A Closer Look at the Start-Up

Over the past few years, Israel has consistently ranked #1 in global R&D spending, startup density, and venture capital investment per capita. Besides Silicon Valley, Israel boasts the highest concentration of high-tech companies in the world. This course delves into the factors that have propelled Israel to become a powerhouse of innovation and creativity. We will explore the historical and societal elements that contributed to this success, the unique characteristics of Israeli startups, and the key components of innovation management within the Israeli ecosystem. How does this differ from more conventional approaches, and how can managers from various countries and cultures apply these lessons? A pressing question is how Israel's tech sector maintains its momentum in the face of severe crises. Following the Covid- 19 pandemic, Israel's economy experienced significant growth. However, the recent war presented a new set of challenges and constraints. Despite these severe challenges, Israeli startups have exhibited remarkable resilience, agility, and innovation, adapting to the new reality and identifying new avenues for growth, from business and product perspectives. In a bottom-up process, with limited government support, the people of the Israeli tech ecosystem found ways to not only regain momentum, but also enhance current capabilities, develop new ones, and continue build and deliver. This block week course will travel to Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, Israel May 10-16, 2025. A predeparture session will be held for this class on April 28, 2025 at 12:30pm. The program fee for this class is $2100 and provides students with double occupancy lodging, ground transportation and some meals. It does not cover roundtrip international airfare. The add/drop period for this class will close on May 2, 2025 and no program fee refunds will be given after the add/drop period has closed. Please note all international travel involves risk; we do not control the cities and companies we visit. We try our best to plan a safe trip with positive experience. However, if your tolerance for risk or uncertainties is low, this class is not for you. Please read more about visas, health and risk and safety at block week class on the Chazen Institute website to ensure it’s a good fit. As with all Chazen travel programming, should the institution or our partners decide to cancel, travel may be cancelled at any time. Please note that Columbia Business School will support travel in accordance with recommendations fro