Bringing entrepreneurship and innovation to areas in need

PROJECT 

The urban entrepreneurship center in Neve Shaanan offers training courses for local populations and draws on business know-how, Municipal support, and global connections to find solutions to urban and social challenges.

OBJECTIVE

Develop and promote entrepreneurship and innovative urban – social initiatives to improve the quality of life in the Neve Shaanan and surrounding neighborhoods.

IMPORTANCE

As urban populations grow, cities around the world are facing growing challenges. Cultivating local innovation and connecting innovators with city-makers can help find solutions to urban and social challenges which can also be applied globally.

THE BACKGROUND

Neve Shaanan and surrounding neighborhoods in South Tel Aviv have been facing ongoing urban challenges that have only heightened in recent years. The neighborhood was established in the 1920s and, soon afterward, the central bus station was built in the area, changing the nature of the neighborhood from an agricultural and residential area to a more industrial area. This change brought commerce, larger volumes of foot traffic as well as pollution and crime. Over the years, this caused people from higher socio-economic backgrounds to leave the area. This phenomenon, along with waves of migration of foreign workers from Asia in the early 1990s and migration from Africa in the early 2000s, caused the area to become populated mainly with migrants and people from lower socio-economic backgrounds. This resulted in numerous urban and social challenges. Further, many of these urban and social challenges are not unique to Tel Aviv. There is value in collaborating with cities and innovators from around the world to leverage their knowledge and experience and to share solutions.

THE NEED

In the 21st century, the role of cities is more critical than ever before. Growing numbers of people are flowing into urban areas seeking shelter and a secure future, often in destitute areas. Cities and their governing bodies are looking for coherent, multidimensional solutions to address the new urban and social challenges posed by immigration, on top of traditional city issues. The challenges facing residents in Neve Shaanan include overcrowding, lack of personal safety, infrastructure deterioration, sanitation, employment, social inclusion, personal safety, and education. In an area that can house 7000 people over 30,000 are currently living, causing overcrowding and tensions. The Platform is designed to harness Tel Aviv’s globally recognized startup ecosystem and talent to disrupt the way cities are approaching urban and social challenges. The tools of entrepreneurship have the power to change lives and communities.

THE PROJECT

The Platform is an entrepreneurship center in Neve Shaanan that offers training courses for local residents on building a business, financial literacy, and technology, as well as practical workshops to provide tools for developing entrepreneurship. Empowering people with these skills can help to address many aspects of the challenges of social inclusion, employment, and welfare.

The Platform also hosts an international accelerator at the forefront of urban innovation which brings top innovators and start-ups together with the Municipality to develop solutions to the urban and social challenges. In one of these sessions, the accelerator works with startups in the fields of education, community, and welfare. These startups are connected directly to leading managers in the Municipality so that they gain access to municipal information and develop pilots together with the city. The meeting point of these different entrepreneurs and residents is in the shared working space in the Platform where synergies and collaborations are developed.

The Platform leverages:
Business know-how – providing classic accelerator tools and modules
to enable participating startups to create viable and profitable ventures;
Municipal support – creating a seamless connection between senior-level city officials and entrepreneurs; and
Global connections – enabling access to municipal and industry
experts from around the world ensure the solutions are applicable to
cities and communities globally.
The Platform is managed by Tel Aviv Global and is situated in the Neve
Shaanan neighborhood. This enables it to engage directly with
stakeholders in the neighborhood, leveraging the local community of
entrepreneurship to transform many of the negative phenomena into
positive sources for innovation.

THE INVESTMENT
There are two ways to support The Platform:

1. TRACK PARTNERSHIP
Track Partnership offers a variety of tracks to fit the agenda and interests of partners. The track will be named according to the partner’s request and the partner can choose their involvement in the content of the track. In addition, the partner’s name and logo (if applicable) will be added to our Partners’s wall and general materials.
All tracks reach up to 200 participants per year and offer workshops, personal consulting, events, and conferences. Further details of the budget and content of each track will be provided upon request.

Tracks:
– Women’s Entrepreneurship Empowerment Track
– Financial Literacy Track
– Technology Literacy Track
– Small Business Support Track
– Local Students Entrepreneurship Track
– Public Health Entrepreneurship Track
– Global Exchange Program Track
– Open Track. We invite any partners to suggest a track that they find meaningful and that fits the agenda of the Platform.

REQUESTED DONATION RANGE: $200,000 – $300,000.

2. GENERAL PARTNERSHIP

General Partnership offers the opportunity to support a variety of aspects of the day-to-day activities of the Platform. This can include meet-ups, conferences, hackathons, delegations, and even equipment
such as laptops. For General Partnership, the partner’s name and logo (if applicable) will be added to our Partners wall and all general materials.
REQUESTED DONATION: $50,000.