It’s a good time to be an entrepreneur in St. Louis, but it may be an even better time to be an entrepreneur in Israel. That’s about to be a very good thing for St. Louis. Israel has more startup businesses per capita than any other country in the world. Sixty-five percent of the startups last more than five years, and it has the third-most companies listed on NASDAQ behind the United States and China. How does this benefit St. Louis, you may ask? It’s because a new and unique partnership between Washington University in St. Louis’ Olin Business School and the Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) in Herzliya, Israel, will give undergraduates from any American college or university a first-hand look at this burgeoning startup scene this summer. The Israel Summer Business Academy, which is open to all undergraduates no matter their academic or religious background, will provide a rare chance for students to get an in-depth, six-week look at Israel’s startup culture and an opportunity to earn credit at their home institution while doing so. Washington University, one of our regions leading educational institutions, will grant course credit to their students seeking to take advantage of this opportunity. It’s a simple procedure. The student’s transcripts will simply be sent to his or hers home institutions at the end of the program where it’ll be recorded as credit toward their undergraduate degree. “This is a unique and powerful partnership with IDC,” says Steve Malter, director of the undergraduate program at Olin and founder of ISBA. “It will allow students from all over this country to immerse themselves in a uniquely entrepreneurial environment and to learn from some of the top innovators in Israel.” The deadline to sign up is Feb. 15, 2014. The program is June 15-July 24, 2014. Learning will occur both in and outside of the classroom with the students being able to apply what they learn to advising Israeli start-ups and creating their own start-up. The program will feature extensive immersive visits with companies, start-ups and thought leaders, including Google Israel, Intel, TEVA pharmaceuticals, various venture capital firms, incubators, the U.S. Embassy, the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, and top U.S. and Israeli government officials.??The program costs $4,000 and includes tuition, housing, insurance, excursions, bus pass and some meals.??For complete information and to sign up, visit olin.wustl.edu/isba.
