The creators of a company that uses technology to help those who stutter, one that predicts traffic jams, and a mother of seven with her own personal branding platform are among the entrepreneurs from Charedi Israel heading to London next week to -present his start-up ideas to investors.
Twenty-one promising startups from Israel’s ultra-Orthodox community will take part in an exhibition at Mortimer House, London. They belong to the technology “scaler” BizLabs, designed to advance and scale startups in the ultra-orthodox sector.
BizLabs was launched by The Achim Global organization together with the Kemach Foundation. They provide full service BizLabs with zero equity.
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Founded in 2015, BizLabs is now on its sixth cohort of startups, nearing completion of a six-month support program in Israel that includes access to multinational corporations, workshops and an investor forum. The first cohort came to London in 2019, but after a two-year break due to the pandemic, both current and alumni of the program will be in London next week hoping to impress investors.
Motti Eichler, founder of Achim Global, tells Jewish News: “In 2030, there will be almost two million people in the Charedi community in Israel, and we need to find a solution to help them integrate into Israel’s economic society, respecting their at the same time. halachic and cultural needs and values.
“Our mission is to help talented Charedi men and women succeed by giving them the same opportunities that others have, but within the cultural norms and halachic rules that they follow.”
Among them are: Cygnus, Novotalk, About.Me and MikvaTech.
Novotalk
Founded in 2019, Novotalk offers a 24/7 speech therapy service based on a real training platform to help people with speech disorders. The Novotalk system removes the hurdle of clinician availability – users can sign up and undergo therapy whenever they want. It guides users through the learning and training process while enabling a cost-effective tool for the clinical oversight team to gain insight into each patient. Novotalk is sold in Israel through a collaboration with Hadassah Medical Center and has a joint venture agreement with Mount Sinai Health System in New York.
The team leaders are Avraham Sheinfeld (Owner and CEO Israel) and Zohar Beeri (CEO and Global Technology and Business Development.
Novotalk 24/7 speech therapy platform
Avraham Sheinfeld, Novotalk
Avraham Sheinfeld says, “There are many challenges that ultra-Orthodox entrepreneurs face, starting with understanding the product needed, development methods, understanding the language of the market, exposure to investors, and more. Bizlabs knew how to bring a unique approach – a solution to the variety of challenges in the form of kashrut, a quality network and connecting personal mentors as needed.
“From the BizLabs trip to London we expect exposure to a quality audience and, of course, collaborations.”
novotalk.co.il
Cygnus
The team behind Cygnus, which uses AI to predict traffic jams
Cygnus is the brainchild of Hillel Paley, CEO, Yishai Boasson, VP Product, and Dvir Nahary, VP Engineering, launched last year to solve the problem of traffic congestion. The team is developing the next generation of Variable Speed Limiting (VSL) systems using computer vision and AI to predict traffic jams before they occur in real time. The Cygnus platform connects to traffic control centres, manages VSL systems and optimizes traffic flow, significantly reducing congestion, carbon emissions and road accidents. It is based in Jerusalem.
Hillel Paley, CEO and co-founder, says: “Two years ago, in my 20s, while studying at an ultra-Orthodox yeshiva in Jerusalem, I had a vision for a transportation technology business. I realized that in order to bring my vision to life, I needed to step out of my comfort zone and acquire academic and entrepreneurial startup skills.
“Fortunately, BizLabs recognized the potential of what was just an idea at the time and accepted me into their program, since then, thanks to them, my team and I have made tremendous progress and I will always be grateful to them for being the first to believe in me.” Paley says it’s difficult for Charedi entrepreneurs to scale their startups.
“Have you met successful ultra-orthodox startups in the world? We haven’t found any yet…we hope to break this glass ceiling and pave the way for others.
He adds: “There are three big challenges: experience, knowledge and networks. An Israeli guy who graduated from the IDF intelligence service possesses significant technological experience, entrepreneurial knowledge and networks in the startup ecosystem. A Charedi guy has nothing. No experience, no knowledge and no connections – he has to put everything on his own. It’s very difficult, but not impossible.” Cygnus is now looking to expand its network of contacts in the incredible UK mobility market.
“I am extremely grateful to the entire team at BizLabs, with a special mention to Gil Shoruka and Itzik Cromby for leading the program and everyone involved for helping to promote awareness of the rapidly growing ultra-Orthodox startup scene.”
www.cygnus-traffic.com
About me
Ruchama Kahaneman, mother of seven, founder of about.me
Founded last year by advertising expert and mother of seven, Ruchama Kahaneman, about.me is a personal branding platform that allows users to create a professional online presence. Users can showcase their skills, experience and personality and connect with new professional opportunities through the platform. The platform will be an archive that will preserve personal and public relationships for the long term and create a uniform method of sharing and presentation, making it an all-in-one solution for personal branding and online exposure.
Says Kahaneman: “About.me was born from my office – as an owner and manager of advertising and PR offices for 20 years, I realized that the meaningful work we do for our clients in communication it gets a unique exposure and fades quickly. far away. Great articles and in-depth interviews are not being reused and their professional effect is not being used because there is no easy and smart way to preserve and present them well after their initial publication.”
She says: “Being a businesswoman who manages several hats in parallel and being a mother of seven means waking up every morning to a complex project, full of challenges and interest, which requires creative thinking and deal with crises often, so I came to the world of entrepreneurship with an arsenal of the right skills and experience.” BizLabs provided “a warm incubator for me that enabled professional growth and provided me with maximum tools and information that could help me in any way possible.”
About me.
MikvaTech
Founded in 2019, MikvaTech is credited as the only technology company of its kind in the world. Developed in collaboration with the Israeli government, MikvaTech’s advanced oxidation technology kills bacteria and viruses (including the Coronavirus) and destroys toxic chlorine/bromine byproducts in Mikveh waters. MikvaTech services the mikvaot of the largest municipalities in Israel and hundreds of others around the world, including the UK.
Jonathan Heller, MikvaTech
Jerusalem-based co-founder Jonathan Heller says: “Our oxidation disinfection process was originally developed for swimming pools, but it was a very tough market and when Covid hit we were referred to BizLabs for guidance. We went to their class and ended up moving into mikvehs and rebranding.”
He adds, “There aren’t the same support networks for Charedi entrepreneurs as there are for other entrepreneurs. It can be extremely difficult and what BizLabs offers is unique. In the Charedi community, ‘hi-tech’ is seen as a bit of a weird term, where if you said it in Tel Aviv, you’d be the coolest kid on the block.” Heller says pitching to investors at the London roadshow is the “next logical step” in his journey.
www.mikvatech.com
Also releasing:
BabyTech, ShanenLi, Read Twogether. MediMe, Leema, CyWat, Frenzup, GD Stride, Conext, MindCartAI, Dooio, Same Side, LeadClient, iReadable, SnapiT, Massdom and Skipper
www.bizmax.co.il/bizlabs