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Journey '23

 
 
On February 15th, 2023, CIJE and 29 students went on a "Journey to the Startup Nation." Students learned how successful engineers and business people approach problems and find marketable solutions in Isael. Many graduates of CIJE programs take these priceless experiences and insights with them as they journey through college and enter competitive careers. 
 
Follow along with our blog below for the entire journey. Click on each date to see the visits for that day.
 
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Stop 1
 
Healables
The first stop takes us to the ground floor of a wearable company that started off using the Arduino microprocessor that our students have been using in their CIJE engineering classes. Healables ( https://www.healables.com) is a young startup working out of a humble apartment that makes wearables to promote muscle healing. It was amazing to see them prototyping in the small office and get the feel for what a real startup looks like.
 
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Stop 2
 
Mobileye
2nd stop of the day was Mobileye. Mobileye had the biggest exit in Startup Nation history at $15 Billion. We heard from Rabbi Mois Navon. The 16th employee at Mobileye. He told his story and the history of autonomous tech/vehicles. We then got to see the technology being developed in the Mobileye garage. Fascinating visit and company.
 
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Stop 3
 
Lightricks
Next up was Lightricks (https://www.lightricks.com) in Givat Ram. The biggest social media photo/video mobile editing app. With 11 apps and over 6 million monthly paid subscribers. Fun fact, they sold Memoji to apple. We saw their amazing offices and heard all about the tech behind these amazing apps.
 
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Stop 4
 
Hebrew U Labs
Next stop: Hebrew U labs. We visited two labs, Life Science and Neuroscience. We walked through the greenhouses where they are genetically modifying tomatoes to have more vitamin A and other nutritious value. They have crafted a tomato stain that has gone to market. At the Neuroscience lab, we meet with a Ph.D. researcher who explained the complexity of memory and how different parts of the brain work in tandem to give us our cognitive abilities. He showed us a mouse brain and shared his research that can revolutionize Alzheimer treatment.
 
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Stop 5
 
Machshava Tova
We’re still going. We met up with a group called Machshava Tova an NPO which brings technology education to the periphery of Israel. Their high school students joined ours for games, dinner, and an escape room/box. It was a great experience to meet like-minded students and work together with our brothers and sisters.
 
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Stop 6
 
Bowling
Ending the day with some fun. Bowling! That’s a wrap for our first full day. Tomorrow we head to United Hatzalah, Ir Dovid, and Machane Yehuda. Good night from Jerusalem.
 
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Stop 1
 
United Hatzalah
First stop of the day: United Hatzalah. We heard the story of why Eli Beer started this amazing organization and how big it has grown. The brilliant idea of arming volunteers with ambucycles to beat traffic and triage people has saved many many lives. We saw this video from Nas Daily https://youtu.be/bFwwaB9n_x0 about Hatzalah. We then got to see the technology behind the dispatch center and how they geolocate all the volunteers. A great start to a short day. Fun Fact: Hatzalah has saved over 5 million lives since its inception.
 
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Stop 2
 
Ir Dovid
Next up… NEW high tech is mostly closed on Friday so we focused on historic high tech. Ir Dovid. We learned about the amazing engineering in the times of Dovid HaMelech and the history of water transportation in those times.
 
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Stop 3
 
Shuk Machane Yehuda
The last stop before Shabbat was to Machane Yehudah Shuk for lunch and to buy some Shabbat treats. Looking forward to an amazing few days in Tel Aviv. Wishing everyone a Shabbat Shalom from Jerusalem.
 
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We had an amazing Shabbat, Friday night was at the Kotel and meal in the old city. We had walking tours and activities most of the day with some really in between. Tonight we had burgers bar and are now on our way to Tel Aviv. 
Sneak peek at tomorrow, a packed day. Aleph Farms, Vayyar, Gauzy, Checkpoint, and more.
 
