Chess player Boris Gelfand received a statue from the "Century Club" of the Technion alumni organization * KitLocate is the winner of the innovation competition of Mastercard and the Israel Association for Advanced Industries * Microsoft opens the second round of the start-up accelerator with the participation of 13 companies
Shani Ben Shatrit (25) from Haifa, a third year student at the School of Business Administration at the Carmel Academic Center, feels that she won a medal. She was chosen as one of the 12 nationally outstanding winners of the "Parah" mentoring project. The winners were crowned with the title from among tens of thousands of students who serve as mentors in the project. Shani didn't think about the prize, and what the project gave her, according to her, is far beyond the monetary prize. By the way, she intends to donate the prize amount of NIS 3,000 to an orphanage on Carmel.
During the last year, I volunteered as part of the project with a 12-year-old XNUMXth grade student from Haifa. At first we prepared lessons and assignments, and later I became a kind of big sister to her. She shared her personal issues with me and I tried to help her as much as I could. I visited her at first twice a week for about three hours in each meeting, and later the meetings multiplied beyond the formal task until the girl already became a part of my family. At the same time, I also met with her teacher, and she expressed great satisfaction with the results of the meetings with her student."
The president of the Carmel Academic Center Prof. Nachum Biger expressed great satisfaction with her win. Shani made history when she became our first student to win such an important title out of tens of thousands of students. Today there are many students who need a mature person to accompany them in a certain chapter of their lives. We also recruit students studying at the Carmel Academic Center for additional volunteer activities within the social engagement unit, and every student who takes part in the activities of the unit, which exists only with us, receives a scholarship. So far, in about three months, about a hundred students have already joined various voluntary activities in the community."
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The lecturer will dispel the myths about sex for the students
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev will hold 20 lectures in the Science Fest marathon ("University on the Bar"), a celebration of scientific lectures and a feast into the night in 11 pubs throughout Beer Sheva and Omer on January 7, 2013
In order to make advanced research, applied science, culture and knowledge accessible to the general public, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev is initiating, for the second year in a row, the Science Fest event (Science Fest - "University on the Bar". This is a series of about 20 scientific lectures which will be held simultaneously on January 7 in 11 pubs and cafes throughout Beer Sheva and even in Omer.Science Fest 2, which is based on the "Science Coffee" series held in previous years, will be held by the university in collaboration with the student union.
Students, the city's youth and residents of Beersheba and the surrounding area are invited to a celebration of science over a glass of beer (or wine) in bars throughout the city. The best lecturers at Ben-Gurion University, including the rector, Prof. Zvi HaCohen ("A tour of the mind of a scientist"), the academic secretary, Prof. Ariel Feldstein ("Herzl over a glass of beer") will speak on various topics in their fields of expertise. Among the lectures you can find topics such as: "Music and physics, what's the connection?" (Prof. Reuven Segev), "The mysterious and unknown connection between Alzheimer's and diabetes" (Dr. Yifat Miller), "Which is more correct - 'Barat Mazal' or 'Bat Mazal' and why is it important (Dr. Uri Mor)" Quick and nervous" - busting sex myths (Dr. Tal Peleg), "We all lie" (Prof. Shaul Shloy) and much more.
Each session is a 45-minute to an hour lecture, in which the lecturer briefly tells about himself and his field of research and conveys to the audience in a light manner a relevant and interesting topic in his field of expertise. Beyond making science accessible to the general public in an easy and non-binding way, the intention is to contribute from the extensive knowledge accumulated and the extensive research carried out at Ben-Gurion University to the community and society in Beer Sheva and the entire Negev, this within the social mandate of the academic institution.
The event will take place, as mentioned, on the evening of Monday 7/1/2013 in pubs and cafes throughout the city of Beer-Sheva.
Technion runners ran in pubs in downtown Haifa
Technion lecturers, led by President Prof. Peretz Lavi, last night "raided" the pubs in the lower city of Haifa and lectured in their areas of expertise. Prof. Lavi gave a lecture at the Nathanson Pub on the subject of "Dream sleep - porthole for brain activity", in the presence of the Mayor of Haifa, Advocate Yona Yahav. The pub was full to the brim with about 200 people.
Prof. Lavi's wife, Dr. Lina Lavi, and his daughters were also present at the lecture. His wife noted that his lecture improves every time and Associate Professor Itay Yanai from the Faculty of Biology at the Technion defined him as a rock star of science. Prof. Lavi noted that this is the first time he lectures in a pub and the great achievement is that no one fell asleep during the lecture.
Prof. Lavi ended the event together with the mayor and the manager of the downtown Tzachi Tarno at the anchor pub, which is also in the area.
