MassChallenge Israel

As the days grow shorter and #2024 comes to a close, many founders are left wondering: Have investment opportunities started to freeze? ❄️ Aaron Zucker from Sapir Venture Partners has some advice on keeping the relationship with investors warm during this time of year: 🌤️ Not all investors are created equal: For example, an Angel might be more eager to invest for tax considerations but may also be busier with life and family commitments.  🌤️ Understand your VCs: The good ones know that there are lots of opportunities and will engage during this period, though they too have family commitments and the like competing for their time and attention.   🌤️ Competition: With all of the companies out there trying to raise before the end of the year the competition for an investor's attention can be fierce.  🌤️ Put the ball in their court: Send a calendar invite to reserve a tentative time rather than wait. Send a draft term sheet rather than wait for them to connect with their legal counsel.   🌤️ Create momentum for the future: Get something scheduled in advance to reconnect after they are back online. Be sure that your email update is the first thing they see in their inbox the day that they are back.  🌤️ Time kills all deals: ABC. Always Be Closing. In today's market investors are not in a rush to write a check. You need to create urgency.   🌤️ Communicate. A lot. The investor is busy and swamped with inbound messages. Stand out by being present yet respectful. Finally, remember: the holiday season doesn’t mean all investors have gone into hibernation. 🐻 In fact, Sapir Venture Partners have announced a Winter Competition and are offering pre-pre-seed investment capital for 2 companies based out of top universities. Check out their page for more details. If you’ve already raised your pre-pre-seed round, you might be a good fit for our 2025 Accelerator program! Learn more and apply here: https://lnkd.in/gSC826zs Happy holidays, founders!

M&B IP is honored to host the finalists of MassChallenge Israel in NYC during their roadshow. The event began with a truly inspiring evening of networking, where we had the wonderful opportunity to connect with remarkable innovators and gather invaluable insights from industry leaders.   This is a fantastic chance for us to collaborate, learn, and grow alongside some of the most brilliant minds in the startup world. We are eagerly looking forward to the journey ahead and are excited to see where this incredible experience will lead us!   A heartfelt thank you to MassChallenge Israel- Motti Sigel and Estie Arram Feder for organizing such a powerful event, and to everyone who contributed to making this kickoff so unforgettable!

Day 4 of the #MCIL2024Roadshow, our first day in #NYC, brought exciting opportunities and conversations. 📍 At Silvertech Ventures, we heard from inspiring speakers, including Charlie Federman, whose portfolio startups have collectively raised over $1B. Some key takeaways from this day included: 1️⃣ When you sell to a company, you are selling to an individual. Keep this in mind in your approach. (Guy Vardi) 2️⃣ Israel values being a “jack of all trades” while the US values specialization. Make sure you are highlighting relevant experience when looking to branch out into the US ecosystem. (Gil Eyal) 3️⃣ Market penetration is just as much about the culture as anything else. (Yael Ron) 4️⃣ Don't conflate growth with scaling - be sure your success is repeatable. (Arnon Sobol) 5️⃣ Sharing users' struggles with one another (as much as you are able to) can boost sales. (Sivan Tehila and Karen Mesoznik) 6️⃣ Think about what you need to give up in each funding round, and what you need to achieve, to get to where you need to go. (Lawrence Wagenberg) Huge thanks to everyone who joined us to make this day truly special! Are you a driven founder looking to accelerate your startup? Applications for the 2025 MassChallenge Israel program are open! Apply today: https://lnkd.in/gSC826zs Goodwin | Gemline | Greenberg Traurig, LLP | M&B IP Patent Firm | Merchant & Gould P.C. | Milk Street Cafe | Silvertech Ventures | Tal Malca Salhuv | Hanna Ben Yehuda | Hadar Eliad | Hadas Ziso | Nick Venti | Noam Racheli | Jonathan Antebi | Ron Hugo Cohen

Day 3 of the #MCIL2024Roadshow brought insights into navigating the U.S. market! ✨ Hosted at our partners Greenberg Traurig, LLP, the day began with Eyal Peled discussing “Doing Business in the US” and David Dykeman providing invaluable insights into IP Strategy. 🌎 A dynamic panel featuring Sergey Gribov and Eliav Shaked 🇮🇱 tackled sharing real-world perspectives from both the investor and founder perspectives. 🚆 The day concluded as we traveled to #NYC, energized and ready for the next chapter of our Roadshow. A huge thank you to all the speakers and participants who made this day a success! Are you a driven founder looking to accelerate your startup? Applications for the 2025 MassChallenge Israel program are open! Apply today: https://lnkd.in/gSC826zs Goodwin | Gemline | Greenberg Traurig, LLP | M&B IP Patent Firm | Merchant & Gould P.C. | Milk Street Cafe | Silvertech Ventures

The #MCIL2024Roadshow kicked off earlier this week in Boston with an inspiring evening of networking and insights! ✨ We started with an orientation, followed by a cocktail reception supported by our generous hosts, Rachel Berkey and Michael Sperling, to welcome our winning founders and network of influential change makers.  🌟 The evening concluded with a session led by John Harthorne, where he shared his invaluable perspective as a founder-turned-VC and provided personalized pitch feedback to our founders. A strong start to an exciting week ahead as our startups build connections and refine their strategies for success in the global market. Stay tuned for more updates! Are you a driven founder looking to accelerate your startup? Applications for the 2025 MassChallenge Israel program are open! Apply today: https://lnkd.in/gSC826zs Goodwin | Gemline | Greenberg Traurig, LLP | M&B IP Patent Firm | Merchant & Gould P.C. | Milk Street Cafe | Silvertech Ventures

