AI Startup Decart in Collaboration with the Technion Excellence Program
The Technion - Israel Institute of Technology and AI startup Decart recently announced a strategic research collaboration aimed at establishing a joint research center in artificial intelligence. This initiative seeks to enhance research capabilities, knowledge development, and technological innovation within academia. As part of the agreement, Decart will collaborate with and support the Technion's excellence program, which will be renamed the Technion-Decart Excellence Program.
A strategic partnership between the Technion and Decart will foster opportunities for outstanding students to engage in cutting-edge research and innovation.
In addition to supporting the excellence program, Decart and the Technion recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the establishment of a joint AI research center. The goal of this collaboration is to strengthen Israel’s academic standing in AI, build a leading research community, and lay the foundation for a meaningful and innovative AI industry in Israel.
This partnership is rooted in a deep connection between Decart and the Technion. Dr. Dean Leitersdorf, founder and CEO of Decart, is an alumnus of the Technion’s excellence program, as are 13 other Decart employees.
This initiative aligns with Decart’s broader vision to advance AI in Israel. The company emphasizes that Israel has the potential to become a global AI powerhouse, but achieving this requires active leadership, independent capabilities, and local infrastructure development. Decart believes in investing in human capital from the earliest stages of academic training, strengthening core academic research, and ensuring broad data infrastructure access for Israeli startups.
The Technion-Decart Excellence Program is currently led by Prof. Eitan Yaakobi from the Henry and Marilyn Taub Faculty of Computer Science, himself a program alumnus. “The Excellence Program is the flagship of the Technion and of Israeli academia as a whole. It produces Israel’s next generation of scientists and researchers,” he stated. “Our students receive tools and opportunities to join research labs and conduct research as early as their undergraduate studies.”
Prof. Lihi Zelnik-Manor, vice president for innovation and industrial relations at the Technion, added: “This is the spirit of change – Technion graduates who left with a positive experience are now looking to give back to the institution that helped them grow. The joint center will help position Israel alongside the world’s AI leaders. The path to that goal lies in academic-industry collaboration – in research, in resources, and human capital.”
Dr. Dean Leitersdorf, Decart founder and CEO, added that, “Israel cannot rely solely on technologies developed elsewhere. If we want to be at the forefront, we must develop the infrastructure and knowledge. As an alumnus of the Technion Excellence Program, I know the importance of nurturing the next generation of innovation leaders in Israel. This partnership with the Technion reflects our belief that building a strong ecosystem starts with early-stage investment in talent.”
About the Technion Excellence Program
The Technion Excellence Program is designed for outstanding undergraduate students in science and engineering. To allow them to focus entirely on their studies, participants receive full tuition waivers, free campus housing, a laptop, and a monthly living stipend.
The program’s goal is to help students maximize their potential by offering academic freedom and the opportunity to explore advanced topics beyond the standard curriculum. Students often begin graduate-level research during their undergraduate studies. Since its founding, the program has graduated more than 350 students, many of whom are now leaders in academia and industry. Thirteen current Technion faculty members are program alumni, and others hold faculty positions at universities in Israel and abroad. Approximately 50 students are currently enrolled in the program.
About Decart
Decart is, at its core, an AI lab specializing in efficient, optimized models that drive our ability to create groundbreaking consumer experiences. Founded in 2023 and backed by Benchmark, Sequoia Capital, and Zeev Ventures, Decart leverages its efficient AI training and inference capabilities alongside cluster training reliability to push the boundaries of generative AI. Decart currently employs more than 50 people, primarily at its Tel Aviv headquarters, with additional offices in northern Israel, San Francisco, and New York.