Other speakers at the event were Dr. Uri Cohen on different forms of living in the world over the last hundred years (at Syncope), Prof. Avi Berman on the mathematical principles behind the Google search engine (at the Allahambara Pub), Prof. Orit Hazan on diversity in the population as a means of promoting social goals (at Pula Bar ), Dr. Liad Levy on quantum mechanics (at Livira), Prof. Noam reviews multiple universes (at the Anchor pub), Prof. Dafna Weiss on cancer cells (at the Jack and the Peas pub), Prof. Ehud Kenan on the global problems posed by an explosion The population (at Barki Pub) and Prof. Uri Sion on nanotechnology (Bally's Pub). All the pubs were full to capacity.
Haifa's downtown is undergoing a significant change these days. The area, which in the past was perceived as a dark and unpleasant place, was revealed to the many visitors who frequented the pubs, as an attractive place that is pleasant to be in, bright, clean and full of life. And this is ultimately one of the important goals of events like this, aside from bringing science closer to people - to revive the downtown in Haifa.
Chess player Boris Gelfand received a statue from the "Century Club" of the Technion alumni organization
The sculpture "The Game of Kings" is the work of Technion graduate Gadi Kafir
Master chess player Boris Gelfand received from the Technion Alumni Association's "Century Club" the sculpture "The Game of Kings", the work of Technion graduate Gadi Kafir. The statue was awarded to him and his wife Maya at a special event, in the presence of the Chairman of the Century Club, Dr. Eli Ofer, the president of the Technion, Professor Peretz Lavi, his deputy for foreign relations and resource development, Professor Boaz Golani and dozens of members of the "Century Club", which is made up of the leaders of the economy and economy in Israel.
"When Boris competed for the title of world champion, I competed with an alabaster stone from the Kinneret region from which I wanted to create the Game of Kings statue," said Gadi Kafir. "I greatly appreciated Boris' determination and hoped for this day, when I could present him with the statue, within the Technion alumni organization, an institution that champions and fosters excellence."
In his words of thanks, Boris Gelfand said: "I recognize that the leading minds and successful people in various fields are here. It is a great honor for me to join the elite of the Israeli intellectuals. Chess is not considered a pure science, but a combination of science, art and sport. But the scientific dimension certainly occupies a considerable place in chess studies. As a chess scientist, every day I explore and dig into the infinite world of chess and discover new layers and dimensions. Every time I am very happy and childish when I manage to uncover a small diamond from a pile of coals. That's why I think that there is a lot of similarity between chess and practical science. Thank you for the great respect you have shown me. I will do my best to promote chess in Israel and bring honor and glory to the State of Israel."
KitLocate is the winner of the innovation competition of Mastercard and the Israel Association for Advanced Industries
The start-up company KitLocate is the winner of the innovation competition of Mastercard and the Israel Association for Advanced Industries (IATI) - this was announced at the closing event of the competition held last Thursday in Tel Aviv. Second place went to KidsCash, which offers a system that allows parents to budget their children's purchases online, and third place was awarded to SellInApp, which allows app owners to offer accompanying physical products for purchase.
KitLocate, established in October 2011, developed technology that allows applications and other services to receive information about the user's location, so that the business owners in the location where he is located can offer him relevant products and additional benefits. According to the company, its technology makes it possible to know the location of the device at all times, but unlike existing solutions, it does not cause the battery of the mobile device to die after a few hours. The company has not yet raised external capital, employs 4 people, and is managed by Omri Moran.
The MasterCard and IATI innovation competition was launched last September, and was open to Israeli ventures in the initial stages of research and development of products and solutions in the field of electronic payments. Over 40 companies submitted nominations as part of the competition, and 10 of them were invited to present the project at the final event held last Thursday, in the presence of the senior officials of the Israeli finance industry.
The winning company will receive $25, and will be accepted into the "The Junction" accelerator program, where it will be supported and accompanied by the accelerator team for three months. "The Junction" has an alumni community with over 120 entrepreneurs and partnerships with over 50 technology companies, so that the participants of the accelerator get access to entrepreneurs like them who have gone through the process, and to potential partners. The first three places will also be entitled to join the IATI union free of charge for a period of one year, and will benefit from exposure to the union's extensive network of members.
The team of judges for the competition included Bela Stevchansky, President of MasterCard's Growing Markets Division in Europe, Daniel Cohen, Director of MasterCard's operations in Israel, Karin Meir Rubinstein, CEO of IATI, Eran Barkat, partner in BRM Hitech from the BRM Group, Yifat Oron, partner in the Vertex Fund , Itzik Fried, CEO of the gaming company Mominis and Aden Shohat, general partner in the Genesis Partners fund, which founded the accelerator The Junction.
