Startup Nation: The Israeli company that will take part in a space flight to Mars

In a prestigious and fascinating event held at Mitzpe Ramon, the “EXPAND” accelerator program came to an end, which aims to integrate Israeli startups into the “Artemis” program of the American space agency NASA to settle the moon in the coming years and later also to set foot on Mars for the first time. This is alongside exposure to potential investors.

The event, which was held at the Mitzpe Ramon, was attended by the Chairman of the Israel Space Agency, Dan Bloomberg, senior officials from NASA and the President of the State who sent his congratulations. At the end of it, the winning company received a handsome grant of NIS 100,000 for the development of the project.

The accelerator, which was launched last April under the leadership of the Southern Tech7 association, which works to leverage start-ups from the Negev, and the Israeli company Creation-Space, which deals with supporting technological developments in the field of space, was supported by the Jewish National Fund USA and the American investment fund CreationsVC.

During the event, five companies selected from 50 nominations had the opportunity to present their ventures to representatives of venture capital funds and possible investors. At the end of the day, the Inhayle company was announced as the winner and beyond the possible and prestigious collaboration with NASA, the company also won a handsome sum of one hundred thousand shekels for the development of the project.

The company, founded by Itai Ben Artzi, develops technologies for disinfecting surfaces using hydroxyls, for example for hospitals and other places, may also be useful in space stations.

During the program, the start-ups that came from the fields of robotics, materials, construction, food and health technologies, received mentoring and close business support from renowned experts with a deep knowledge of the space industry, as well as professional workshops that provided them with the tools necessary for success and presentation to potential investors. The companies include: NovAlert, OmniDrill, Oasix, Inhayle and Tedence.

Among other things, senior officials from the American space agency also participated online in the event: Dr. Jim Green, retired chief scientist of the agency, Prof. Pete Worden, chairman of the Fries Foundation and former director of NASA’s Ames research center, Juan de Delmao, president Formerly of the International Space University and Stefan Racki is the director of GEN Space – a global entrepreneurial networking division focused on supporting and connecting entrepreneurs, investors and stakeholders related to space.

Prof. Dan Bloomberg – Chairman of the Israel Space Agency, Rui Noor, CEO of Creation-Space, and Oren Hefetz, the project leader on behalf of JNF, also took part, and the one who sent a recorded greeting was President Bozhi Herzog.

Omri Dai, CEO of Tech7: “I am proud to see Israeli startups breaking boundaries and integrating into international projects. This illustrates the power of Israeli innovation and creativity in global cooperation. This is a significant achievement not only for the company, but for the entire Israeli and southern technological ecosystem. I would like to congratulate the Inhayle company on the win and wish it great success, as well as thank all the partners for their support and belief in the entrepreneurs’ ability to reach from the Negev – to the moon.”

Itai Ben Artzi, partner and founder of the Inhayle company: “We are full of excitement for the opportunity given to us by the prestigious EXPAND accelerator of TECH7 and Creation-Space. It is exciting to see how our venture managed to leave a mark from the initial stages, and we are sure that it has huge potential for the rest of the way. The process we went through was extremely significant, and this opportunity allowed us to improve and learn a lot. Thank you very much for choosing us, it is a great honor. We would like to express our gratitude to the accelerator teams for their support, encouragement and professional guidance, and of course, thanks to all our partners who were part of our journey.’