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Stop 1
 
Aleph Farms
Wow. We may not be able to top the first stop of the day. Aleph Farms https://www.aleph-farms.com Aleph is making cultured meat, slaughter-free meat, net zero meat… They explained the engineering process of how they took a cell from Lucy the cow and made it into a piece of steak. We saw the labs where they are culturing the cells. We got to hold the steak and see the lab techs in action. This journey visited Aleph 3 years ago when they just had a proof of concept in a small office with 20 employees. Today they have hundreds of employees and we were able to actually hold a piece of beef. We are kicking ourselves for not investing then. The issue they are trying to resolve now is the width of the steak. They can just culture a flat piece at this point. 3 years from now, we expect everyone to be eating Aleph meat. Fun Fact: The Chief Rabbi, Rabbi Lau ruled Aleph beef to be kosher and Parve (but can’t be eaten with dairy) https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230119005570/en/Chief-Rabbi-of-Israel-Affirms-Ale
 
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Stop 2
 
Vayyar
I said we may not be able to top Aleph Farms but we may just have. We went to Vayyar, https://vayyar.com a radar imaging company. Ovi Jacob, a Frisch graduate and the 20th employee at Vayyar gave us the full tour. Vayyar plans to be able to detect breast cancer using radar technology which is significantly cheaper than current methods. Until that point, they have found multiple verticals for their radar chip. First, we saw the DIY home construction usage with their product Walabot https://a.co/d/0Ltql4j . Then we saw an application for assisted living and nursing facilities. They can see (without cameras) if an elderly person is in a room and if they fell. We were able to participate in the testing (see video). Fun Fact: Vayyar already sold 500,000 Walabot units on Amazon.
 
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Stop 3
 
Gauzy
Next, we went to Gauzy https://www.gauzy.com Gauzy is the world leader in smart glass. Ever thought it would be cool if you could tint your windows in a millisecond? Never need window shades again? Meet Gauzy. The technology is being used in cars to instantly tint your windows when needed. We put on lab coats and went into the clean rooms to see the labs in action. Fun Fact: Gauzy tech is used in hotels throughout the world including The Setai Group, Aqualina in Florida, and Crown Plaza.
 
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Stop 4
 
Bessemer Venture Partners (BVP)
Next up: Bessemer Venture Partners (BVP) We met with Ariel Sterman, Frisch Alumni, who spoke to us about venture capitalism and how it can really help business. We learned that the most important aspect while trying to gain funding is having not only good ideas but a good team that will carry through with the business. Fun Fact: BVP was an early investor in Wix and Fiverr.
 
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Stop 5
 
Checkpoint
To end a jam-packed day of visits we went to the biggest company in Israel, Checkpoint https://www.checkpoint.com Checkpoint is a cyber security company that has $2.3 Billion in revenue annually. We had a presentation on the risk and impacts of cyber attacks and saw a live map of attacks happening. After the presentation, we did our own cyber attack escape room. With Josh Davis and Akiva Lieber beating the game in the fastest time ever. Great way to end a jam-packed day. Back to the hotel for dinner, rest, and night activity. Sneak peek at tomorrow: IDC, Technion, MadaTech, and much more… see you tomorrow! Fun Fact: Nir Barkat, the former mayor of Jerusalem, and his company BRM was the original investor in Checkpoint. He made so much money that he took a salary of nis 1 as the mayor.
 
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Stop 1
 
Reichman University (IDC)
The first stop of the day was Reichman University (IDC). We first heard from Kyle Blank, a graduate of IDC (and Frisch). He is now a Principal at Viola. A VC in Tel Aviv. We then heard from Dr. Yossi Maaravi Dean of the Adelson School of Entrepreneurship at RU. He told us about the university and how accommodating they are to students from the US. We then did an engineering challenge trying to build the tallest tower. A good time was had by all with the group from SSLI+Ben winning. Now onto the Technion.  Fun Fact: in the listing of the top 100 most entrepreneurial universities Reichman ranked #38 in the world. For small universities of under 15k students, they ranked #7.
 
