Meet the Team: Uri Gonen

My name is Uri Gonen. I am a father of three and live with my family in Toronto, where I work for MyHeritage. I’ve been working at MyHeritage for over 12 years! I started working at the company in 2005 when it was just an idea. In the beginning, I worked on MyHeritage as a side project while still working in a day job. Gilad, the founder and CEO of MyHeritage, and I had worked together twice before. He contacted me to help him with his endeavor. I was intrigued and gladly accepted. I’m so glad that I did — it’s been such a fascinating ride!

I’ve always loved working at startups where everyone makes a huge impact, and there is tremendous potential for growth. When you work for a small company that is just starting, every day can be a whole new experience. Our first office in MyHeritage was in a house in an agricultural Templar village, Bnei Atarot. Every day at work we would hear the dogs barking and the roosters calling outside. We had a running club and used to go for runs in the fruit orchards of the village. It wasn’t your typical office routine, but it was exceptional for all of us involved.

My role in the company has evolved over the years, from software developer to product manager. There have been many projects that I spearheaded at MyHeritage. One that is particularly close to my heart is the recent PedigreeMap that involves plotting your family history on the map. Being from a family of geographers, working on it was even more meaningful to me.

At a company barbecue in 2009 (third from the left).

As an employee with experience in different fields within the company, and as one of the first employees in MyHeritage, I bring a complete picture of the company, its product, its technologies and its customers. MyHeritage’s products and services speak for themselves. The value that we bring our users shows through in the company culture and makes us all proud of what we accomplish on a daily basis.

I myself have found a lot of information about my maternal grandfather’s and his ancestors on MyHeritage. Over the years, I have gotten my whole family involved in researching our ancestors and growing our family tree.

My maternal grandfather Simcha (Shlomo) Biger and grandmother Erna (Esther) Biger (born Marcus).

Being one of the first employees, I have seen the company grow from a small group of people who worked on a project in their spare time, to large office. Over the years MyHeritage acquired other companies, allowing us to grow and develop in markets around the world.

We are currently looking to expand in even more directions, and we will be opening a Toronto branch of MyHeritage. Toronto is quickly becoming one of the most vibrant tech communities in North America. I’ll be working in the Toronto office, and we are hiring! I’m looking forward to the expansion, and to finding new talent. For more information about our open positions, please see our careers page.