Israel

Visit the Ashoka Israel Website

Ashoka started working in Israel in 2009, connecting Ashoka's Everyone a Changemaker vision to the vivacious society and market in Israel.

Visit the Ashoka Israel Website

Visit the Israeli Changemakers website

Israel combines many of the core elements that are most essential for entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial thinking. The principle of Tikkun Olam – actively making the world a better place, or, literally, repairing it, which has a fundamental role in Jewish tradition and thinking and which is deeply integrated into Israeli cultural life, the Muslim principle of Zakat, charity, and the resourcefulness and resilience that has characterized modern Israel's way of dealing with its challenges, are among the most important cornerstones of the entrepreneurial attitude. Israel, although modest in size, is rich in women and men who understand the concepts and importance of entrepreneurship and innovation, and, at the same time, possess a sense of social justice and conscience that direct them towards innovating for the public good.

Ashoka Israel's role, therefore, is to connect Israel to Ashoka – and vice versa - to present, support and spread local innovative social solutions, and to showcase Israel as a Start-Up Nation, not only in the fields of hi-tech, clean-tech and biotech, but in the social realm, too.

Since starting to work in Israel, Ashoka Israel has progressed in three main ways, according to the main channels of action which the organization follows globally: Venture and Fellowship, Changemakers (Kikar Ashoka) and Youth Venture (Ashoka Start).

After more than two years on the ground, with 5 elected Fellows, more than 50 youth and students groups in the Start program and over 40 local environmental innovations in the first social entrepreneurship competition in Israel – held in cooperation with the Ministry of Environmental Protection, Ashoka in Israel is bearing entrepreneurial fruits!