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Stop 2
 
Technion
Next up is the premiere engineering institution in Israel and maybe the world, the Technion. We were lucky to have Noah Bernten talk about the Technion and give us a tour. Noah was a student (from KYHS Boca) on this trip 5 years ago and decided to go to the Technion partly because of this visit. We went to the resonance lab and heard from Yoav, a Ph.D. student. He showed us the experiments he’s doing with resonance to measure frequencies. He then showed us a project his colleague is working on to revolutionize 3D printing with metals. Noah then took us to a lab that uses interference to create a standing wave to levitate objects. To end our visit to the Technion we met with the F1 racing team. This team builds a car from scratch annually to compete against 600 other universities in F1 competitions. Hopefully one of these students will be the next Noah. 
Fun Facts: Technion has over 15,000 students on a campus of 327 acres. The Technion has had 4 Nobel Laureates in the last 20 years. Our very own Orly Nadler’s father, Professor Issac Elishakoff was a professor of Mechanical Engineering at the Technion for 18 years.
 
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Stop 3
 
MadaTech
Next, we went to MadaTech https://www.madatech.org.il/en Israel National Museum of Technology and Space. We went into their FabLab and were taught how to use Inkscape. A professional quality vector graphics software used when laser cutting images. We created our own designs that will be cut into wood cubes. We then did a short physics activity using our feet. Fun Fact: MadaTech has mobile science labs that they bring to schools around Israel.
 
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Stop 4
 
Imagry
The last stop of the day was with Imagry https://imagry.co Imagry is an autonomous car company that is making mapless driving cars. They are using AI to drive autonomously. It works by creating “mini-maps” on the fly as a result of deep learning. This approach allows the vehicle to understand the road in its current state, accounting for the most up-to-date road obstructions, environmental conditions, and road rules that are in place. It was a fascinating presentation. We then heard from our own Orly Nadler who briefly discussed ethical situations that may arise with AI. She presented the Trolley Problem (shorturl.at/fgJY1) and asked everyone to use the MIT-created Moral Machine http://moralmachine.mit.edu/ Which is a platform that gathers human perspectives on moral decisions that may arise in self-driving cars. Fun Fact: Imagry has had its cars driving around the world for 5 years collecting the data it needs for its AI algorithm.
 
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An amazing way to end the day. We had a panel discussion of past CIJE Journey attendees who are now living in Israel at university. Noah Bernten, Nava Mandel, Arielli Bak, and Benjamin Krawatsky. The students got to ask questions about their experiences and what made them decide to go to university here. We heard about being a student at the Technion, Reichman (IDC), Bar Ilan, and Machon Tal. What it’s like being an engineering student and the difficulties of not being a fluent Hebrew speaker. It was amazing seeing our old “students”, hearing their experiences, and knowing this journey had an impact on their lives. Until tomorrow…
 
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Stop 1
 
Sorek Desalination
As we all know one of the biggest problems Israel has is drinkable water. We visited the Sorek Desalination plant. The plant removes salt and other minerals from saline waters to produce fresh water suitable for human consumption or irrigation. Sorek is the biggest plant in the world. We were able to hold the filters and even got to wear hard hats. 👷‍♀️👷‍♂️  Fun fact: Construction of the plant started in 2011 and cost $400m.
 
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Stop 2
 
MOP, Ramat Negev Desert Agro-Research Center (RNDARC)
Next up we went to the Negev, to the MOP, Ramat Negev Desert Agro-Research Center (RNDARC). This is the premier location for Agro-Research in the entire world. We were able to taste some of the vegetables that were grown in the desert using these innovations. We then went to the strawberry greenhouse and saw a new hanging method of growth which allow 7x more growth than typical while using less water. A nearby moshav invented a way to use specific bugs to limit the chemicals on the strawberry https://www.biobee.com This process was used on the strawberry that we were able to taste. We then heard about the amazing innovation in solar energy being used in the Negev at the Ashalim power plant. We saw the 3 different types of solar panels being used. The highlight being The Eye of Sauron, a 689-foot tall tower with solar panels on top. You can see it from miles and miles away. Fun Fact: There are a total of 202,400 mirrors in the Ashalim plants.
 
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Stop 3
 
BBQ in the Desert
Next, we stopped for a BBQ in the 🌵🐪🏜️🐫. You can tell from the pictures how good it was.
 
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Stop 4
 
BBQ in the Desert
Next stop we learned about slope, velocity, acceleration, and how to convert potential energy into kinetic energy… but really we wanted to have some fun and take advantage of the beautiful Negev. We went sand surfing. We had some falls and sand everywhere but a great time was had by all. 
Fun Fact: The Negev is mostly a rock desert, but this sand blew in from the Sahara desert.
 
