Head start into the start-up world
L to R: David Baram, Yael Goren-Wegman (Director of the Israeli Friends Association and the Alumni Organization), Itamar Cohen, Yoni Douek, Yonatan Cohen
What makes a good entrepreneur? In an effort to expose Weizmann Institute students to the world of high-tech and biotech entrepreneurship, two Weizmann Institute PhD students have founded and launched a unique program aimed at providing students with knowledge, skills, and the network necessary to launch and develop startup ventures.
WISe, the Weizmann Institute of Science Entrepreneurship Club, was founded earlier this year by Itamar Sivan and Yonatan Cohen, both of whom are studying under the guidance of Prof. Moty Heiblum in the Department of Condensed Matter Physics. The program operates under the auspices of the Feinberg Graduate School and in coordination with the Institute’s tech transfer arm, Yeda, and the Alumni Association.
“The underlying desire to make a significant impact, which drives our students to do basic research, is also what drives our alumni to found groundbreaking startups,” says Sivan. WISe is a selective program: Of the 120 students who applied, 30 were accepted, mostly PhD students in a diverse set of fields, with many having served in IDF elite units. With alumni involvement, the program consists of talks and seminars, and offers guidance for startup projects.
Alumni Dr. David Baram and Yoni Douek spoke at the Aug. 8 WISe event. Dr. Baram spoke about the four companies he has established, including Emendo, which develops gene editing platforms. Douek described his establishment of Appsee, a start-up that develops in-depth analytical tools for mobile apps that help apps better understand user behavior.
