Between October 21-24, 2024, we had the honor of having Ayelet Cohenas guest, who facilitated an intensive practical entrepreneurship course for students from the i-Lab community.
Ayelet Cohen, the founder of Meraki Innovation, is a social entrepreneur and consultant with extensive experience in developing entrepreneurial ecosystems. A co-founder of the ASPER-HUJI Innovate Innovation Center and the JLM-Impact Consortium, Ayelet has organized innovation events and programs with thousands of participants annually, supporting start-ups that have successfully attracted over $70 million in investments.
Throughout each day, participants explored the essential stages of building a start-up, from inspiration and identifying challenges to storytelling and pitching techniques. The first day focused on developing an entrepreneurial mindset, with participants guided to discover their own motivations and select challenges that have a significant impact. The second day challenged them to define their target audience and understand its needs through "customer discovery" exercises. As they progressed, students entered the idea generation phase, using the educational game IdeaX to explore innovative solutions, and ultimately had the opportunity to build and refine their pitches. This storytelling phase culminated in a "shark tank" competition, where ideas were presented and evaluated.
We are pleased to announce that five teams have been selected to enter the i-Lab incubation program due to their valuable ideas. We will support and follow their progress within the UBB Student I-lab Incubator.
We extend our heartfelt thanks to Ms. Ayelet Cohen for the dedication, expertise, and inspiration she brought to the course. Her attentive guidance and interactive approach transformed each session into a valuable and memorable experience for all participants. We are also grateful for the feedback she left us—a message that will continue to inspire us moving forward: click HERE to view it.
A big thank you as well to all the students who participated with enthusiasm and creativity, contributing to the success of this program!
UBB Student i-lab continues to inspire and support young innovators,
because every idea has the power to create a better future!!
