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 Blumberg, 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 that 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 Benartzi, 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 Dalmau, president Formerly of the International Space University and Stephan Reckie 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 Blumberg - Chairman of the Israel Space Agency, Roi Naor, 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 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 Company X on the win and wish it great success, as well as thank all partners for their support and belief in the ability of the entrepreneurs to reach from the Negev - to the moon."