THE INTERNATIONAL FOODTECH CENTER
2023 Highlights
Economic development
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For the first time in history, the city of Kiryat Shmona, entered the list of the top 1,000 cities in the world building an ecosystem for startups.
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Moving forward with the next phase- The Terminal- a FoodTech micro-industry complex which purpose is to provide infrastructure for labs as well as production facilities for companies at the scale-up stage.
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BioBetter expands, hires 50 Galilean scientists, and Launches a brand-new Food Grade Production Facility.
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6000 Visitors this year.
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Lauder Employment Center established a new branch in our hub.
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Well-received presentations on economic development alongside social impact activity at 4 major JNF-USA conferences in Arizona, Chicago, New York, and Denver.
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The well-loved café, Lehemk’e City, opened its new branch in The International FoodTech Center in Kiryat Shmona, a move that affects urban renewal and the growth of local businesses.
Startups
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172 startups in the Galilee, 24 of them from Kiryat Shmona
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43 million dollars raised
Studio Galil
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More than 300 Venture Capitalists and investors from Israel and abroad were exposed to Studio.Galil startups resulted in investments of more than 3 million dollars.
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200 Food Technologists attended the Launch event, broadcast live worldwide, for Mamay, a startup that offers digitization of taste, odor, and texture to food and beverage companies.
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The Global Food Security Summit in Tel Hai Academic College, which featured 12 Studio.Galil startups, show casting to 300 investors.
Education & youth programs
FoodTech studies are expanding in schools:
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10 educational frameworks of students from Kiryat Shmona participated in a FoodTech Happening featuring the various FoodTech projects they developed throughout the year. 500 participated.
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Margalit Startup City initiated 10 collaborations between startup companies and consulting firms with schools from Kiryat Shmona.
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9 one-year volunteers from Ba'Kehila were placed in the different learning centers and schools.
StartArt
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StartArt, our art, innovation, and entrepreneurship program for youth, saw the successful graduation of 50 participants after an inspiring first year.
Community Building
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Over 30 high-quality community events took place throughout the year.
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Over 4000 members joined our communities: Startups, Galiladies, Local Businesses, Student Club, and Art & culture lovers.
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GALILADIES- the first women's entrepreneurship community of the Greater Galilee and the Golan reached 1700 members. Compared to 800 women last year.
Go Ladies!
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GALILADIES flagship program chose 3 initiatives out of 120 submitted, to mentor and assist with developing the dream into a reality: Wild life rescue center
Food For The Soul- Cultural events
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1000 residents Attended the second annual sunset concert in Kiryat Shmona.
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Cultural and Art events are integrated into the contents of the communities- a breathtaking 1 women's show with over 200 participants.
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End-of-the-year exhibition featuring 90 artworks inspired by Galilean startups, presented by our StartArt participants.
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100 participants in a fascinating event connecting Galilean artists and technology entrepreneurs on the topic of AI In The World Of Art.
Margalit Startup City
Under Fire
On the footsteps of the horrific terrorist attack that struck Israel on the 7th of October leading to the outbreak of war on the southern and northern borders, the evacuation of the northern communities, including Kiryat Shmona, at the Margalit Startup City Galil staff have been working day and night to contribute to the national effort.
The Impact on Staff
Kfar Giladi, VP Margalit Startup City Galil, Nisan Zeevi's Kibbutz, which sits on the Northern border, has been evacuated. Nisan and 14 other members were drafted; now serving as part of the Kibbutz’s Emergency Task Force.
Or Nadav, Community Manager, has been evacuated together with her family, and is leading initiatives with MSC- Galil's various communities. Additionally, she is spearheading artistic and cultural events for the benefit of the displaced families.
Sarit Bailey, Operation Manager, has been responsible for evolving the Innovation Center into a focal point for all currently arising needs – military, Homefront and media, in addition to meeting all building tenant needs.
Idan Harpaz is leading Studio.Galil’s startups in their efforts to regroup, re-strategize, adapt, and move forward in these turbulent times.
STUDIO.GALIL
The studio's entrepreneurs are facing personal, familial, and business-related challenges.
Since the second week of the war, we are supporting their effort to move forward within the confines of the current reality .restrictions and challenges of wartime. The initial step was to assist the entrepreneurs in planning and forward-thinking. Then, we helped evaluate alternatives for progress according to each company's specific status and build an optimal plan to move forward. Following this, we are actively searching and exposing our entrepreneurs to new grants and investment opportunities available in the current situation.
GALILADIES
On October 17, the GALILADIES team launched a series of meetings entitled "Together, We Cope," which focused on personal, mental, and financial resilience. The sessions were designed to appeal to women from the North to the South and hosted hundreds of participants.
In addition, we work to completely change the situation in which independent women and community members are on the verge of economic collapse, and we give them tools and opportunities to grow from the crisis.
One of the prominent examples relates to Dina Kaynan, a naturopath, who felt in the first days of the fighting that she was not essential. After the meeting on economic resilience, she realized that she had a considerable role - to take care of the health resilience of the people of Israel. In an exciting and powerful meeting, she explained to us what is behind the saying "a soul needs a healthy body" and gave advice to women on the home front to maintain good health in times of war.
GALILADIES is launching:
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GALILADIES ON-LINE SHOP, which will provide a platform for women whose businesses have been put on hold ever since the war broke out. GALILADIES ON-LINE SHOP will offer products and services supplied by Galilean women entrepreneurs and will target audiences from all across the world, providing the global community with the opportunity to show their support during these difficult times.
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GALILOCALS – GALILADIES grows local businesses. Yes, men are too. The community members present family businesses that were affected and tell about the family business or the spouse's business in the shadow of the fighting. The goal is to expose the business and create business partnerships that will lead to growth.
Margalit Startup City- Galil's Arts Committee:
FOOD FOR THE SOUL
Margalit Startup City Galil's Arts Committee brings light and hope to evacuated residents from the North and South whose reality has changed. artists such as musicians, comic creators, actors, clowns, writers, and poets came from all across Israel to entertain the evacuees. This put smiles on the faces of children, mothers, and families. These activities were meaningful to all, with the team feeling fulfilled and energized to continue.
To donate now to Margalit Startup City GALIL, please contact VP MSC GALIL, Nisan Zeevi, or Community Manager, Or Nadav:
