Winners Announced for the 22nd Cohort of the Technion's BizTec Entrepreneurship Program

Ten groundbreaking DeepTech and HealthTech ventures were presented at the program’s festive finale, held at the Google for Startups Campus. First place was awarded to DNAmi, which is developing dynamic DNA nanocapsules for the immediate treatment of acute cardiovascular events.

The Technion’s national entrepreneurship program, BizTec (part of t:hub – the Technion Innovation & Entrepreneurship Hub), concluded its 22nd cohort with a celebratory Demo Day at the Google for Startups Campus in Tel Aviv. The event brought together leading figures from Israel’s venture capital industry, entrepreneurs, mentors, and academics to watch presentations by the ten finalist ventures selected from dozens of applicants.

This year’s teams showcased breakthrough DeepTech innovations addressing major global challenges in medicine, aviation, construction, defense, and artificial intelligence. Following the pitches and judges’ deliberations, the top three ventures were announced:

• First Place – DNAmi, led by Hadas Omer, a Ph.D. student in the laboratory of Prof. Yuval Garini, in collaboration with Prof. Netanel Korin of the Faculty of Biomedical Engineering. Hadas is developing dynamic DNA nanocapsules designed to provide immediate treatment for acute cardiovascular events.
• Second Place – OvaSync, winners of the T2MED Hackathon, led by Gal Hanuka, Dor Chen, Nitzan Shaked, and Noa Levi. The company is developing a real-time home hormonal monitoring system that integrates AI-based decision-support tools to improve the efficiency and predictability of fertility treatments for both patients and clinics.
• Third Place – Azote (currently operating in stealth mode), led by Dr. Yair Shahaf from the laboratory of Prof. David Eisenberg of the Schulich Faculty of Chemistry and Prof. Dario Dekel of the Wolfson Faculty of Chemical Engineering. The venture is developing advanced nitrogen-based fuel cells that reduce energy system weight by up to 78% compared to lithium batteries for drones and defense applications.

The other finalist ventures included:

• Rocket AM – advanced 3D printing technology for aerospace-grade aluminum
• SELFF – autonomous drone navigation systems for GPS-denied environments
• Vigilant Guardian – a system designed to prevent sexual assault by detecting loss of consciousness
• NURIN – a smart, non-invasive urine diagnostic platform for infants
• HexaTune – an advanced digital processing platform for guitars
• Eiralis – an AI-guided system to improve the safety of central venous catheterization
• Concepta – AI-based software for evaluating the feasibility and economic viability of real estate projects

“Ideas Cannot Be Embargoed”

The event opened with remarks by Israel Prize laureate Yehuda Bronicki, co-founder of Ormat Technologies. Drawing on decades of experience building a global clean-energy company from Israel, Bronicki spoke about the resilience and perseverance of Israeli entrepreneurs, particularly during challenging times. He concluded with an inspiring message to the participants: “Ideas cannot be embargoed.”

Prof. Miriam Erez, Israel Prize laureate and vice dean of the MBA Programs in the Faculty of Data and Decision Sciences, delivered a tribute to the late Prof. Uzi de Haan, one of BizTec’s founders and a key figure in shaping the entrepreneurial ecosystem at both the Technion and in Israel. Prof. Erez emphasized that Prof. de Haan’s legacy continues to inspire the generations of entrepreneurs emerging from the program each year.

The event also addressed the current state of Israel’s high-tech sector. Judge Ofir Shay presented the Next October initiative, noting with pride that several BizTec alumni companies are actively participating in this important national effort.

The second half of the evening featured a professional panel of founders who successfully raised seed funding despite the challenges of the past three years, on raising seed funding during uncertain times . Moderated by Guy Katsovich, managing partner at Fusion VC, the panel included Dr. Karni Ilan, founder of Feminai, and Sapir Tubul, CEO of LeanCon BizTec alumni and Fusion portfolio companies. The panelists encouraged students and alumni to remain authentic, maintain unwavering focus on their core venture, and learn to filter out unnecessary advice and distractions during the early stages of building a startup. They shared a simple but powerful message with participants: “Stay true to yourselves.”

A Longstanding Partnership Supporting Israeli High-Tech

The program is led by Dr. Lital Attia and Maor Blyachman, who were widely praised for their professional guidance of the teams and the successful organization of the finale. BizTec is made possible through the longstanding support of Judith (Dita) and Yehuda Bronicki, who have championed the program for more than 20 years, as well as the law firm S. Horowitz & Co., which provides ongoing legal sponsorship and professional support to participating entrepreneurs. The event was hosted by Google for Startups. The judging panel included leading figures from Israel’s venture capital and legal communities:

Prof. Yaron Wolfsthal (ICI Fund)

Aviya Wiener Chen (Fresh Fund)

Guy Katsovich (Fusion VC)

Israel Biran (Earth & Beyond Ventures)

Gil Krebs (Teuza)

Asaf Schreiber (Viola Ventures)

Ran Laufer (Second Century Ventures)

Ofir Shay (TLV Partners)

Adv. Mordechai (Moti) Malka and Ran Vogel (S. Horowitz & Co.)

Shai Haim, former BizTec Program Director and long-time mentor

The winning teams now join BizTec’s extensive alumni network, which has produced dozens of successful companies that have collectively raised hundreds of millions of dollars and have become an integral part of the forefront of Israel’s high-tech ecosystem.

Photos: Amir Sonnenberg

For more information about the program: https://thub.net.technion.ac.il/biztec-en/