Israeli startups raised over $650m in July

Three of the financing rounds in July created unicorns –

startups with a valuation of more than $1 billion

was the headline in Globes Business News English online edition on August 1, 2019, for Lightricks.

I visited Lightricks, located on the Hebrew University Givat Ram campus, in the spring.

I got a great paper notepad. However, now I regret not taking better notes and more photos.

In the old HU university dorm buildings, Lightricks has grown quickly.

The outdoor locations were bursting with colorful flowers.

Being located on the HU campus, it has become one of Jerusalem’s entrepreneurial hubs attracting the best and brightest.

From the conference room window, you can see one of the outside paths. This is not your typical big-city working space.

I had gone to Lightricks as one of the tour options of Forbes Women Under 30.

The diversity of the international groups of young entrepreneurs Forbes brings to Jerusalem at JVP has always been impressive.

Just one of the amazing things happening in Jerusalem, Israel, I wanted to share with you.

International trade missions, as this one from China at Azrieli Engineering College at a JlmBioCity BioMed and Pharma pitch-night, now stop in Jerusalem on a regular basis.

But I want to share three diverse entrepreneurial Jerusalem groups you may not have heard about.

The IDF Intelligence Unit 8200 has gained attention though I do not know what they really do.

Soldiers leaving this elite army have gone on to establish impressive startups and innovative businesses.

A new addition to startup entrepreneurship with volunteer service is Carmel 6000.

A select group of young women has the option to do volunteer service combining hi-tech with social needs.

One of their projects was a collaboration with AYLN Children’s Hospital.

What did the hospital need? A warning system for when a wheelchair was backing up. Here you see the sensors created by Carmel 6000!

In June, Machon Tal of the Jerusalem College of Technology held its Hack@Tal. This educational program is geared to young religious women, with childcare support on campus.

Another startup creative entrepreneurial competition to create applications for existing problems.

Nearly 200 young women worked day and night on their designated projects.

From ways to get ambulances through traffic efficiently to a wireless baby monitoring system, students collaborated with an approaching deadline.

With babies in tow and mentors to guide, the Hack@Tal was…I am at a loss for words of how impressive and positive. Women and STEM have come a long way in Jerusalem, Israel.

The 4th MassChallenge Finale was held last week at Beit Shmuel.

Ten startups were selected from 44 businesses mentored and nurtured by staff members and 200 volunteers, and go on to the US to compete.

While at the end of June, Starting Up Together sponsored by MassChallenge, Rothschild Foundation and Peres Peace Center had a pitch night at First Station.

PlayClean won the competition for its application for residents to report garbage to be cleaned up in a fun way to municipal governments.

Participants from Rahat worked on a website for local women to sell their crafts.

Bedouins from the south, Muslims from the north, and Jews from all over in between, everyone is a winner on evenings like this one.

BioHouse, MadeInJlm, and now FemJlm are more names in startup Jerusalem.

Go north to find WeWork in south Tel Aviv – Hero Makers TOM out to change the world for the better. In Kfar Batya there is an amazing new high school space called Innovation Gogya.