Hillel Argentina, Tel Aviv U. to launch Jewish entrepreneurship program

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (JTA) — Hillel Argentina and Tel Aviv University are launching an entrepreneurship center and incubator of companies for Jewish entrepreneurs.

The companies participating in the program, which will start Tuesday, will have training and accelerator courses in Buenos Aires and Tel Aviv with a focus on entrepreneurship, Jewish business values and Israel-Diaspora ties.

Ryan Fain, the Hillel director in charge of the Hilabs program, told JTA that the program “is unique throughout the world and has the goal of connecting the Jewish youth of the Diaspora with Israel in a non-traditional way.”

The program aims to train young people with entrepreneurial spirit to promote the creation of companies of young people in the community and spread the ethical and moral values of Judaism. The Argentinian mentors are well-known, successful Jewish entrepreneurs.

The program includes a formation stage, training and incubator, two months in Buenos Aires and two months in Israel, mainly at StarTau, the Tel Aviv University Entrepreneurship Center. The program between Israel and the Diaspora also has support from the Jewish Agency.

“The part in Israel is very unique, as it is the only option for young Diaspora Jews to learn hands-on the Israeli entrepreneurial process and to meet with young successful entrepreneurs,” StarTau director Amos Avner told JTA.