Hey there!
The Siftech Accelerator Round #7 is just around the corner and applications are officially open! This is a good time for a list of crazy updates happening at Siftech and let all potential applicants know what to expect for the coming acceleration round.
At Siftech we like thinking of ourselves as the heartbeat of the Jerusalem startup scene, and if that’s the case — it’s beating faster than ever!
Things have changed quite a bit lately around here.
- For starters, two new major players have emerged in the booming JVP media quarter, offering an abundance of opportunities for the our startups (details below).
- Additionally, the Siftech organization underwent management and strategic changes and will be taking on new activities for diverse populations starting in 2018, in addition to the Core Accelerator and community events that we currently run (for more information, contact Michal Machado at michal@siftech.co who is heading this strategic process).
- We have welcomed new staff members for this new charge, who have been key in the development and implementation of Siftech’s vision.
- A couple weeks ago, we executed the very first StartJLM program in Jerusalem, which brought 24 entrepreneurs from 23 countries to Siftech for a entire week to experience and connect with the Jerusalem startup ecosystem
- Most importantly — we bought new chairs and new style to the Siftech co-working space!
However, even amidst the crazy times we remain true to our primary activity, the Core Accelerator, and our core premise, which is that no two startups are the same. We focus on what’s best for each team, doing whatever we can to help founders take their idea forward. Likewise, the the fundamental components of the program such as ‘Update Meetings’, ‘Show and Tell Sessions” and the ‘Startup Showcase’, remain a central part of the program. Our dear former-Managing Director, Oded Barel, described the Siftech model in this great blog post which has already generated amazing startups such as Breezometer, Zore, Modli and ScaleAbout. We strongly believe that startup founders need flexibility, but also need the ability to plan ahead and manage their companies in a dynamic way. For this reason, round #7 will have two days a week of meetings, office hours, workshops and any other content (Mondays and Wednesdays), and leave the rest of the time flexible.
Additionally there will be only two main components that will require the attendance of the whole cohort:
- ‘The Google Launchpad Week’ at Google Campus Tel Aviv (March 4th-March 8th).
- ‘Facebook Workshop and Tour’ — Tel-Aviv (TBD).
New Partnerships
One of our greatest assets is our strong network and ability to collaborate with partner organizations for the good of our portfolio. We have been working on creating some interesting and focused partnerships for the upcoming round of entrepreneurs who will know how to offer true value to our participants. These partners will take an integral part in the accelerator’s screening process and will be key in the evaluation of applicants and selection of 7–10 startups for round #7.
So who are they?
1. fresh.fund
Fresh.fund isn’t really a new partnership as we are practically the co-founders of this awesome initiative. For those of you who aren’t in the loop, we just launched the second round of fresh.fund — the first and only student-run VC in Israel. The 15 students who are soon to be accepted to the program will go through an intensive three month training phase in order to learn all about venture capital. This year, the student analysts will pair up with the round #7 Siftech startups and conduct extensive research together with the company founders about the company, it’s status, the competitive landscape, potential market share etc. The fresh.fund student will then assist the founders in fundraising — including the preparation of a pitch deck and necessary materials.
Needless to say that Siftech startups will also have exclusive access to the fresh fund and will be invited to apply for funding in a faster and easier process for potential funding for the venture.
2. 200apps Incubator
The new 200Apps incubator powered by the 200apps software house (who are also Siftech alumni!) has a growing team of over 25 developers and designers and a broad angel network. They have rich experience with building many great products in a wide range of verticals such as Connected Device / IoT, Enterprise & SaaS and AI & Automation.
Round #7 startups will get 15 hours of free consulting meetings at the 200apps offices. Additionally two selected startups will get the opportunity to go through a rapid application process to the new 200apps incubator and receive free/discounted development hours in exchange for equity.
3. Labs02 (Backed by OurCrowd)
One of the most exciting new additions to JVP media quarter is Labs02. Labs02, a new incubator backed by leading VC crowdfunding hybrid OurCrowd, Motorola Solutions, India’s Reliance Industries and The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Labs02 is looking for early stage startups with deep core technologies. One of the incubator managers is no other than our own Stav Erez, Co-Founder of Siftech. Stav will be participating in our application process and will also check in with the round #7 startups during the duration of the program, looking for promising startups that might be relevant for her as an investment opportunity.
Community Partners
The amazing community partners we gathered over the past 5 years is a big part of our value proposition and probably our strongest asset. We are thankful to have talented partners such as Ben Wiener from Jumpspeed Ventures, Elie Wurtman from Pico Ventures and Hanan Brand from Made in JLM and Cornerstone Ventures, and many more. Since we are opening a new round this is a good time to welcome the new exciting additions to our community partners.
1. JVP Play
The local giant JVP and one of our closest community partners, has just recently announced the launch of — JVP PLAY a new strategy in partnership with Tesco Labs, Rise Tel Aviv, the Microsoft Accelerator and Deloitte. With Artificial Intelligence powering revolutions in many verticals, their current cycle is focused on AI-based solutions in financial services and retail. They are looking for entrepreneurs eager to deep dive into the most pressing problems of these industries, utilizing NLP, computer vision, deep learning, machine learning and more.
Siftech participants will all be automatically reviewed by JVP Play at the end of the round, and should you be relevant, you will be a candidate to join JVP Play in their pilot launch.
2. David Stark — Investor in Residence
Another interesting addition to our co-working space is former OurCrowd partner David Stark. David, our new mentor and Investor in Residence, is seeking investment opportunities for the new VC he recently established — Ground Up Ventures. You can read all about what they are looking for and their typical Investment size in this great blog post he wrote.
Applications and Acceptance
The ideal stage to join Siftech is between bootstrapping and your first major seed round. Startups in this stage would most benefit from the program.
The selection process includes an application form with initial information about your team and idea. After an initial screening, we invite the most relevant applicants to meet with us and with a team of advisers from our round #7 partners and community partners. We discuss and evaluate which startups can gain the biggest value from participating in the program and then make the final decisions. APPLY NOW FOR ROUND #7
