The Ramon Foundation in collaboration with the Ministry of Science and Technology held the finals of the "Trailblazers named after the late Ilan and Assaf Ramon" competition yesterday (Wednesday). The subject of the competition is the establishment of an innovative social enterprise to change the lives of a million Israelis in the next five years
As part of the final stage of the competition, which took place at Beit Peres for Peace in Tel Aviv-Yafo, seven innovative social enterprises were presented. Of the seven participants, Hillel Mashal, Zvika Oron and Omari Yufa won full scholarships from the Ministry of Science for the prestigious Singularity University program that will take place at the NASA base in California for 10 weeks, where they will represent Israel together with the best minds from around the world. Every year, Singularity University selects about 80 candidates from around the world for the program, in collaboration with NASA and Google, which exposes the participants to the most advanced technologies and the latest research, and to assist them in projects aimed at solving today's biggest challenges, including: water, food, energy and space.
Senior officials of the business sector, the high-tech industry and academia judged the competition: Menachem Greenblum - Director General of the Ministry of Science, Prof. Paul Feigin - Vice President of the Technion, Sami Segol - Chairman of the Keter Group, Moshe T'avim - Chairman of the Gitam BBDO Communications and Advertising Group , Meir Brand- CEO of Google Israel, Eliezer Shakdi- CEO of El Al and former commander of the Air Force, Prof. Yuli Tamir- former Minister of Education, Dr. Kobi Richter- Chairman of Medinol, Dr. Orna Berry- Deputy President of EMC, Salim Ismail - one of the founders of Singularity University, Eitan Stiva - one of the owners of the LR Group, Rona Ramon, Zeev Holtzman - founder of the Giza Venture Capital Fund and Dr. Ron Fondak - CEO of the Peres Peace Center.
The Ramon Foundation, established in 2010, is inspired by the figure of the late Ilan and Assaf Ramon. The foundation aims to create in Israel a developed infrastructure for the promotion and nurturing of a generation of groundbreaking leaders, who will act in light of the values of excellence and social responsibility.
Summary of projects
Howl from the cough of solar nanoantennas
32 years old. A master's degree student in the Department of Environmental Physics and Solar Energy under the guidance of Prof. Jeffrey Gordon in Sde Boker, he is a graduate of Tel Aviv University with a double degree track in physics and electrical engineering, and he came to the field of solar energy following his dream, after finishing his military service as a captain in a technological unit of the Intelligence Corps and worked for several years in high-tech.
Hillel describes his research dealing with an innovative type of high-efficiency solar cells based on nanoantennas as a small but significant step towards realizing the dream of all of us for a cleaner world, a step that fits into Hillel's worldview that combines environmental science and values.
Omri Yaffe and Zvika Oron LifeBeam - sensor for physiological monitoring
Omri Yaffe and Zvika Oron, pilots in the HA reserve and active entrepreneurs, identified during their military service a significant need for real-time physiological monitoring and alerting of various emergency situations. The company is engaged in the development of a unique sensor that is characterized by high flexibility for its location on the body, the ability to monitor several physiological parameters at the same time, high resistance to environmental noises (such as electric fields, traffic, etc.) and tiny dimensions. The company was established together with Dr. Ilya Payne, founder and CEO of Alfi Tech, who brings with her unique technological knowledge in the field of non-invasive monitoring. The company is currently cooperating with various bodies in the security system and will deliver its first military product in about 5 months. At the same time, the company manages communication with international technological bodies in the field of biotechnology with the aim of converting the sensor into a product suitable for diverse applications in the civil field.
CV:
Tzvika - served as a pilot in the Air Force and is currently in active reserve service. During his military service, among other positions, he served as the operations commander of the HA's flight test squadron. Graduated with honors in a bachelor's degree in biomedical engineering and in a month will also complete the second one at Tel Aviv University with high honors. He served as the development manager of two significant projects in which military technologies were adapted for clinical use. He founded the Life Bym company and serves as the company's technology manager.
Amri - served as a pilot in the Air Force and is currently in active reserve service. During his military service, Amri completed the pilot's course with honors, was part of the founding team of the Apache Longbow formation and then head of the helicopter munitions section in the army. After his release, he founded the company Clear Cat, which deals in control and control systems, and then the company Life Bim and serves as the company's CEO. In addition, he established the "Ofek" project - an activity for the training of youth of low socio-economic status and their integration into the Israeli labor market. He is currently completing the Kellogg-Racanati MBA program at Tel Aviv University.
