As an entrepreneurial powerhouse, Israel has become one of the world’s leading tech hubs, and the country’s entrepreneurship ecosystem has evolved in the past 10 years — reaching more people now than ever before through collaboration across geographic and cultural sectors, and through movements like Global Entrepreneurship Week.
Ayla Matalon, managing director of GEN Israel and one of the lead organizers of Global Entrepreneurship Week in the country, said the Israeli entrepreneurial ecosystem has changed in many different ways over the past 10 years – including an influx of global companies that have started centers of entrepreneurship and research and development hubs in the country – fueling innovation and attracting investors.
Danny Danker, GEN Israel member and CEO of IntelliGym, said he would add that entrepreneurship and innovation in the country has diversified into new sectors in society, that were not as involved in the past, “particularly in recent years, we’ve seen more entrepreneurs among the ultra-orthodox, new immigrants and Israel Arabs.”
Matalon agreed, saying there has been an increase in entrepreneurship across cultures and across borders.
“We are seeing joint Jewish-Arab companies coming up, which is heart warming and brings out hope,” Matalon said. "Our focus this year is our ROOTS project, which brings entrepreneurs back to their home schools to inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs to be."
Amit Dror, GEN Israel member and CEO and co-founder of Nano Dimension, said that in addition to changes in the ecosystem, GEW has evolved – becoming bigger and more diverse.
“The amount of events increased, the spread of locations increased, the number of initiators has increased,” said Dror. “It's a mainstream activity – a celebration that many wish to participate now. That was definitely not the case 10 years ago when we were asked ‘What is it good for?’ People want to be inspired. People want to get new ideas. People appreciate hope and positive thinking.”
Matalon said one reason GEW has become more popular in the country over the past 10 years, is that organizations like the idea of the global movement – with a greater opportunity for global visibility.”
“The impact on the Arab community in the periphery due to GEW was huge,” said Reem Younis, GEN Israel member and co-founder of Alpha Omega. “Young students got the opportunity to be exposed to entrepreneurship and leadership through role models that they do not see in their daily life.”
Matalon said GEW Israel events and programs span a variety of cities, and cover diverse topics.
“Israel is extremely entrepreneurial as is. This is why GEN Israel is focused on the social periphery,” said Matalon. “We are collaborating with around 100 bodies, including entrepreneurship and social organizations, schools, colleges, universities and municipalities.”
Events in Israel during the week range from workshops for entrepreneurs, lectures and Entrepreneurship on Tap – one of the country’s most popular events. She said Entrepreneurship on Tap has one of the strongest brands of GEW events, and helps fund other activities that have a social component – and strengthening community ecosystems.
“Entrepreneurship on Tap now also happens in the social periphery, most of the time on their own initiative,” she said. “Even in Tel Aviv, we are addressing an audience that was not necessarily the ‘usual suspect’ you would see at more formal events. Roots is a program that we developed in order to impact the social periphery in particular. We’ve had entrepreneurs visit their home schools in less developed neighborhoods, inspiring the students and creating real impact.”
Global Entrepreneurship Week will be held from November 13-19, and will be celebrated simultaneously in more than 165 countries around the world.
“The Global Entrepreneurship Week is a real celebration in Israel,” said Dror. “While Israel has always been inspired by innovation it seems like in the last 10 years the awareness and collaboration with innovation has become a mainstream in the country. If 10 years [ago] there were peripheries in society and geographically where innovation had not reached – It feels like now the expansion is everywhere. Still the journey is not over. It’s never over.”