Azorim High-Tech park in Petah-Tikva, a “Silicon Wadi” suburb of Tel Aviv, by Gellerj. (CC via Wikimedia Commons)

Brian Siegal is the director of the Miami and Broward Regional Office for AJC  (American Jewish Committee). Knight Foundation supports Project Interchange, AJC’s Israel educational institute, by investing in Miami’s emerging innovators and entrepreneurs as a tool to build community, while fostering talent and expanding opportunity.  

This is a remarkable time in the world of innovation, and it’s been gratifying to see the investments Knight Foundation has made in entrepreneurship in Miami. While fostering innovation in South Florida, those efforts have forged strong connections with the international community and benefited from the experiences of innovators around the world. Therefore, the idea of taking a delegation of influential Miami entrepreneurs and leaders in the tech startup community to Israel with Project Interchange was a natural.  RelateD LINK

“Project Interchange to take Miami tech entrepreneurs on a knowledge exchange trip to Israel with $75,000 from Knight Foundation” – press release, 3/3/2015

For over 30 years, Project Interchange, a nonprofit educational institute of AJC (American Jewish Committee), has brought over 6,000 influential figures to Israel from 85 countries and all 50 U.S. states, offering them broad exposure and firsthand understanding of the complex issues facing Israel and the region. Knight Foundation’s support for a weeklong educational trip and seminar in Israel’s globally-recognized tech and innovation sector, dubbed “Startup Nation,” will provide participants the opportunity to broaden their networks and develop the personal connections necessary for global collaboration.

Israel’s startup and tech sectors have gained wide acclaim in recent decades. Israel’s world-class research, its unique academia-to-technology transfer programs and its emphasis on integrating immigrants into the country’s society are key areas for collaboration and sharing of best practices that can benefit the Greater Miami community and beyond. Such experiences can give our entrepreneurs a view into the drivers of a successful innovation ecosystem and help them make connections to expand Miami’s reputation as a global innovation hub. 

The program will be centered in and around Tel Aviv, the hub of Israel’s tech corridor. Participants will also visit technology and innovation centers throughout Israel, including Haifa, Jerusalem and Beersheba. Workshops will highlight key drivers of innovation in these areas, introducing the delegation to leading entrepreneurs and investors.

The Project Interchange delegation includes entrepreneurs, venture capital and angel investors, and experts in the nonprofit and academic sectors.  In fact, the Miami entrepreneurs and innovation leaders represent a diverse array of constituencies, from academia to the private sector, and they share the common interests of job creation, high-tech innovation and collaboration.

Learning firsthand is the best possible way to gain insight and develop relationships. We know that this opportunity will be the start of something wonderful.