TheProfessional Degree Education Center of the Faculty of Economics and Management of ECNU is dedicated to exploring new models of international exchange and cooperation, expanding students’ international views, and cultivating students’ international entrepreneurial thinking. On April 11, 2021, three Israeli entrepreneurial experts from overseas partner institutions were invited to hold the Israel Entrepreneurs Dialogue, which aims to provide a platform for entrepreneurs to exchange ideas and learn from each other, as well as to decode the successful experience and golden rules of Israel as a “start-up nation.”
About 50 students attended three lectures and participated in online and offline dialogues with the international experts in the Li Ke San Guan in the North Zhongshan Road Campus.
Israel Entrepreneurs Dialogue
Wang Hongyan, Director of the International Exchange Office of the Professional Degree Education Center of the Faculty of Economics and Management delivered a speech, expressing that Israel is a great country with an innovative and entrepreneurial spirit. The Israel Entrepreneur Dialogue aims to create a platform for MBA students and ECNU alumni to understand the successful experiences and golden rules of innovation and entrepreneurship. She wished the dialogue a success.
Wang Hongyan, Director of the International Exchange Office of the Professional Degree Education Center of the Faculty of Economics and Management giving a speech
Ideation and Validation in Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Dr. Barak Ben-Avinoam giving a lecture
Dr. Barak Ben first showed Israel’s location on the world map, pointing out that though the land is small, with a population of only 8 million, 10.2% of the citizens are engaged in high-tech industries.Dr. Barak Ben then mentioned that the importance of innovation, unlike invention, is to perfect the existing services and products to meet people’s needs. He also shared many ways to get ideas, such as collecting consumers’ feedback, observing competitors, and conducting field research.
Innovation in the Life Sciences and Pharmaceuticals
Oren Glanz giving a lecture
Oren Glanz is committed to new technologies in the field of the life science to help more people cure diseases for which there is no definitive treatment, such as Alzheimer’s disease. Oren Glanz founded the Lempo Therapeutics company and developed Lempo therapy, which can cure some diseases by editing stem cell genes to trigger the regulation of myeloperoxidase. He also summarized three keys to success: form the best expert team with the spirit of innovation, continuously innovate, and find the right time to launch products in the market.
Innovation in Medical Devices and Technologies
Oren Gavriely giving a lecture
Nanoscent, a company co-founded by Oren Gavriely, uses technology and machine algorithms to achieve human-computer interaction. After the outbreak of COVID-19 at the beginning of 2020, Nanoscent developed a simple instrument for diagnosing COVID-19 by smell, and completed a clinical feasibility test through the detection of COVID-19 in 3421 samples in October.
Question and Answer Session
1. What qualities should entrepreneurs have?
Entrepreneurs should be willing to take risks and listen to others’ opinions, be trustworthy, think rationally and logically, easily adapt to changes, have good communication skills, and be humble in victory and gracious in defeat.
2. What are the most critical factors when starting a new company?
Perseverance, good preparation, a reliable team, and doing adequate market research and taking in customer feedback.
3. How can one quickly verify and improve new business ideas at the lowest cost?
In addition, students also discussed many other issues with experts online, such as the development trend and prospects of the health industry, the establishment of cooperation channels and resource sharing between Chinese and Israeli entrepreneurs, the verification process of entrepreneurial ideas and the optimization of experiments, the Israeli government’s support for entrepreneurship, and the cultivation of an innovative atmosphere in Israel. The three international entrepreneurial experts answered questions online, and expressed their passion for innovation and entrepreneurship.
Copy editor: Henry Allen
Editor: Li Yinan
