The start-up is just the excuse
From the university classroom to real-world crises: How BGU’s Yazamut 360 Leaders Program prepares the problem-solvers of tomorrow for extreme uncertainty.
The Leaders program at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev operates differently from traditional academic entrepreneurship initiatives. Instead of focusing on start-ups, the program emphasizes developing entrepreneurial mindset, leadership, and resilience in students. Founding director Gadi Bahat explained that entrepreneurship is more than creating companies; it's a way of thinking and a set of personal qualities demanded in today's world.
The program's graduates have been successful in various fields, including industry, research, and the public sector. One notable example is ANNIE, a socially-minded start-up founded by leaders of the program. ANNIE aims to improve the treatment of trauma casualties by connecting first responders, field medics, and hospitals through a real-time monitoring platform.
Co-founders Ofek Eliasko, Idan Mizrahi, and Tal Ben-Lulu built ANNIE during their time in the Leaders program, emphasizing the program's emphasis on people and their potential over technology.
Bahat's vision for the program evolved from his experience in Israel's hi-tech industry, where he served in senior executive positions and founded two start-ups. After a temporary assignment, Bahat was drawn to the university's Yazamut 360 center and its vision of entrepreneurship as a strategic pillar. The program operates as an entrepreneurial journey based on three pillars: entrepreneurial knowledge, personal skills, and hands-on work.
Students build start-ups together, with success measured by individual development rather than the company's future.
The practical approach of the Leaders program has led to the development of INCIS, an academic term describing the learning process that occurs during students' entrepreneurial journey. This process involves building entrepreneurial mindset, personal skills, and resilience through encountering and overcoming obstacles. Students acquire a wide range of skills, including negotiation, public speaking, resilience, and entrepreneurial agency—the confidence to drive change independently.
Written by urgent.news from Jerusalem Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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