“We are working hard to help talents flourish”
Oded Barel – “Siftech began as a small initiative of the Hebrew University Students Union for Jerusalem-based start-ups, aimed to create a community that will escort the first steps of new entrepreneurs. The organization was founded in early 2012 by Stav Erez and Inbar Ziv, and today is led by Guy Cherni and myself. Originally housed in a small basement class of the Hebrew University, we are nowadays located in a great workspace inside JVP Media Quarter – the heart of Jerusalem’s start-up scene.
“Our core activity is a full scale start-up accelerator program, which is based on intensive mentorship and hands-on support by leading figures from the Israeli start-up scene. We know that each start-up has its own challenges so we focus exclusively on what is best for each team. We have just finished the 4th round of the program which, like its predecessors, ended with a ‘startup showcase’ event where the entrepreneurs pitch to leading investors, with the goal of raising money and scaling-up their business.
“Why Jerusalem? Well, it holds most of the finest academic institutes in Israel – from science and technology to humanities and the arts. We believe that these institutions are huge talent factories and we are working hard on creating a vibrant eco-system and environment in which these talents can flourish and where dreams and initiatives come true. In fact, the city has witnessed a huge start-up renaissance in recent years with a sharp increase in the number of entrepreneurs choosing Jerusalem as the first stop in their startup journey.”
