The Joy of Collaboration - When Swiss students meet Israeli startups

“I got something that I could not have afforded and that money cannot buy”, said Zeev Russak , the CEO of the Israeli biotech startup @Infiniplex. Zeev and his team participated in a student-startup program, which brought together Swiss students from the Msc of Digital Business Administration from the Berner Fachhochschule BFH Applied Sciences and Israeli startups from the health tech sector through the 8400 The Health Network . My team and I at the Swiss Science and Innovation Office in Israel facilitated the encounter last week. And let me tell you, it was an awesome project.

It wasn’t all that obvious that the Swiss students ended up collaborating with Israeli startups. As the program director, professor Marie Peskova Pekovska shared that only because of the efforts of her students and the overwhelming request to work with and visit the “Startup Nation” was she able to make the program happen in Israel. Drawing from the participants’ feedback at the closing event, it was truly inspiring to see students and startups engage with one another.?

The students teamed up with one of eight Israeli digital health startups and worked on a live case to eventually provide market strategy suggestions about the countries in the DACH region (Germany, Austria, and Switzerland) to the Israeli startups.

Nicole Hardegger , one of the students, was mostly impressed with the fearlessness of Israeli startups that she experienced first hand during her visit in Israel. She told us about how the startups seem unafraid to take big steps, venture into uncharted territories, and embrace the possibility of failure. Unlike their Swiss counterparts, who more than often value being on the safe side, the Israeli entrepreneurs Nicole met understand that failure is a stepping stone to success. This mindset was echoed by Dan Shwarzman from MindUP - The Digital Health Incubator Digital Health Incubator. He highlighted how Israelis are encouraged from a young age to embrace failure, creating a culture that nurtures entrepreneurship and a passion for the high-tech industry. In fact he shared that the new ‘Israeli dream’ is not to become a doctor or an attorney anymore, but to be an entrepreneur.

The students also understood that Israeli innovation thrives on the power of networks and interdisciplinary collaboration. Karin Aeschlimann , another student, pointed out that it was impressive to see the support system that Israeli startups can make use of. Nicole added that they learned the value of actively seeking connections and to embrace the idea that a lot of knowledge is already out there, waiting to be tapped into. It didn’t come as a surprise that 8400 The Health Network was the perfect partner for the student-startup program. The Network aims to make healthtech the next growth engine in Israel and taps into a vast pool of knowledge and expertise. Adriana Sisley , global network director at 8400, emphasised the importance of global connectivity and the intention to connect their network across countries in the future. It actively seeks out potential collaborations, understanding that innovation thrives when diverse minds come together.

Miriam Oron Ph.D. , the CEO of DermAb.io , another startup participating in the program, shared how the mentor-student relationship allowed her to explore the European market and gain fresh insights and perspectives. It is a reminder that when we teach or mentor, we often learn and grow ourselves in unexpected ways.

Zeev had shared that he gained something priceless from collaborating with students. He told the story of how the students went above and beyond to create real value for the startup. Karen and her student group showcased remarkable dedication as they conducted an in-depth competitor analysis. By comparing 30 competitors in the DACH region their team demonstrated the transformative impact that students can have when given the opportunity to contribute to real-world projects. Zeev would not have been able to gain access to this type of information as the students did or gain crucial cultural insights about the DACH region. During the closing event, students who had worked with Zeev expressed their desire to stay connected. For my team and me it was an incredible testament to the value of the experience for both the startups and the students.?

Credits Photos: Eduardo Feldman , a visual storyteller, documented our event. Thank you Eduardo.