Daniel Cohen, director of MasterCard operations in Israel, said that "the large number of contestants and their quality prove that in Israel there is a significant and creative activity for the development of products related to financial technologies. Mastercard's vision is a 'world without cash', and the products developed by the companies that participated in the competition promote the implementation of this vision, either through the development of technologies that support the payment processes, or through the development of consumer and business services that use such payment methods. MasterCard supports technological innovation both through organic developments, partly through MasterCard Labs in Ireland, where the company's next products are developed, and also through mergers with complementary technology companies, including relatively young Israeli companies, such as those that competed in the competition."
Karin Meir Rubinstein, CEO of the Israel Association for Advanced Industries (IATI) added: "This initiative is one of the many actions that the Israeli high-tech industry, through the association, is doing with the aim of nurturing "soft" start-ups and continuing to prepare the ground for the flourishing of new Israeli start-ups , among other things in the growing field of payments. The growth potential of the Israeli industry lies in our ability to use the vast experience from successes and failures, and instill it in companies and young entrepreneurs, partly through initiatives like Mastercard's, so that they can establish the next Mellanox."
Microsoft opens the second cycle of the startup accelerator with the participation of 13 companies
About 1,000 entrepreneurs from Israel and 10 other countries took part in the process and submitted nominations of 300 companies for the second round of the Microsoft Accelerator for Windows Azure program. At the end of a long and rigorous screening process, Microsoft's R&D center in Israel, in collaboration with industry executives, chose 13 Israeli start-up companies to participate in the new cycle that officially opened today. The acceptance rate (only 4.33%) indicates the high bar that the accelerator sets for the candidates. The selected companies will enter a 4-month acceleration program that combines about 100 senior mentors and leaders in their field, physical and technological infrastructure and a variety of innovations, including: scientific tools developed by Georgia Tech University in Atlanta, a financing program of the investment fund Plus Ventures, close training in the areas of user interface and user experience for each Company, collaborations with the Technion, global companies and entities including a variety of continuation programs and more.
The first cycle in the accelerator ended successfully on a global scale and testifies to the tremendous business springboard that the program represents for the participating companies. About 70% of the companies that participated (8 out of 11) raised capital or received an official offer for investment - within just 3 months of the end of the cycle. The total investments reach about 6.5 million dollars (over 800 thousand dollars on average for the company). Leading accelerators in the US and around the world reached similar investment rates only after several years of activity.
The advantages of the unique model and the impressive results of the first cycle led Microsoft worldwide to implement the Israeli model also in the company's strategic R&D centers in India and China.
Yoram Jacobi, CEO, Microsoft's R&D center in Israel: "The success of the first cycle motivated us to set even higher goals for the second cycle. For this purpose, we included the model and incorporated a series of innovations that will give added value to entrepreneurs and increase their chances of success. Even now, even before the opening of the cycle, there is a keen interest of investment bodies in the participating companies and this creates optimism both among the entrepreneurs and among the Microsoft team. The accelerator in Israel has aroused interest around the world since its first day, and we anticipate great interest in the second round and its results as well."
Among the main innovations can be noted:
The investment fund Plus Ventures will offer each startup an investment of 20 thousand dollars without receiving any holdings in the company. This will allow the company to postpone the determination of its value (valuation) to a later stage,
in which the value is expected to increase significantly and accordingly to raise under more favorable conditions.
Georgia Tech University will implement in the second cycle the Startup Engineering model developed by Professor Merrick Forrest. The model offers structured scientific processes to increase the chances of success of start-ups by using academic research methods to develop business models that increase the opportunities of the companies. Professor Forrest will come to the accelerator in Israel and work with the entrepreneurs on the implementation of the model. In addition, a number of startups are expected to join the Georgia Tech accelerator during the cycle for a period of one month and startups from the institute in the USA are expected to come to the accelerator in Israel.
For the second cycle, start-up companies were selected in various fields such as music, video and medicine, with the commonality of all of them being the focus around cloud and big data technologies:
1. INNOBI - develops technology for automatic analysis of a business situation based on data from the network.
2. Applango - develops a friendly solution for optimizing the use of corporate applications.
3. WSC Sport - develops technology that enables the automatic creation of personalized video articles in the field of sports
4. Telesofia Medical - develops technology that turns medical information from the Internet into simple and fluent videos.
5. Physihome - develops technology for physiotherapy treatments at the patient's home combined with Kinect.
6. KitchenBug - develops technology that enables immediate analysis of recipes from the Internet and their translation into nutritional values.
7. Scoreoid - develops a development platform for online games.
8. LiveTune - develops an application for learning music personalized for each user.
9. Pixtr - develops an application that performs automatic enhancement for facial images.
10. Shopetti - develops a social shopping app for women.
11. Skygiraffe - develops technology that does not wish to reveal at this stage.
12. SCREEMO - develops a service platform for the development of content applications and campaigns.
13. Askem - channels the wisdom of the masses on the web to receive answers to questions presented through an image.