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Stop 5
 
Breath of Health
The last stop of the day, Breath of Health https://bohpharma.com B.O.H. is testing for certain cancers using just your breath. We heard from the two partners of the company and they explained that they developed the technology for Covid testing, but then pivoted to other detections. They are in the middle of clinical trials now to detect colon and rectal cancer. We were able to see the proprietary machine (no pictures allowed of the inside) and speak to the engineers that developed it. It was a great way to end our day of visits. Fun Fact: B.O.L. Uses AI in real-time, to detect a broad range of cancerous biomarkers.
 
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Stop 6
 
Escape Room
We ended the night with an escape room, or 4 rooms total. 
 
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Stop 1
 
Michael Eisenberg
The first activity of the day was an amazing talk from Michael Eisenberg (shorturl.at/gisU3) from Aleph Investments. Michael grew up in the states and was very relatable to our students. He was an early investor in Wix, Lemonade, WeWork, Joytunes, and much more. He spoke about Impactful Investing. Investing in companies that do good. He explained that when he invests in those companies he ends up making more money. He told us about www.empathy.com which he invested in and how it’s changing the world by revolutionizing the process of dealing with a family death. His talk encapsulated all of what we have learned on this amazing journey.
Fun Fact: Michael was at one of the first internet conferences in the mid-’90s with only 100 people in attendance. That group is still in email contact.
 
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Stop 2
 
Massivit
The next stop was Massivit https://massivit3d.com. Massivit is a large-scale 3D printing company. They manufacture 3D printers that are then sold to companies like Toyota, Lamborghini, and Hollywood studios. The technology they invented was to print using gel and not filament. The engineers explained to us how the machine works and prints. We were able to see the print in action and hold the printed products. These machines can print massive objects at 6x the speed of a conventional printer. It uses UV light to dry the gel as it’s extruded. The machines cost between $400k-$700k. Fun Fact: the founder of the company, Gershon Miller was brushing his teeth and noticed the toothpaste gel was sitting on top of his brush. It hit him that he can 3D print using gel. That was the beginning of this publicly traded company.
 
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Stop 3
 
Lunch 
Next stop… Lunch, fresh hot falafel.
 
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Stop 3
 
IAI - Israel Aerospace Industries
The next stop was to IAI, Israel Aerospace Industries https://www.iai.co.il We were required to give in our phones so we have no pictures of this stop (we ended up getting some sneaky pics from staff. Yes it was allowed). We will try and paint a picture with words. We were led into a large dark room with three plane simulators. There was a full wall screen with a projection of a plane simulation in front of one of the simulators. The head of the IAI software engineering team met with us and explained everything that they develop in that space. They then brought us into a secondary room, the VR for development room, where they showed us a VR simulation they built in order to show the pilots the future interface they plan on putting into the new planes. This way the pilots can test and familiarize themselves with the interface without having to build it into planes. We were then given the opportunity to use the VR and fly the simulators. It was a wild experience for our group. We were the first school-aged group to ever be allowed into IAI.
 
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Stop 4
 
AIR
The last stop of our trip was to Air https://www.airev.aero Air is building a two-person electric aviation vehicle. We were able to see the prototype and speak with the engineers and founder. We watched a test of their new propeller system and flew on their simulator. Air has had two unmanned test flights already and hopes to have a manned flight within the year. The vehicle has approximately an hour of charge per flight which can fly about 60 miles. They expect to price the vehicle at $150k. Fun Fact: Air is open for business. They have taken over 300 deposits of $1000 each which puts you in line for a vehicle.
 
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Banquet
Our very last stop of the trip was a banquet. Each student and staff got up and spoke about their favorite company/visit and the impact this trip had on them. It was amazing to hear how each student took something from this trip to change the future. As our staff said, we know that these students are the future and they WILL change the world. We are excited to see each one of these students grow into the leaders we know they will become in the coming years. We are now waiting to board the plane. Thank you for following along on this journey with us. Until next year…
 
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