Students to get firsthand look at Israeli entrepreneurship boom

Washington University in St. Louis’ Olin Business School, in collaboration with the Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) in Herzliya, Israel, and Onward Israel, is launching an Israel Summer Business Academy (ISBA), aimed at providing students an opportunity to learn firsthand about business in Israel, one of the most vibrant hubs of entrepreneurship in the world.


The six-week academy will take place from June 23-Aug. 2 in Tel Aviv, Israel. It will combine classroom learning with experiential learning opportunities. Students will work on consulting projects for nonprofit startups and engage with the entrepreneurs who are driving the new business economy in Israel.

Students will visit companies such as Google Israel and Intel Israel, and tour the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange.

It will be open to students from Washington University and other accredited undergraduate programs.

“Too many people think of Israel only in terms of geo-politics and conflict,” says Steve Malter, associate dean of the Olin BSBA program and founder of ISBA. “However, there is a more positive story about how successful this tiny country has been in the area of entrepreneurship and innovation. We will explore this phenomenon of the ‘startup nation’ in a truly hands-on nature.”

Israel has more startups per capita than any other country in the world. More than 65 percent of startups in Israel last more than five years and Israel has the third-most companies on the Nasdaq exchange, behind the United States and China.

For more information about the Israel Summer Business Academy and to apply, visit olin.wustl.edu/isba.

About: The Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) Herzliya is one of 28 WUSTL McDonnell International Scholars Academy partner institutions. For more information on the McDonnell International Scholars Academy, visit mcdonnell.wustl.edu.