Pears Program for Global Innovation

??Exciting update ahead!?? In September, our Pears Challenge: Validate cohort of early-stage startups returned from a powerful two-week field validation trip to Kenya. For each of these founders, this wasn’t just a trip—it was a hands-on immersion, a chance to step into the heart of East Africa’s market, and an opportunity to meet the people whose needs they’re aiming to serve. From Nairobi’s bustling hubs to insights from local communities, each day offered valuable lessons that can only be learned on the ground. In this video, you’ll get a glimpse into what they experienced: the insights they gained and the partnerships they started building. Through this journey, they moved closer to validating and refining their solutions, turning ideas into real, impactful innovations that matter for financial inclusion in East Africa. A big thank you to our incredible partners (especially to Barak Granot, Tanya Ogwel and the Israel Economic and Trade Mission to Kenya team), and everyone who made this trip possible. Your support allows us to create these transformative experiences that push our founders to new levels of understanding, resilience, and growth. Hagit Freud ??Yonatan Bukhdruker Roni Levy David Mendelbaum Ron Yakir Ariel Resnik, Eran Yaniv, Shatha Kabaha, Itamar Wilf, Dr. Ron Adany, Vadim Nave, Benjamin Pileggi, Ofer Atzmon, Eddie Nevoani CrediBility, Coinnect wallet, RiceUp, Crafts of Africa, SafeCoin, MultiKol Amit Grabovski, Loop Pet Food, HomeBiogas Kenya, Daniel Mungai, Ishai Ben Or, Avenews, Africa Fintech Summit, Charles Isidi

??Calling all Ag & ClimateTech Startups: If you're working in an African country or planning to, don’t miss this chance!?? The?Agribusiness Challenge Fund (ACF), supported by the Mastercard Foundation, is offering grant funding ranging from $500,000 to $2.5 million?to innovative startups in the AgTech and ClimateTech sectors. Submissions are open until?November 22nd. Projects should tackle one or more of these critical areas: ? Soil monitoring and health ? Food preservation and waste prevention ? Smart irrigation ? Capacity building ? Climate-smart agriculture ? Market linkages Key Requirements: ? Matching Contribution:?Companies must provide a minimum of 30% of the project’s total cost as a matching contribution. ? Geographic Focus:?While the business doesn’t need to be headquartered in Africa, the funded activities must take place in one of the 20 targeted countries: Benin, Burundi, Botswana, Cameroon, C?te d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. This grant aims to support youth job creation through innovative, scalable projects. Don’t miss out – submissions close on November 22nd! Please feel free to reach out if you need any help. Hagit Freud ??Yonatan Bukhdruker Roni Levy David Mendelbaum Ron Yakir

?? ?? GLOBAL NETWORKING MEETUP ?? ?? We’re excited to invite you to our next Global Networking Meetup, where Jewish and Israeli international development & humanitarian aid practitioners come together online from all corners of the globe to meet, connect, share, and inspire! This quarter, Stacey Swimer of World Jewish Relief will kick the event off with a look at the international development trends in the coming year. ?? Date: Wed, Nov. 13 ?? Time: 10 AM (ET) / 3 PM (UK) / 5 PM (ISR) DON'T MISS THIS OPPORTUNITY TO EXPAND YOUR NETWORK! RSVP: https://lnkd.in/dERPKnab Hosted by OLAM, SID Israel & Pears Program for Global Innovation Yael Shapira Naomi Lipstein Dana Manor Ayelet Levin Karp Inbar Yaffe Ron Yakir Roni Levy David Mendelbaum Yonatan Bukhdruker Hagit Freud ??

What a Day! 29/9/2024 Pears Challenge: Validate *Demo Day* Pears Challenge: Validate Demo Day?was nothing short of incredible! We heard six groundbreaking startups pitch their innovative solutions focused on?financial inclusion in East Africa. From providing credit insurance to empower lenders, creating digital tools for smallholder farmers, offering gamified financial education platforms, and using AI to prevent fraud, to redefining cross-border payments and showcasing African craftsmanship to global markets—each venture brought practical, impactful ideas to life. A huge?thank you?to our amazing partners,?FinSec Innovation Lab - Startup Accelerator by Mastercard , and?Flori Ventures, for their unwavering support. Your commitment has been instrumental in making this event successful. Gratitude also goes out to our?judges (aka dolphins)—your insightful feedback and expertise helped shape the future of these startups.?Odelia Torteman,?Yair Avidan,?Annie Degani?and a special thanks to -?Tomer Bariach?and?Galia Benartzi -?your fireside chat made the day even more impactful. To our keynote speaker,?Ben Froumine?of Mastercard, thank you for sharing your deep insights and inspiring us all. And finally, a heartfelt thanks to the?startup teams?that pitched. Your dedication, ingenuity, and passion were on full display, and we can’t wait to see what the future holds for you! CrediBility (Eran Yaniv , Ariel Resnik), Crafts of Africa (Dr. Ron Adany) RiceUP (Itamar Wilf), SafeCoin (Benjamin Pileggi, @Vadim Nave, Eytan Rothschild, Tevel Aroussi), Coinnect wallet (Shatha Kabaha), and MultiKol (Ofer Atzmon, Eddie Nevoani). Here’s to continued collaboration, innovation, and impact. #PearsChallenge #DemoDay #FinancialInclusion #Startups #EastAfrica #Innovation #FinTech

