PORTFOLIO

WHAT PEOPLE SAY

The first 2 weeks in Tel Aviv

In the 10 days that the Desafía participating companies spent in Israel, they learned a tremendous amount about the Israeli startup culture, visiting important sites each day while hearing from some of the most influential individuals in Israeli hi-tech. They saw presentations, heard lectures, and participated in workshops for personal improvement for their own startups.

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Participants started off by visiting some iconic centers for Israeli innovation, from the Taglit Innovation Center to Startup Nation Central, to the Shimon Peres Innovation Center. They spoke with CEOs and CTOs of many startups in Israel, including OpenLegacy, Nitromia, KAZUAR, Teneos, and many more. The participants enjoyed hearing about the true experiences of Israeli entrepreneurs through one-on-one interactions and learned about the failures and challenges these ambitious entrepreneurs face. By visiting R&D centers and start-up accelerators all the way from Herzliya to Beer Sheva, they were able to gain a much deeper understanding about the early stages of a start-up and what it takes to succeed in the Israeli environment. Participants visited several venture capital groups such as JVP (Jerusalem Venture Partners) and Vintage Venture Partners to learn more about the world of Israeli venture capital. They listened to presentations and talks on many different topics such as how to talk to investors, IPOs and what it takes to be listed on the TASE, funding and regulation in Israel, and how to work with large banks as a customer.

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The participating companies met with experts from The Floor, who hosted workshops on creating business plans, technological considerations with relation to startups, and the best pitch strategies for every market. They even had a mentor speed-dating workshop with members from The Floor, PAI-tech, Personetics, and Teneos, where they got the chance to work on their pitches using all they learned so far. Through these two weeks in Israel, participants of Desafía Tel Aviv had the chance to hear from successful entrepreneurs, learn about the fintech industry in Israel and around the world, and apply what they learned to their own startup. Overall, Desafía Tel Aviv was an intensely packed program which provided a unique opportunity for participants to truly learn the insides and outs of The Startup Nation.