They don’t call Israel Startup Nation for anything – and AMIT schools are on board.
Some 150 AMIT students who study at the network’s academy of innovation and entrepreneurship recently took part in a “Shark Tank”-style event where they presented their startup ideas to a panel of high-tech experts from leading companies in Israel.
Taking those great ideas to market was another thrust for AMIT students. The students at AMIT’s Academy of Entrepreneurship and Innovation recently worked to develop a marketing plan for their startup ideas with an expert in the field, Shimrit Nisenbaum, the spokesperson and public relations manager for Neopharm, who has more than 20 years of marketing and PR experience.
The manifold efforts across the AMIT network highlight the heart of its mission: to prepare all of its students for a 21st-century career and giving them the tools, the opportunity, and the encouragement to forge forth in the education and in their vision for the future.
At the innovation hub, AMIT students from across the country come to learn from leading high-tech professionals and get hands-on experience in the world of entrepreneurship. They work alongside staffers from the high-tech company Razor Grip, whose offices are on-site at the academy.
AMIT students are currently working on several startup ideas, including an app called ParkWatch, which prevents drivers from using spots meant for the disabled, and an app called COMY, a marketplace meant to forge connections between students and high-tech professionals. Other students are working on an app that takes stock of what food one has at home and recommends recipes to cook based on that information; an online pharmacy app; and an app to help diagnose car problems.
At the unique pitch day, they presented their ideas to seven industry experts from different companies: Shlomit Ayalon, director of the Microsoft Israel teacher community; Eran Kaspin, VP of product at Jifiti; Yaniv Levin, CEO and co-founder of Tokabot; Dr. Shay Ben-Elazar, senior data scientist; Yarden Anushaf, marketing director for AMIT in Israel; and Sol Lefler, entrepreneur, and CEO of Gmnuch. They also met with a cyber entrepreneur who recently raised funds from Barclays and other investors and told the students about his entrepreneurial experience.
Odaya K., one of the students, said, “the whole process of learning at the academy of entrepreneurship, from developing the product in its first stages to presenting it to the experts, is a fascinating and experiential process.”
“The students presented their ideas professionally and with great interest and passion,” said Gali Kedmi Fragman, who heads the innovation hub. “The AMIT schools’ faculties and the academy staff are proud of these achievements and of what the students have accomplished and will in the future.”
When it comes to taking those great ideas and selling them, AMIT is preparing its students for that as well in very practical ways.
For example, the students from AMIT Gwen Straus and AMIT Renanim, both in Ra’anana, are working on two apps – one to prevent drivers from parking in spots meant for the disabled and a marketplace to connect students and high-tech industry veterans.
During their meeting with the marketing expert, Nisenbaum, the young entrepreneurs worked on developing a marketing communications program that would enable them to attain their business goals. They learned to define their target audience and determine what methods would be most effective, including digital marketing, public relations, print materials, and sales and promotion.
Nisenbaum, who served as the Ra’anana municipality’s spokesperson prior to moving to one of the leading pharmaceutical companies in Israel, has volunteered at the AMIT innovation hub for the past three years. She is among the cadre of experts that Kedmi Fragman brings in to mentor the students.
With Nisenbaum’s help, the students decided on the slogans and marketing content they would use on Facebook and Instagram.
Kedmi Fragman said the academy’s students “acquire the skills they need to take their first steps into entrepreneurship and industry. Connections with industry veterans pave the way for them to dream big and contributes to each student’s personal development in the world of high-tech and innovation.
