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BGU Launches Student-Run VC Fund

December 26, 2018

Negev Development & Community Programs, Press Releases

The Center for Entrepreneurship at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) is launching Cactus Capital, a $1 million student-run venture capital fund to invest in student, recent graduate and academic entrepreneurial initiatives.

Cactus Capital will be led by BGU students who have completed a hands-on training course in VC investing run by fresh.fund, Israel’s first university-focused venture capital fund. Students who graduate the course with excellence will have the opportunity to join the investment committee of the first of its kind university-backed VC fund dedicated to advancing student innovation on campus.

“Some of today’s best known companies like Dell and Facebook were started by college students,” says Doug Seserman, chief executive officer of American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (Americans for Ben-Gurion University). “This will help continue the expansion of the Startup Nation through the Negev innovation ecosystem that is unique to Beer-Sheva, with BGU as its bedrock.”

The idea to launch the $1 million fund was developed by BGU President Prof. Rivka Carmi and BGN Technologies Director General Netta Cohen. BGN is the technology transfer company at BGU. The University will provide the funds.

The fund will offer three tracks:

Ignite: Up to $5,000 for technological startups in the ideation stage

Validate: Up to $20,000 for technology startups seeking to validate a key assumption about their market or product

Social Impact: Up to $5,000 for social entrepreneurship across different vertical markets

Dana Gavish-Fridman, vice president of entrepreneurship at BGN Technologies, says, “Launching Cactus Capital, together with an investment course specifically designed for students and the partnership with fresh.fund will enable the University to offer students a groundbreaking way to learn about entrepreneurship through hands-on experience. I am proud of the fact that BGU, which places such a strong emphasis on entrepreneurship, is leading this unique endeavor, which will give our students a noticeable advantage.”

Zaki Djemal, managing partner of fresh.fund, says, “We are excited to join forces with BGU in offering our unique investment course for the first time within a University framework in Israel. BGU’s Center for Entrepreneurship offers graduates an immediate opportunity to use their training through actively taking part in the entrepreneurship fund investment committee and deciding on the best investment opportunities.”

He adds, “BGU stands out within Israel’s academic landscape due to its vibrant and self-contained student community, which nourishes teamwork and entrepreneurial spirit. Additionally, the University enjoys world-class technology and outstanding human capital and is taking real action to prioritize student innovation on campus.”

Visit the Cactus Capital Facebook page for videos and more: www.facebook.com/Cactus.Capital

ABOUT AMERICANS FOR BEN-GURION UNIVERSITY

By supporting a world-class academic institution that not only nurtures the Negev, but also shares its expertise locally and globally, Americans for Ben-Gurion University engages a community of Americans who are committed to improving the world. David Ben-Gurion envisioned that Israel’s future would be forged in the Negev. The cutting-edge research carried out at Ben-Gurion University drives that vision by sustaining a desert Silicon Valley, with the “Stanford of the Negev” at its center. The Americans for Ben-Gurion University movement supports a 21st century unifying vision for Israel by rallying around BGU’s remarkable work and role as an apolitical beacon of light in the Negev desert.

About Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

Ben-Gurion University of the Negev embraces the endless potential we have as individuals and as a commonality to adapt and to thrive in changing environments. Inspired by our location in the desert, we aim to discover, to create, and to develop solutions to dynamic challenges, to pose questions that have yet to be asked, and to push beyond the boundaries of the commonly accepted and possible.

We are proud to be a central force for inclusion, diversity and innovation in Israel, and we strive to extend the Negev’s potential and our entrepreneurial spirit throughout the world. For example, the multi-disciplinary School for Sustainability and Climate Change at BGU leverages over 50 years of expertise on living and thriving in the desert into scalable solutions for people everywhere.

BGU at a glance:  

20,000 students | 800 senior faculty | 3 campuses | 6 faculties: humanities & social sciences, health sciences, engineering sciences, natural sciences, business & management, and desert research.

 

For all press inquiries, please contact:

James Fattal, J Cubed Communications

516.289.1496

[email protected]