Day 2 of the #MCIL2024Roadshow was packed with mentorship and networking! 📍 At the MassChallenge HQ, our founders participated in mentor roundtables, gaining actionable guidance on scaling and refining their business strategies. Thanks, Jim Miller, Jill Kravetz and Henry Ancona for sharing your perspective on funding strategy with the winners. 💡 Brent Willess of Founder Collective shared his expert insights during “The VC Perspective,” giving founders the tools to impress investors. Two quick takeaways (of many) from Brent's session: 1️⃣ Don't take the fastest cheque or the highest term sheet unless it's from the most aligned investor, who's the best fit for you. 2️⃣ As a founder, you want the investor to leave an initial meeting really excited about and understanding the problem and also truly feeling that YOU are the founder to solve this problem. 🎤 The day wrapped up with our annual Winners’ Reception, where founders delivered their elevator pitches and expanded their networks with industry leaders. This was also an opportunity for us to meet with our Boston-based experts! It’s incredible to see our founders shine as they engage with the ecosystem and accelerate their growth. Are you a driven founder looking to accelerate your startup? Applications for the 2025 MassChallenge Israel program are open! Apply today: https://lnkd.in/gSC826zs Goodwin | Gemline | Greenberg Traurig, LLP | M&B IP Patent Firm | Merchant & Gould P.C. | Milk Street Cafe | Silvertech Ventures | Caitlin Reimers Brumme | Bryetta C. | Katherine Newman | David Meyer | Natalie Bossart | Gaurav Manchanda

The #MCIL2024Roadshow kicked off earlier this week in Boston with an inspiring evening of networking and insights! ✨ We started with an orientation, followed by a cocktail reception supported by our generous hosts, Rachel Berkey and Michael Sperling, to welcome our winning founders and network of influential change makers.  🌟 The evening concluded with a session led by John Harthorne, where he shared his invaluable perspective as a founder-turned-VC and provided personalized pitch feedback to our founders. A strong start to an exciting week ahead as our startups build connections and refine their strategies for success in the global market. Stay tuned for more updates! Are you a driven founder looking to accelerate your startup? Applications for the 2025 MassChallenge Israel program are open! Apply today: https://lnkd.in/gSC826zs Goodwin | Gemline | Greenberg Traurig, LLP | M&B IP Patent Firm | Merchant & Gould P.C. | Milk Street Cafe | Silvertech Ventures

We're passionate about empowering founders to hit their business goals and see meaningful progress. Our accelerator is built around actionable support: from hands-on mentorship to customer acquisition strategies and investor readiness, every part of our program is focused on driving measurable growth. For founders ready to turn big visions into real milestones, we're here to help make it happen! If you know a founder that's ready to go global and achieve investment success, send them the link to apply 🔗 https://lnkd.in/deMnMhVt IAI - Israel Aerospace Industries | Greenberg Traurig, LLP | UST | ARNON | The Jerusalem Development Authority (JDA) | Deloitte | Payoneer | Goodwin | Merchant & Gould P.C. | Gemline | M&B IP Patent Firm | Nefesh B'Nefesh | FINN Partners | FaaS - FP&A as a Service | Google for Startups Israel | Motti Sigel | Eyal Peled | David Dykeman

As we wrap up the Jewish new year and holiday period and simultaneously head into the secular holiday season and the end of the calendar year, many founders find themselves asking the same question: Did I miss the boat for 2024? Here’s what investor Alon Cinamon from Ibex Investors had to say about navigating this challenging time and making the most out of fundraising during the holiday season:  🧠 First, be aware of what else is competing for investors’ attention and resources (such as year-end portfolio reviews or tax and financial considerations). That said, you can still keep investors engaged-  💠 Start early: Initiate conversations well ahead of the year-end rush, when possible. 💠 Consistent communication: Regular updates are essential to keep investors engaged.  💠 Be flexible and proactive: Being proactive in suggesting alternative dates or virtual meetings can help navigate calendar constraints while keeping the conversation alive.  💠 Create urgency and FOMO: Highlight time-sensitive aspects of your business and investment round. This could include limited allocation in your funding round, upcoming product launches, or key partnerships or meaningful customers on the horizon.  💠 Build personal connections: The holiday season is often a more relaxed time, so consider using this as an opportunity to build stronger personal relationships with potential investors.  💠 If you aren’t able to close a deal before the holidays, leverage the "new year" energy: Investors often come back from the holidays recharged and eager to make deals. New year is a time when many investors set their priorities for the year, and firms may have new capital to deploy. Use this time to capitalize on the fresh energy in the market and push forward with strong momentum.    To summarize, it’s important to understand that the founders are the champions of the process — it’s up to you to manage the flow, stay persistent, and maintain flexibility in adjusting timelines and expectations. Whether closing before year-end or preparing for a strong push in the new year, the goal is to balance urgency with adaptability.    Good luck, founders!   

Join us on Monday, 11.11, at 17:00 to hear about our Jerusalem acceleration program. To register, use the link: https://lnkd.in/dbM_-H4M Note: The meeting will be held on Zoom, and the link will be sent on the same day as the meeting تفضلوا للاستماع يوم الاثنين 11.11 الساعة 17:00 عن برنامج التسريع الجديد في القدس من MassChallenge للتسجيل عبر الرابط: https://lnkd.in/dbM_-H4M ملاحظة اللقاء عبر تطبيق الزوم وسوف يتم ارسال الرابط بنفس يوم اللقاء Peter Siman | IntraGel Therapeutics | JINNOVATE | Mahmoud Khweis | EasTech East Jerusalem | Dana Nahari | Einat Mesterman | Waad Khader | Oded Tietz | Motti Sigel | Estie Arram Feder