The First to Believe in You

Early-stage funding and hands-on support for BGU founders

Your Critical Boost

One of the keys to success with your startup is an investor in the initial stage. Happily, great BGU teams with great ideas have exactly that in us.

Cactus Capital gives BGU entrepreneurs the critical boost they need to propel early-stage ventures past the riskiest phase—and launch, grow, and thrive as a successful company.

Why Cactus is (So Much) More than Capital

Key Endorsement

Our selection is a first vote of confidence in you and your company that you can leverage into further interest and financial support.

Accountability

We meet with our startups on a monthly basis to help you troubleshoot, offer guidance and insight, and ensure you can meet your goals.

Industry Access

We connect you to mentors, investors, and experts in the larger BGU ecosystem, bridging the gap between your vision and the national industry.

More Time and Resources

From legal consulting and cloud-storage credits to business strategy, you get everything you need to hit the ground running—and prevent costly mistakes.

Which Cactus is Right for Me?

Which track is right for you depends on the stage of your entrepreneurial journey:

For the beginning entrepreneur. A competition intended for those with a great idea and a fleshed-out plan to make it happen.

For the promising startup. A program meant for already-established ventures at an early stage of their development.

How it Works

From venture to VC, this is how the process looks:

1. Apply

Fill in a form that gives us the basics about your startup and vision.

2. Meet

Made the initial cut? Congrats! Now you’ll meet with our analysts to discuss your venture and talk through their questions.

3. Present

Improve your presentation with our input and nail your delivery at our Live Pitch Night, where we announce the Kickstarter winners.

4. Pitch

Almost there: Launcher candidates answer challenging follow-up questions from the Cactus team and representatives from your industry.

5. Go

The 3-4 Launcher candidates selected to be part of our portfolio get funding and a full range of support to grow a successful company.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is eligible to apply?

Any BGU student or recent graduate (i.e., within the last few years). Master’s and Ph.D. students are also welcome, but only if your venture isn’t directly related to your field of research. Teams are fantastic, too, so long as 50 percent of members are BGU students or recent alumni.

What are the amounts of funding?

Winners of the Live Pitch Night receive a NIS 10,000 Kickstarter prize to get their ventures off the ground. Startups selected for participation in Cactus Capital receive a NIS 100,000 Launcher investment to break through to the next stage of their company’s journey.

Will I need to repay the investment?

Our investment converts into equity if you raise funds after your participation in Cactus or go public with your company. Our equity stake is much smaller than what an investor typically receives. If there is no future financing, there is no need for repayment.

To whom am I presenting my venture, exactly?

Both Kickstarter and Launcher applicants begin by presenting their ventures to Cactus Academy analysts. Kickstarter candidates selected for the Live Pitch Night present at an open event for the entire BGU community. Candidates chosen to continue in the Launcher track present to the Cactus Capital investment committee.

How long until I hear if I’ve been accepted to either track?

While Kickstarter winners are announced at the Live Pitch Night, Launcher applicants may be notified of their acceptance to the track throughout the academic year. The investment committee meets to make its Launcher portfolio selections at the end of each semester.