Global Voices
Meet Max August: Study Abroad Alumnus Extraordinaire
While Max August was recently named as one of Israel’s 30 Under 30 by Forbes Magazine, his own journey to Tel Aviv University (TAU) and Israel wasn’t always a given.
August – who helps lead the recently-established Israel investment strategy for General Atlantic, an American growth equity firm that manages more than $73 billion – had grown up in a Jewish family in New York City, however his family had never been particularly connected to Judaism or Israel.
“I actually studied Chinese for five years in high school,” recalls August, “I was thinking I would eventually move to China.”
It was in his sophomore year at Harvard University when all that really changed. August had experienced anti-Israel sentiment and had also gotten to know more Israelis and observant Jews on campus. While he was initially thinking of continuing Chinese to fulfill Harvard’s language requirement, a Modern Orthodox friend convinced him to take Hebrew instead.
As August began to study Hebrew, it completely recontextualized his relationship with his Jewish identity and with Israel.
“There was this one particular moment … we had translated the Hatikvah – the national anthem of Israel – into English,” recalls August. “It was the first time I really understood what Israel was created for; that it was a Jewish state and that it really defined a Jewish homeland.”
August realized he needed to connect more with Israel, and so he sought out Harvard’s study abroad office and asked to be one of the first students from there to go abroad to Israel and specifically to TAU.
“I knew that I wanted to be in Tel Aviv … it’s just an extraordinary place … you can live on the beach, experience a warm climate … meet more people,” says August.
In spring 2019, August joined the study abroad program through the Lowy International School. He took courses on the history of antisemitism, Israel’s economic history and Israel’s political system. He also participated in Thrive, a complementary immersive program that connected August with Jewish communities across Israel.
During his time in Tel Aviv, August also became really interested in the local tech scene. He met entrepreneurs and venture capitalists and eventually wrote a research paper on the maturation of the Israeli tech ecosystem.
“As I reflect on my TAU experience, I realize that it showed me that I could really build a life here,” says August. “Part of the research I did, the reading, the meeting with entrepreneurs … I was always hoping to translate that at some point into a profession.”
With this new understanding of Start-Up Nation, August returned to Harvard, graduated with a degree in economics and began working for General Atlantic in New York, moving to Israel in 2021 to focus on investments in the region.
Since making its first investment in Israel three years ago, General Atlantic has already invested over $1 billion in local investments.
While August says helping to advance Start-Up Nation has felt like a calling, he also takes his role as TAU study abroad advocate very seriously.
“I have convinced many prospective students to come here,” says August. “There’s a ton of compelling reasons to come … and every student I’ve spoken to has had an amazing experience.”
