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Give your research the chance to change the world

Get the partners, tools, and guidance you need to turn your fledgling technology into a disruptive company.

Who says academics can’t be founders, too?

Some researchers want to join the high-tech industry. Others want better agreements for the use of their IP. And still others want to learn to be even better researchers, whose innovations can fuel game-changing companies. Whatever brought you to Yazamut, we can help you take it from there.

Entrepreneurs don’t need to be extreme risk takers, multi-taskers, or classic extroverts. Thanks to Oazis’ proven methodology and comprehensive system of support, any researcher with a promising technology can found a successful company.

And yes, “anyone” means you, too.

Participants attending an Oazis program session

Bugera

Co-founded by evolutionary geneticist Prof. Uri Abdu, ecologist Dr. Yehonatan Alcalay, molecular biologist Dr. Anna Melkov, and MBA graduate Yoav Etgar

Uri Abdo
Yehonatan Alcalay
Anna Melkov
Yoav Etgar
DOTS

Co-founded by hydrologists Prof. Ofer Dahan and Dr. Elad Yeshno and electrical engineer Prof. Shlomi Arnon

Ofer Dahan
Elad Yeshno
Shlomi Arnon
NeuroHelp

Co-founded by neuroscientist Dr. Oren Shriki and computational neuroscientist Dr. Shay Ben-Sasson

Oren Shriki
Shay Ben Sasson
Oazis

Join our next Oazis cohort

Connecting deep tech with business for game-changing startups.

Researcher presenting a cancer-related solution during the Oazis program

The benefit of being a think-bigger researcher.

Whether you stay in academia or pursue an entrepreneurial career, researchers who join Oazis position themselves for success and impact.

The chance to expand your horizons through high-tech or hybrid (academic-industry) careers.

Improved IP agreements with BGU’s tech-transfer company.

An understanding of how to conduct and advance research with commercial potential.

The means to move your research from lab to market and make a tangible difference.

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125

researchers and PhD students

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24

startups

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+$20M

funds raised

What our researchers say

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“Oazis matched me with experienced mentors who helped me, every day and step-by-step, to transform my technology into an enterprise that positively impacts society.”
Prof. Boaz Lerner
Prof. Boaz Lerner
Founder and CSO, Panacea-ml
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“Participating in Oazis transformed how I approach my research and opened my eyes to its business potential. Through the support and guidance of the Oazis team, I gained all the tools and methodologies essential for transforming my academic work into a viable startup, from knowledge to a broadened perspective and sense of confidence in my ability to succeed in industry.”
Dr. Michael Fire
Dr. Michael Fire
Department of Software and Information Systems Engineering
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“Oazis goes beyond providing the professional guidance for venture building to bridging the gap between researchers’ academic mentality and the language of the business world. In particular, the program’s personal mentoring helped turn me and my co-founders into a team capable of navigating unfamiliar territory confidently.”
Yoav Etgar
Yoav Etgar
CEO and Co-founder, BugEra
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“I came to Oazis not knowing anything about business, and found a warm, motivated, and professional team ready to introduce me to all the business concepts I needed to know to take my ideas out of the lab and into industry. Just as important, Oazis helped me build a founding team by finding a capable CEO and COO who wanted to work with me. I’m now on my way to put the knowledge I gained into practice, and recommend this experience to any interested researcher.”
Prof. Ron Folman
Prof. Ron Folman
Co-founder, Photonics

Yazamut's scholar-practitioner team

Prof. Carmel Sofer

Founder and Chairman

Seasoned venture capitalist and entrepreneur in Israel’s high-tech industry, and member of the faculty of BGU’s Department of Cognitive and Brain Sciences

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Prof. Carmel Sofer

Dana Gavish

Founder and General Manager

Previously a venture manager at multiple high-tech companies and VP of marketing at Yissum, the tech-transfer company of the Hebrew University

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Dana Gavish

Daniel Weil

Oazis CEO

Lecturer on entrepreneurship and former director of multiple national nonprofits and a high-tech social enterprise.

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Daniel Weil

Danielle Aviran

Ecosystem Partnerships & Accelerator Manager

An innovation and business development leader, building strategic partnerships across the Israeli and MENA startup ecosystem.

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Danielle Aviran

Still not sure? Check out our FAQs:

Do I need entrepreneurial experience to join Oazis?

Not at all. Oazis is designed to grant researchers with no entrepreneurial experience the knowledge, skills, and support they need to found a company based on their technology.

Does my technology need to be fully developed for me to join Oazis?

Not necessarily. Our new program, Oazis Lab, helps researchers advance their technology to the translational stage. It’s worth getting in touch to speak about how we can help you achieve your research goals.

Should I apply to Oazis if I want to stay in academia?

Absolutely! Today’s researchers aren’t lone scientists in the lab: They’re expected to work across disciplines, manage teams, and feel comfortable with new technologies. All this, while thinking in bigger and bolder ways about how their research can solve real problems. Oazis will help you to do all these things, whether or not you choose to pursue a career in the high-tech industry.

Will I be able to participate in Oazis and still prioritize my research and teaching?

We won’t lie: Oazis is a serious commitment of time and energy. Fortunately, most researchers feel that the chance to turn their work into a successful company is worth every moment invested—and then some.