Showcase features American and Israeli start-ups

 

Students, faculty and investors gathered in the Tutor Campus Center Grand Ballroom on Sunday to network with start-ups from the United States and Israel as well as to learn more about the startup ecosystem in the world at large.

The Cal-Israel Innovation Expo was hosted by the TAMID Group in partnership with Blackstone Launchpad USC. Thirty-four startups were present at the expo, with some looking for employees and interns, and others looking for funding to take their ideas to the next level. These budding companies showcased innovations in areas such as medical, energy and water conservation, mobile and cyber technology and agribusiness.

USC TAMID is a nationwide student organization that connects business-focused American students with Israeli companies in a wide variety of educational and professional opportunities. The organization provides free consulting services to small businesses in Israel and organizes a fund to invest in businesses in the area. The ultimate goal of these programs is to orient members in the economic landscape of Israel and, by extension, the world at large.

According to Noa Braun, the president of USC TAMID, the event sought to have representation from as many industries as possible.

“We look for a breadth of companies,” Braun said. “That’s really important to us. We don’t want to have everybody concentrated in just biotech, or just security, so you’ll see if you walk around the expo everybody is scattered across all industries.”

According to Wharton Magazine, Tel Aviv is the number five startup ecosystem in the world behind Boston, Los Angeles, New York City and Silicon Valley. Yoram Dahan, volunteer CEO of the Cal-Israeli Innovation Expo, said that this atmosphere of innovation could come from Israel’s military, which is building strong young leaders with ideas to solve real world problems.

“Israel has a unique opportunity to bring a lot of innovations, mostly because the young students and audience providing these kinds of startups and thinking usually go into military service and gain a lot of confident knowledge leadership and come out with some amazing innovations,” Dahan said.

According to James Bottom, director of Blackstone Launchpad USC, the atmosphere of innovation could also come from the country’s global circumstances surrounded by enemies and with few natural resources.

“They have had to be really innovative with how they have been able to create partnerships and trade deals to be able to bring resources into their country, which has allowed them to prosper,” Bottom said. “And I think because of that they have built up really good relationships.”

Bottom was an honorary speaker on Sunday’s panel. On Monday, guests will hear from Yannis Yortsos, the Dean of the Viterbi School of Engineering. The event is open to all USC students interested in learning about new innovations and the startup ecosystem of Israel.