A new Israeli initiative, 50:50 Startups, is fostering collaboration between Israeli and Palestinian entrepreneurs, where participants develop startups together.
The initiative was jointly founded over two years by Amir Grinstein, an associate professor of marketing at Northeastern University in Boston, and Eran Heyman, the Israeli founder of Ericom Software, a New York-based software firm.
Heyman had an idea based on both Israel’s startup culture and the talent and potential he saw in Palestinians; the only issue was that Israelis and Palestinians were not meeting each other. He wanted to build a platform that would have Israelis and Palestinians develop startups together with equal ownership.
The duo was joined in the initiative by other Israelis, Palestinians, Americans and a European who all saw value in the concept.
In a recent interview with the Times of Israel, Grinstein said: “Regardless of any political resolution, this trust-building mechanism, collaboration, equality through startups makes sense for everyone. Instead of throwing rocks or rockets at each other, they try to develop relationships, get to know the other side and even be successful in creating economic value and social value to their communities. That’s huge”.
It took about two years to build the ecosystem that makes up 50:50 Startups today, comprising three groups: Israeli Jews, Israeli Arabs and Palestinians from East Jerusalem and the West Bank.
It was established with the joining of donors, mentors, investors, entrepreneurs, and a leadership team, as well as government support and approval.
Board member Ely Sander said: “We took something that Israel is very good at — which is tech, acceleration, innovation and investment — and something Israel is very bad at, which is its relationship with its Arab neighbours and its Arab citizens. We’re trying to use the fact that Israel is a startup nation to do two things: to build companies that show positive examples of Israelis and Palestinians working together in a way that is a partnership of equals, and also to try and bring more wealth and stability to the Palestinian economy”.
The first group of Israeli and Arab entrepreneurs has been underway since Autumn 2019. Out of 90 applicants, 30 were admitted as entrepreneurs. Of the original 90 applicants, 50% were Palestinian, from East Jerusalem or the West Bank, 25% were Israeli Arabs and 25% were Israeli Jews. About a third of the applicants were women.
The first three months of the programme involve mix-and-matching and team-building events to eventually form diverse teams, paired with a mentor to help develop an idea. Participants then start an incubation program, where they meet for entrepreneurship sessions at the Azrieli College in Jerusalem.
The original plan was to then have the best teams attend a fully-funded six-week bootcamp at Northeastern University to learn how to build a successful company — consisting of leadership training, business model development and marketing plans — while getting exposure to both Boston’s innovative ecosystem and the US market.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, however, the Boston part of the programme didn’t happen. Instead, teams have remained in Israel and the West Bank, working over Zoom meetings and engaging in workshops. They will then continue to develop their startups with more advanced accelerator programs, like Microsoft for Startups and Google for Startups — programs which already have a relationship with 50:50 Startups.
In total, there are nine teams that will finish the programme, and four teams have been given the green light to pitch over Zoom to a community of investors on 4th August, where two teams can win prize money. The plan is to then help the teams reach the next level, with more advanced accelerators and potential early-stage investors.
