This post was contributed by Talia Winokur of CleanIsrael Network.
The cleantech sector in Israel is developing fast. As a world leader of alternative energy and water development, and a hub for innovative R&D, our small country looms large among global cleantech participants. Add to that the high-caliber manpower, history of entrepreneurship, geographical position as a bridge between continents and strong commercial connections with the United States and Europe and you get a top international player.
The need is beyond clear – it’s the need for change in order to save natural resources, fight against pollution and promote energy and water security. But not only the obvious importance makes this field so attractive – it is also the opportunity for thinking and involved people to create and implement new and exciting technologies.
The CleanIsrael Network aims to foster the growth of an Israeli cleantech community by organizing events, providing information and connecting entrepreneurs, investors, academics, government officials and other cleantech professionals in driving forward the Israeli cleantech market. .
With 750+ members and about 150 in attendance at our events, we are the central platform for cleantech interested companies and individuals in Israel. As member Ilan summed up recently, “Great meetings, great speakers, great networking.”
In December, the CleanIsrael Network organized a Cleantech Startup Showcase, which featured presentations by five leading Israeli startups–Agam Energy, Emefcy, High Check Control, Phoebus Energy, and SOVNA. The event brought 180 attendees locally and additionally was broadcasted to interested groups in North-America. Other past events included speakers from Better Place, Cleantech Group, Israel Cleantech Ventures, and Sindicatum Carbon Capital, EnStorage and SolarPower Israel.
Luckily, not much promotion is needed before the events since the enthusiasm is already there. Our goal is to harnesses this enthusiasm to advance Israeli professionals in Israel and worldwide by offering a way to connect and exchange ideas, give a voice to cleantech leaders, enable entrepreneurs to connect with relevant international players and open the cleantech sector for players from existing tech-based industries (the last topic will be discussed in our January event – see CleanIsrael Network upcoming blog).
Who are the people behind the CleanIsrael Network? – Gene Dolgin and Jonathan Shapira founded the organization in February 2008. Jonathan has since returned to Boston to begin work as a first year associate at Goodwin Procter, the extremely successful Boston-Israel Cleantech Alliance which works closely with CleanIsrael to promote Israeli cleantech in the US. The Boston based group has quickly become central to the Israel-oriented cleantech community in the city, with 250+ professionals and entrepreneurs.
Gabby Czertok, a budding entrepreneur in the cleantech sector and Talia Winokur, a cleantech enthusiast, have recently joined the organization to help build and manage the growing community of cleantech professionals and entrepreneurs.
Gabby: “Joining Gene and Talia in order to create these events gave me a great chance to meet the industry from a unique perspective – in our events I get to meet industry leaders as well as entrepreneurs in various cleantech areas and all of them are there to talk, listen and share ideas and thoughts! I started as a regular visitor and ended up part of the team.”
Gene Dolgin is an Analyst at Israel Cleantech, Israel’s first and most prominent cleantech focused venture capital fund. He is personally and professionally an avid fan of and promoter of clean technologies and always interested in hearing from new, innovative cleantech startups.
Talia (Me) thinks that there is great benefit in positive international Israeli exposure – “Let me even be sentimental and say that Israeli cleantech makes me optimistic.”
More Cleantech in Israel:
Upcoming Event: “Greening of Jerusalem” Forum on Emergence of Cleantech Industry
U.S.-Israel Binational Cleantech Forum: Creating a Strategy for the Future of Cleantech
2008 a Big Year for Israel Cleantech Investments, Says Ernst & Young
