MassChallenge Selects 55 Startups for 2018 Israel Program

April 1, 2018 | MassChallenge, one of the largest startup accelerators in the world, has announced that 55 early-stage startups will join its 2018 program in Israel. The startups are from a number of different industries including medtech, visual technology, and future mobility. At least 18 of the companies participating in the program are based outside Israel, including six startups from India in the fields of cybersecurity, aerospace, IOT, healthcare, and agriculture, the National Association of Software and Services Companies (Nasscom) said in a statement. Companies from Poland, Kenya, the UK, and the US are also taking part. More than 520 startups from 32 countries applied to join the 2018 class of MassChallenge Israel. Startups were evaluated on their ability to demonstrate impact and potential by a judging panel that included more than 170 of the world’s top executives, entrepreneurs, and investors, MassChallenge said. The accelerator will last four months and run from late April through early August 2018. It culminates with the MassChallenge Israel awards, where the top startups will be invited to the MassChallenge Israel trek, an all-expenses-paid roadshow to the US East Coast. Select startups will also share a portion of an equity-free cash prize of NIS 500,000 ($143,000.) MassChallenge launched a partnership with the Deshpande Foundation and Nasscom in January 2018 as part of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s visit to India. The partnership would grant a $5,000 scholarship to up to 10 Indian teams accepted into the Jerusalem-based MassChallenge Israel accelerator.