We are thrilled to see how we've made further inroads in empowering small-scale farmers in Ethiopia with advanced Israeli technology, opening new avenues for Israeli companies in African markets. Wrapping up JDC (The Joint) Innovation Journey 4, was an inspiring event. We were inspired to hear from our alumni about the impact and lessons learned, and from the new IJ4 grant winners about the innovative pilots they'll launch with their Ethiopian partners. We are grateful to JDC Board Member Danielle Capalino for underwriting the IJ4 grants. A highlight was the panel discussion "Hurdles to Horizons: Doing Business in Ethiopia" featuring diverse perspectives from belaynesh zevadia, Michal Bruck Craig Kadish, and Haggai Breslauer. Special thanks to Janet Pahima who moderated this super insightful panel and hosted us at the?beautiful #Herzog?Towers. Thank you to our trusted partners on this journey at the Ministry of Economy and Industry-???? ?????? ????????, and Pears Program for Global Innovation. You were a driving and shaping force on IJ and we are grateful for this. Thank you Mr. Tesfaye Yetayeh, the Ethiopian Ambassador to Israel, for your kind words and for your participation. May the spirit of innovation and collaboration that we've fostered here inspire us to build a more peaceful and inclusive world for all.?? Yael Zaken Avital Sandler-Loeff Lior Refael Eshel Lev Or Fegegta Lemma Zerihun Melaku Kaleab Tadesse Guy Sela Itay Miyara Gabriel (R) Saunyama Amalia Eshed Gad Marton Liran Hikri Shai Zarivatch Stav Cohen Hagit Freud ?? Yonatan Bukhdruker Ron Yakir #InnovationJourney #AgriTech #SustainableAgriculture #IsraelEthiopiaPartnership #innovation #SDG's

?? ?? Step Into the Future of Fintech at Pears Challenge Demo Day!??? Fresh out of their?Validation Trip to Kenya, these are the six innovative early-stage fintech ventures who will be pitching their groundbreaking solutions for driving digital financial inclusion in East?Africa at our Demo Day! ?? ?Date: September 29th, 9:00 AM - 12:30 PM ?? ?Location: Mastercard Israel, Abba Hillel Silver Rd 21, Ramat Gan Meet the startups who will be pitching: ?CrediBility: Solving funding and transparency challenges for lenders and investors by providing tools to track credit inclusion impact, manage risks, and offer credit insurance solutions. RiceUP: Empowering smallholder rice farmers by digitizing data collection for climate-smart practices and securing affordable credit to boost productivity and lower interest rates.? ?Coinnect wallet: A digital wallet reimagining cross-border money management for migrant students and workers, with fee-free transactions, security features, and educational tools.? ?MultiKol: Pioneering Generative-AI based behavioral voice biometrics for secure authentication, preventing fraud and identity theft.? ?SafeCoin: A gamified platform for practical financial education, helping users learn investing and budgeting while boosting their investment potential through a unique matching system.? ?Crafts of Africa: Opening new global markets for African artisans by leveraging e-commerce to showcase handmade crafts from Kenya, Uganda, Eswatini, and beyond. ?? This event is your chance to engage with these ventures, hear their pitches, and network with leaders in the fintech and impact investing space. Don’t miss it! ?? ?RSVP now:? https://lnkd.in/dQvU8wDd ?? ?? We can’t wait to see you there! #PearsChallenge #Fintech #DigitalInclusion #EmergingMarkets #DemoDay #Innovation #ImpactInvesting

?? Join us for the Pears Challenge: Validate Demo Day! ?? After a transformative 2-week field validation trip in Kenya, our six early-stage fintech startups are back and ready to showcase their innovative solutions aimed at driving digital financial inclusion in East Africa. This is your chance to witness the future of impact tech and fintech as they pitch their groundbreaking concepts to the greater fintech, impact, and international development ecosystems in Israel. ? ?? Date:?September 29th ? Time:?9:00 AM - 12:30 PM ?? Location:?Mastercard Israel, Abba Hillel Silver Rd 21, Ramat Gan Why attend? ?? Gain insights into the potential of fintech in emerging markets from industry experts, including a keynote by a leading expert from Mastercard. ?? ?Be inspired by a fireside chat led by Tomer Bariach of Flori Ventures, discussing the frontier of financial technologies and opportunities for inclusion. ?? ?Experience our startups' innovative pitches in a ?? 'Dolphin Tank' format, where they'll receive real-time feedback from experts. ?? ?Network with fellow investors, industry leaders, and innovators passionate about driving change through fintech. RSVP here to confirm your attendance:? https://lnkd.in/dQvU8wDd We look forward to seeing you there! FinSec Innovation Lab - Startup Accelerator by Mastercard Florine Chaya Gabai Flori Ventures David Mendelbaum Hagit Freud ??Roni Levy Sharon Zarfati Annie Degani Dan Sarig Tomer Bariach Dr. Ron Adany Itamar Wilf Shatha Kabaha Ariel Resnik Eran Yaniv Benjamin Pileggi Vadim Nave Eytan Rothschild Tevel Aroussi Ofer Atzmon Eddie Nevoani

We hope to see you tomorrow for a morning filled with inspiration and practical experience on how #Israeli #AgriTech companies work with small-scale farmers in #Ethiopia and other #SSA markets to drive positive impact. It's not too late to sign up! join us! #InnovatioJourney4

Thank you for the partnership Itrade Kenya - Israel Economic Mission to Kenya we love working with you! Foreign Trade Administration - Ministry of Economy & Industry Barak Granot Tanya Ogwel Joannah W. Polycarp Otieno Pauline Arunga Shai Zarivatch Stav Cohen Roni Levy David Mendelbaum Hagit Freud ?? Africa Fintech Summit

Excited to be part of the Africa FinTech Summit! David Mendelbaum Roni Levy Barak Granot