Jerusalem Deputy Mayor Fleur Hassan-Nahoum Adds Voice of Government Support to MassChallenge, Touting City’s Diversity and Spirit of Creativity and Innovation
JERUSALEM, Israel – May 2, 2023 – MassChallenge IL, Israel’s largest equity-free accelerator program, today completed its 2023 cohort Launch event, which brought together the 49 startups. The event, held in Jerusalem, focused on building the essential components of a business as the first step towards enabling companies to complete the four-month program “investor-ready.”
Aaron Zucker, Executive Director of MassChallenge IL, and Founder and Managing Partner of Sapir Venture Partners, delivered the event’s first session on developing a company’s vision and mission. Zucker outlined the role of developing a strong vision focused on the global impact founders envision for their companies.
“We start by taking founders back to the basics of building a business. You would not enter a building that was not properly planned or that did not have a solid foundation.” said Zucker. “Starting from first principles, we are here to ensure that all of the cohort’s founders build these essential foundations. Your vision and strategy are only as powerful as how well you can communicate them, creating a corporate culture that rallies everyone you engage with to passionately support your mission.”
Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem, Fleur Hassan-Nahoum addressed conference attendees:
“Jerusalem is a city of fantastic diversity, and we know that diversity makes for better innovation. There is no better place than the creative innovation ecosystem of the city of Jerusalem. I want to thank MassChallenge, which has cultivated this innovation in the city and laid the groundwork for our entrepreneurial community. The innovation that has come out of MassChallenge has gone global and has become the capital’s Embassy of Innovation. Please God, we will continue to grow bigger and affect regional and global change.”
MassChallenge Israel is backed by the Israeli government through the Ministry of Jerusalem and Heritage, and the Jerusalem Municipality’s Jerusalem Development Authority (JDA). It continuously works to be a driving force in the city’s vibrant and growing entrepreneurial scene.
On day two of the event, founders participated in hands-on workshopping focused on articulating their missions and developing their companies’ positioning to make a more notable impression when pitching to investors, potential partners, and customers.
“At MassChallenge, we aspire to be a global network of innovators. Our accelerator programs in Israel, Switzerland, Mexico, the US, Africa and Asia are intended to provide entrepreneurs with the scaffolding for building business traction,” said Cait Brumme, CEO of MassChallenge. “We help our cohort companies get connected to resources, whether those are mentors, investors, advisors or customers that can make a difference in the journeys of these founders and accelerate their success.”
The MassChallenge Israel Early-Stage Accelerator program will run through July 2023. At the finale event, ten startups will be named winners of the program and will then travel for an international road show to connect with prospective investors and partners.
MassChallenge Israel’s Early-Stage Accelerator Program has a proven track-record, with over 75% of its 330 alumni companies still in operation. MassChallenge Israel startups have collectively raised over $1.2B. Since inception, MassChallenge Israel has directly and indirectly created 17,000 jobs to drive local economic growth and provided investors and strategic partners with consistent ROI from its cohort companies.
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Founder comments on what they hope to gain from MassChallenge
“We started MassChallenge because we get access to great mentors, and the whole mentor community, helping us develop our sales and marketing strategy.”
- Ofer Bartal, CEO of Wakka, a startup helping people launch careers in the hi-tech industry.
“We are hoping to achieve a better understanding of how to approach investors, crystalize our vision and messaging, and network with the beautiful MassChallenge ecosystem.”
- Dina Niron, CEO of Organa, a femtech company aiming to be the one-stop shop for women’s sexual wellness and knowledge.
“I am expecting to meet both the local and global investor ecosystem and potentially creating warm connections with potential partners and governments who can help me grow my company.”
- David Rojas Garcés, Co-founder of Amis AI, which utilizes AI to measure students’ wellbeing in schools.
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About MassChallenge
MassChallenge is the global network of innovators. Headquartered in the United States with eight locations worldwide, MassChallenge equips bold entrepreneurs to disrupt the status quo and to create meaningful change. Since launching in 2009, more than 3,000 startups have participated in a MassChallenge program, and the non-profit has awarded over $17M in equity-free cash and prizes. Learn more about MassChallenge at masschallenge.org and follow the most up to date news on LinkedIn.
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