Innovation Ecosystems: 10 Questrom MBAs + 9 Days in Israel = 1 Amazing Spring Break Elective

Due to its increasing popularity, the annual student-led Questrom iTrek to Israel was recently transformed into the Innovation Ecosystems Field Seminar, a 3-credit elective course with a focus on Israel as an entrepreneurial ecosystem.  Dubbed “Start-up Nation,” Israel provided the perfect setting for ten first-year and second-year MBA students to learn about start-ups, their various funding sources, and the settings that allow them to grow and thrive.

With visits to Israeli start-ups, venture capital firms, incubators, and educational systems in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, we met with new and established leaders in the Israeli start-up ecosystem, learning about what sets Israel apart from other countries and leads to its high per capita rate of entrepreneurs. 

We visited companies such as Nano Dimensions (a leader in 3D printing technology) and GenCell (a leading provider of innovative fuel cell power backup solutions), incubators such as MassChallenge Jerusalem and Startup Nation Central, and educational systems such as Tel Aviv University and Technion Technology Transfer.  In addition to the various site visits, we had the opportunity to visit the City of Jaffa, the Western Wall, the Dead Sea, Masada, and the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum, among other sites.