Catalyst – Gen-AI Reinforced Innovation Program

Spend your summer in the Start-Up Nation and experience Catalyst, an intensive international entrepreneurship and innovation program at the Jerusalem School of Business Administration in cooperation with the Asper Foundation. Catalyst is designed as a high-velocity entrepreneurial lab where students learn how to transform ideas into structured, investor-ready ventures using cutting-edge Generative AI tools and startup methodologies.

Throughout the program, participants experience an accelerated entrepreneurial journey at the center of Israel’s world-renowned innovation ecosystem. Combining practical venture creation with emerging technologies, Catalyst empowers students to build faster, validate smarter, and develop solutions with greater precision and impact.

At Catalyst, students work in multidisciplinary teams to identify market opportunities, validate customer needs, and develop technology-driven ventures that address meaningful global and industry challenges. Participants gain hands-on experience using AI-powered tools for market research, product ideation, business modeling, and venture validation while learning core entrepreneurial methodologies such as Design Thinking, Lean Launchpad, and strategic storytelling.

The program combines workshops, mentorship sessions, ecosystem immersion, and pitching practice to create a deeply practical learning experience. Students will meet leading entrepreneurs, investors, and innovators, visit startups and accelerators in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, and gain firsthand exposure to the dynamics of the Israeli tech ecosystem.

Participants will also explore some of today’s most transformative technologies — including Artificial Intelligence, Bio-Engineering, and the Internet of Things (IoT) — and examine how these innovations are reshaping industries and creating new entrepreneurial opportunities.

By the end of the program, students will have developed and validated their own venture concept, assessed its economic and market potential, and learned how to communicate their vision effectively to investors, customers, and partners. The experience culminates in a final DEMO DAY presentation where teams showcase both the business and technological execution of their ventures.

Catalyst inspires and equips the next generation of innovators with the tools, mindset, and practical experience needed to thrive in today’s rapidly evolving entrepreneurial landscape.

See the 2026 Brochure here

During this program, you will work and learn alongside entrepreneurs, business leaders, scientists, and engineers from around the world to develop innovations through an interdisciplinary approach.

Course Components:

• Hands-on training workshops
• Interactive group discussions
• In-person/virtual tours at Israeli hi-techs in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv
• Presenting venture to potential customers, partners, and investors

See the 2026 tentative Syllabus

Apply by: July 1, 2026

Arrive on campus: July 12, 2026

Program dates: July 12- August 6, 2026

Dorm Check-out: August 6, 2026

Program length: Four Weeks

Tuition: US$ 2,800

Application fee: US $120

Dorms (optional and depending on availability):  US$ 700

Health insurance through Rothberg is mandatory for the program. 

Learn more about fees, cost of living, and paying for the program.

Scholarships

Several scholarships between $500-$1,000 will be awarded based on socio-economic needs by the program directors at the Business School. For more information about scholarships for this program, please contact the program coordinator Ms. Ruba Mashni at rubama@savion.huji.ac.il

Experience all Israel has to offer from breathtaking views to the thriving Startup scene. Participants will tour Israel to meet its diverse people and cultures and have the opportunity to network within the Jerusalem tech ecosystem and discover Jerusalem’s lively nightlife.

Graduate students with strong interest and a drive to learn and grow in entrepreneurship through first-hand experience and intensive workshops. Candidates may be contacted for an interview. Undergraduate students with exceptional work experience may be considered if they are at the late stages of completing their degree, and they will be interviewed.

Catalyst is looking for students with a strong interest and drive to learn and grow in entrepreneurship.

English is required as the program is taught in English.