HUGrow is the third acceleration track of HUstart, the Hebrew University’s Entrepreneurship Centre.
Yissum Technology Transfer Company of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in collaboration with its seed investment fund AgrInnovation, today announced the launch of HUGrow, a new food and ag-tech accelerator. The accelerator will focus on emerging technologies based on research conducted at the Hebrew University.
HUGrow is the third acceleration track of HUstart, the Hebrew University’s Entrepreneurship Centre. Eight projects were selected to participate in the accelerator’s first cohort, four of which are general ag-tech and four of which are water and food-tech oriented. The announcement comes as the AgriVest conference, an initiative of The Trendlines Group, GreenSoil Investments, and Israel New Tech, is underway in Tel Aviv. Yissum and AgrInnovation are among the sponsors of the conference, which showcases Israeli ag-tech and food-tech.
Yissum president Dr. Yaron Daniely said, “HUGrow equips entrepreneurs with the necessary skills and tools to seek investments for their early stage innovations.”
The two-stage program includes three months of weekly meetings offering top-level entrepreneurial training from a successful and professional team of lecturers, mentors, and business leaders. During this period, entrepreneurs will also develop a detailed work plan to cover any critical gaps in the technology, followed by up to six additional months of development work.
Daniely added, “A proof of concept transforms early stage technologies into great investment targets for incubators, investors, and corporations. HUGrow will leverage the unparalleled experience, expertise and infrastructure of Hebrew University to transition these technologies into fundable assets.” “We aim to provide our entrepreneurs with the expert advice and mentoring that can transform their ideas into marketable early stage innovations and encourage experienced entrepreneurs and corporate partners to join this exciting initiative.”
This article was originally published in Globes [online] on May 8, 2018