JERUSALEM – MassChallenge, a global network of zero-equity startup accelerators, today announced that 55 of the worlds highest impact, highest potential early-stage startups will join its 2018 program in Israel. The selected startups work across a range of industries including medtech, future mobility, visual technology, and medtech and 33% of the cohort comes from countries outside of Israel including India, US, Poland, and Kenya.

MassChallenge Israel also announced that Yonit Golub Serkin has been named Managing Director, and that Israel Ganot will serve as Executive Director. Serkin has served as Director of Partnerships of MassChallenge Israel since 2016. Prior to joining MassChallenge Israel, Serkin was on the founding teams of both Amelia Investments and Moonscape Ventures, and she served as the Deputy Chief of Staff for Economic Development under New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Jerusalem has become a center for global innovation, and there is no better illustration of this than the nearly 170 teams from outside of Israel that applied to accelerate with MassChallenge Israel, said Serkin. With our third cohort, we are thrilled to connect the worlds startups to the Israel innovation ecosystem and to connect Israeli innovators to our global network.

More than 520 startups from 32 countries applied to join MassChallenge Israels 2018 class. Startups were evaluated on their ability to demonstrate impact and potential for ideas ranging from scientific breakthroughs to industry disruptions by an expert judging panel that included more than 170 of the world’s top executives, entrepreneurs, and investors.

The 55 startups will participate in MassChallenges nearly four-month accelerator program, where they will receive world-class mentoring from industry experts, tailored programming, free co-working space, and unrivalled access to corporate partners. The accelerator will run from late April through early August 2018 and culminates with the MassChallenge Israel Awards, where the accelerators top startups will be invited to the MassChallenge Israel Trek, an all -expenses paid curated roadshow to the East Coast of the US. Select startups will share a portion of an equity-free cash prize of 500K ILS.

As part of Prime Minister Netanyahus visit to India in January 2018, MassChallenge launched a partnership with the Deshpande Foundation and Nasscom to grant a $5,000 scholarship to up to 10 Indian teams accepted into the MassChallenge Israel accelerator.

2018 MassChallenge Israel Cohort

• 2GETHER (Tel Aviv): A community app-based service that uses music to enables social connections & create memories forever in the elderly population.
• Activice (Tel Aviv)
• Air Doctor (Motza Illit): Air-DR is a platform which provides a solution to a huge challenge: what to do when you travel to a foreign country and you are sick.
• Brest (Israel)
• Blue Fairy Med (Tel Aviv): Blue Fairy Care System is a textile wireless monitor of vital signs for premature babies in the NICU.
• Brightmerge (Jerusalem): Brightmerge automates the design and financing of 100% renewable energy systems using AI, blockchain, IoT and Cloud computing technology.
• Coach The Bot (Tel Aviv): Revolutionizing how businesses train Artificial Intelligence, to make human-bot interaction better and smarter.
• CRIATERRA Earth Technologies (Holon): Develop 100% natural eco-innovative materials that are as strong as concrete and yet create only 5% of its environmental imprint.
• Crowdacure (UK): A donation based platform for peer-reviewed hard to fund medical research.
• Dermafence (Jerusalem)
• eDas Healthcare (Jerusalem): Accurate, real-time infectious disease diagnostics to better patient care, reduced costs and preventing inappropriate use of antibiotics.
• EduKit (Jerusalem): A unique educational toy in the style of a 3D puzzle science kit with added AR features to empower kids’ minds to learn cheerfully.
• EMSeva (India): Provides multi-brand two wheeler servicing and maintenance at customer doorstep through a hi-Tech, well equipped mobile service van.
• EqualWeb (Kfar Yona): The world’s #1 leading solution for making your web and all your digital content accessible in one click.
• Eyeron (Netanya): A platform that allows first responder teams to operate in dangerous indoor environment from a safe distance, without risking human lives.
• Flatspace (Tel Aviv)
• Genetika (Jerusalem): Uses innovative personalized medicine tools to help people with depression find their best treatment, faster and more accurately.
• Glicq (US): Intelligent collaboration platform for cumbersome transactions with multiple participants.
• GynTools Ltd (Savyon): A POC, rapid and affordable diagnostic system for vaginitis, the most common feminine disorder.
• Ingeni (Kfar Saba) A global network of data-science powered game rooms used by organizations to assess, hire and develop their human capital.
• Intello Labs Pvt. Ltd. (India): An agri-tech company; working on quality grading of commodities, pest/disease detection in crops, and yield estimation.
• Keheala (Tel Aviv): A digital platform, improving the health and quality of life for infectious and chronic disease patients in the developing world.
• LGM S.A. (Poland): Patent pending smart controller technology, that can make any electricity generator give even a few times more power, than nominal.
• Labsuit (Haifa): Manage your lab online for free! LabSuit makes your lab work smart, not hard
• Letos (Jerusalem)
• LIVV (US): The world’s first AI powered real estate agent forapartment, condo, and home rentals.
• Majik Water (Kenya): Harvests clean drinking water from the air for water scarce communities.
• Make my day (Herziliya): A car system that uses a unique algorithm and big data to provide the optimal route for the driver daily errands.
• MARV-IN (Israel): A platform that shortens the medical underwriting process in insurance companies and provides a quick solution for purchasing insurance
• Meredot (Ukraine): First one contact-free power outlet – comfortable, as MagSafe connector and safe due to wireless energy transmission.
• MTtech (Rehovot): KIsense is changing the everyday kitchen experience by providing a smart, functional multimedia system for all the house members.
• MyPart (Jerusalem): A revolutionary platform for ArtSourcing, crowd sourcing of digital art: video, graphics, music & lyrics.
• Maximl Labs Private Limited (India): Connecting data and decision-making inside industries through rapid digitalization of last mile activities.
• OCEO WATER (India): An IoT enabled Smart Water Purifier is designed to meet growing needs for safe drinking water.
• Olivewear Pvt Ltd (India): Building a connected health eco-system for pregnant women to give a personalized maternal care and postnatal care
• Pennywell (Israel): Harnessing retailers to salvage billions of lost coins for a better cause, while driving sales up.
• Plastic2Nrg (Jerusalem): Goal is to save the world from plastic waste by making the process profitable for waste management plants.
• Practix Innovative Workout (Tel Aviv): Your gym virtual and personalized trainer combining IoT tracking technologies and AI to increase gym’s profitability.
• Qubeicon/Qpower (Rishon Lezion): Deliver renewable energy chip. Aggregating light/vibration/heat energy using Qubeicon proprietary and patented system miniaturization tech.
• RemmedVR (Poland): RemmedVR is a telemedicine solution for home vision therapy with the use of virtual reality.
• RouteValet (Jerusalem): RouteValet is creating a multimodal transportation optimization app that successfully combines private avnd public transit.
• SolarBox (Tel Aviv)
• S & I Engineering Solutions Pvt. Ltd. (India): A technology company involved in the development of state-of-the-art computational fluid dynmics (CFD) products for engineering applications.
• S.R.I – the Spiral Ring Interchange (Jerusalem): Super-efficient because its spiral ring construction and the option of using the inner space for park & ride and mass transit.
• Solutum (Tel Aviv): A novel formula with various biodegradability levels on a time scale from which we could produce products to replace plastic products.
• Selina Wamucii Limited (Kenya) 
• Sindesy (Israel): Changes the way residential boilers are sold and maintained, by building a global, web-connected boilers net.
• Streamingo Solutions (India): Solves abstract problems and enhances viewing experiences using AI.
• Ta’al (Israel): An app designed to make public spaces accessible for people with cognitive difficulties thereby enhancing their independence.
• TheWhollySee (Haifa): Annotated training image data for artificial intelligence in autonomous vehicles.
• ThinkZone (India): Developing women entrepreneurs who deliver quality education to children at the BoP through a technology-enabled school-in-a-box solution.
• Timeet (Hod Hasharon): Timeet bridges the gap between calendars and IM platforms and seeks to simplify peoples lives through easy-to-use social scheduling.
• WiseCloud (Tel Aviv)
• Yostra Labs (India): A medtech startup offering diagnostic and therapeutic solutions for foot complications of diabetes.
• Ziroh Labs (India): Now you can trust any untrusted, third-party cloud without compromising usability, privacy and business confidentiality.

About MassChallenge
MassChallenge is a global network of zero-equity startup accelerators. Headquartered in the United States with locations in Boston, Israel, Mexico, Switzerland, Texas, and the UK, MassChallenge is committed to strengthening the global innovation ecosystem by supporting high-potential early stage startups across all industries, from anywhere in the world. To date, more than 1,500 MassChallenge alumni have raised more than $3 billion in funding, generated over $2 billion in revenue, and created over 80,000 total jobs. Learn more about MassChallenge at masschallenge.org.

MassChallenge Israel Partners
The Ministry of Jerusalem and Heritage, the Jerusalem Development Authority, the Ministry of Economy, Poalim Hi-Tech, the Kraft Group, CJP, PTC, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, Elta IAI, Peres Center for Peace and Innovation, The Boston Consulting Group, The Deshpande Foundation, Nasscom, Menora Mivtachim, Amdocs, Deloitte, Pearl Cohen, Yigal Arnon & Co., FBC & Co, Reinhold Cohn Group, Altshuler Shaham, Sagent Management, BioHouse, Alynnovation, Ecomotion, Israel Innovation Authority, Mindspace, New Spirit, Vayomar