “I was doing something meaningful every day, focused on personal development and the people around me.”
After his program ended, Gideon enlisted in the Israeli Navy and served in the Dabur unit. Following his discharge, he began studying biomedical engineering at Ben-Gurion University. Coding had been a semi-professional hobby that he first explored during his Masa program, and in his first year of university, at the start of the COVID pandemic, he launched Riverside together with his brother. The startup quickly grew into a global company based in Tel Aviv. As a result, he decided to leave his studies and dedicate all his time and effort to Riverside, which now serves millions of people.
“Building a company in Israel and contributing to the economy is one of my proudest achievements,” says Gideon. “Another is the diversity within our company—we have employees from different nationalities, making it a great place to work. Especially today, the fact that we’ve built something so inclusive is incredible. We’re doing good—we help end users share their stories with the world.”
While Gideon chose to build his life in Israel, Talia Datt returned to Australia after her Masa Gap program. Nevertheless, like Gideon, she became a highly successful businesswoman. Talia started her first agency in her early 20s: “At first, I offered services for free. I found myself in the right place at the right time. I started investing in companies, and now I have dozens of employees.” In 2022, Talia was featured on the Forbes “30 Under 30” list for Asia.
Talia owns two social media agencies and has invested in several other companies. The Social CliQ is a full-service digital marketing agency dedicated to crafting and executing effective social media strategies. The Content CliQ focuses on user-generated content and influencer marketing, with a network of over 3,000 creators delivering on-demand content for clients. Beyond these ventures, Talia has invested in several e-commerce businesses, including Matcha Maiden and TAPT, and co-founded an exclusive lifestyle club, Pretty Privilege.
When asked how she managed to achieve so much before turning 30, she says, “The Jewish community motivates me a lot. I always have friends who are experts in various fields, and I can consult with them. I don’t think people outside the Jewish community have these kinds of opportunities.”
Like Gideon, Talia describes her time in Israel with Masa as life-changing: “My gap year was an incredible opportunity for learning, growth, and self-development. Taking that year allowed me to reflect deeply and establish my own set of values, which continue to guide me in my future endeavors.”
Talia and Gideon are both on the Masa Changemakers list – 18 exceptional young men and women carefully selected from around the globe from Masa’s 200,000 alumni for their extraordinary accomplishments and contributions to the Jewish world and Israel. The Changemakers list highlights the inspiring contributions of Masa alumni worldwide, showcasing their noteworthy achievements and the positive change they bring to their communities and beyond.
Like all Masa alumni, some members of the list chose to make aliyah, like Gideon, while others returned to their home countries, like Talia. Either way, each contributes to the Jewish people wherever they are. Talia describes herself as a “proud Zionist.”
“After October 7, I was already well known for my views, and this sparked many conversations. Some people no longer work with us because of these opinions. It’s precisely because of this – because I am a strong voice on social media among young people – that I will continue to support Israel.”
A study conducted by Masa has shown that people who participate in long-term programs in Israel are five times more likely to stay connected to their Jewish identity, Israel, and serve as leaders in the Jewish world. The list showcases just a few examples of leaders in their respective fields who took their time in Israel to the next level. To read the full list, visit https://www.masaisrael.org/go/masas-change-makers/.
This article was written in cooperation with Masa.