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An entrepreneurial Shabbat Shalom!

Dear Friends,

This morning, as I do every Friday, I sat down with my coffee and began browsing the weekend edition of Haaretz. It’s a small ritual that always reminds me of my mother with her Sunday New York Times (though I should admit that, unlike her, I skip the crossword).

I did not expect to find on the cover of The Marker (the economic magazine of Haaretz), the faces of three Ben-Gurion University graduates: Dr. Karni Ilan, Shani Klein Antman, and Gal Yanuka, whose startup, FeminAI, attracted a $6 million investment.

These three remarkable women met through WE, a women’s entrepreneurship community that is part of Yazamut 360. What began as a shared concern about lack of screening for breast cancer in traditional communities such as the haredi or Bedouin, evolved into FeminAI, an AI-based wearable diagnostic solution that allows women to screen themselves from home, confidently and independently. They want to change how breast cancer is detected, making diagnosis more accurate, accessible, and empowering for women everywhere. It is the kind of idea that does more than disrupt a market. It has the potential to save lives.

But for us at BGU, this story is first and foremost another Yazamut 360 success story.

From WE, to an early $100,000 investment by Cactus Capital — our university-backed, student-led venture fund — to winning the inaugural "Ira M. Ingerman Entrepreneur of the Year" award (see picture below), to sustained mentorship, guidance, and belief, this is precisely why we invest so deeply in student entrepreneurship. Not as an add-on, but as a cultural force across the university.

Because when universities trust young innovators and give them room to grow, ideas turn into impact.

Shabbat Shalom,

Danny

Dear Friends, This morning, as I do every Friday, I sat down with my coffee and began browsing the weekend edition of Haaretz. It’s a small ritual that always reminds me of my mother with her Sunday New York Times (though I should admit that, unlike her, I skip the crossword). I did not expect to find on the cover of The Marker (the economic magazine of Haaretz), the faces of three Ben-Gurion University graduates: Dr. Karni Ilan, Shani Klein Antman, and Gal Yanuka, whose startup, FeminAI, attracted a $6 million investment. These three remarkable women met through WE, a women’s entrepreneurship community that is part of Yazamut 360. What began as a shared concern about lack of screening for breast cancer in traditional communities such as the haredi or Bedouin, evolved into FeminAI, an AI-based wearable diagnostic solution that allows women to screen themselves from home, confidently and independently. They want to change how breast cancer
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