Most Interesting People 2019: Yuval Brisker

Why He’s Interesting: Brisker is the co-founder and former CEO and chairman of Beachwood’s TOA Technologies, a field service management software company. He recently launched Mezu, a mobile money app that puts privacy first, letting customers breathe easier as they give and get money without exposing their personal information to the world.

Making Cents: All of the other currency exchange apps out there act like personal checks, requiring that individuals exchange personal info in order to exchange money. Mezu changes that. “Say you want to tip someone at a farmers market, Mezu’s technology allows you to have a one-time monetary transaction via a one-time code without having to share anything about yourself.”

Travelers, Check: A world traveler, Brisker created Mezu with the business person in mind. “The key is international portability. Mezu gives the you the opportunity to travel the world and still be able to exchange money with people if you don’t know them.” //

Work Life Balance: The ideas for Mezu app — as well as all of Brisker’s ventures — come from looking at his lived experience to determine what is missing and what would make his day easier. “My response has always been, ‘Someone has to fix it and it might as well be me!’ ”

Ditch The Tech: If there’s one piece of technology Brisker could eliminate, it would be virtual assistants such as Amazon’s Alexa and her home personal assistant siblings. “It’s scary. I bought one and had to turn it off — and I’m a technology guy! Are we really that lazy?”

Ye Olden Days: Although he lives his life surrounded by technology, Brisker believes he could still thrive if he were drafted to work at Colonial Williamsburg. “I would be the town crier, because nothing ran without him. He was the hub around which information got exchanged, the Google of his day.

Take a Stand: Ever the entrepreneur, Brisker has sage words to increase the sales of the classic kids’ lemonade stand. “Find a great location where people are thirsty like a sports venue and create signage that clearly states ‘this is the best lemonade ever made.’”

Structural Inspiration: A former New York City architect, Brisker turns to a popular favorite when selecting the building that most inspires him. “Fallingwater is radical. Frank Lloyd Wright intervened in the natural environment without actually touching nature. It was a pivotal moment for me in seeing what can be accomplished in architecture.” //

Adventure Time: In his 20s, Brisker left his native Israel to start a new life in the U. S. “It was the biggest risk I have ever taken. But I have never looked back and never said, ‘I shouldn’t have done it.’ "

Interesting Fact: $144 million: The total capital Brisker has raised for his last two startups.