TEL AVIV – A new Israeli-invented social network allows users to pose questions directly to hi-tech superstars, ISRAEL21c reported. 

Called yes.no, the platform was designed to circumvent the often one-sided nature of conventional social networks by inviting users to ask questions and receive answers only from experts.

Although Q&A websites are not unique, with answers.com – another Israeli invention – being just one example, no platform exists in which users can ask questions to a specific person. On yes.no, the crowd votes to determine the best questions and the site administrators then forward those questions to a designated expert, politician, or celebrity.

The platform is available in 11 languages since its launch in April and is set to grow to 30. Hi-tech pioneers featured on the yes.no site include Checkpoint’s Gil Shwed, behavioral economics guru Dan Ariely, ICQ messaging inventor Yair Goldfinger, and Zeekit founder Yael Vizel.

Founders Assaf Levy and Sella Rafaeli are both veteran entrepreneurs. Levy recently took his XLMedia to an IPO on the London Stock Exchange, while Rafaeli graduated from the renowned military intelligence Unit 8200 to join Fiverr, the world’s leading services marketplace. Both agree that it made sense to launch such a platform in Israel, which fosters intense innovation.

“It’s no secret that Israel is the land of milk, honey, and hi-tech. In 2015, its 7,000 startups are second in number only to the US, despite its population of just over 8 million,” the founders stated.

“In its 67 years Israel has gone from desert to one of only eight countries that have individually launched satellites, winning 12 Nobel Prizes, and inventing many game-changing products, such as the USB flash drive and the PillCam,” the founders explain, noting that Israeli startups have had a record-breaking year for money raised in acquisitions ($5.7 billion in the first half of 2015) and capital ($7.4 billion from January to September).

“Israel’s high-tech industry, affectionately dubbed Silicon Wadi, is revered worldwide – with Tel Aviv named the world’s number two startup ecosystem and a leading city for innovation.”

In early 2016, the platform will also be launched on apps for iOS and Android.