“Expand the tech circle from Rothschild Boulevard to Sderot, Tiberias, and Umm al-Fahm”

Said Calcalist Publisher Yoel Esteron at the Unicorn Forum, before inviting Ifat Bechor, CEO of Unistream, to the stage to discuss ways to empower youth from Israel’s periphery

Maayan Manela 11:2813.12.21

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"More unicorns have grown here in the past year, 2021, than all of the European countries combined," said Calcalist Publisher Yoel Esteron in Sunday’s Calcalist and Discount Tech’s Unicorn Forum. "Israel is not only a land of milk and honey, it is a land of wonderful unicorns. At Calcalist, we are covering this tsunami, and have been doing so for a while. We did not suddenly discover it. Israeli high-tech has been at the center of our activity for more than a decade. We cover it extensively and in-depth, hold startup competitions in all verticals, and we bring together investors and entrepreneurs at our conferences in Israel, New York, London, Berlin, and Dubai."

Calcalist Publisher Yoel Esteron. Photo: Orel Cohen

"However, there is a but, Israeli high-tech is flourishing mainly in the country’s center, between Rothschild Boulevard and Herzliya, plus two and a half more centers," Esteron added, "the periphery is not part of the game, or at least not enough. Therefore, I want to ask the unicorns to look up from their screens, and think about how to expand the tech circle from Rothschild Boulevard to Sderot, Yeruham, Acre, Tiberias, and Umm al-Fahm."

Estron stressed the importance of extending the boundaries of the industry. "There are wonderful organizations today that do just that - expand the circle, like Unistream that the entrepreneur and businessman Rony Zarom founded years ago to encourage and train boys and girls all over the country to be entrepreneurs, so one day they will be a part of Israel’s tech and innovation community.”

At that point, Estron invited Unistream CEO Ifat Bechor to the stage, who began speaking about the activities of the important venture. "It is no secret that the location of which a boy and a girl are from is likely to dictate their life trajectory. If they study, where they will work and how much they will earn. Most of them will align with the unencouraging statistics," she said. “Many institutions and groups are racking their brains, how, despite that, this route can be diverted.”

Unistream CEO Ifat Bechor. Photo: Orel Cohen

"20 years ago, Unistream had a thesis that proved itself, that entrepreneurship is a tool that will change lives. We work with youth that are far from Start-Up Nation on setting up business ventures from the brainstorming stage to the pitch stage for potential investors. 20 years of work prove that entrepreneurship education, and an entrepreneurial outlook on life, are tools that enable young people to realize their potential in the near and long term."

"The success of the project is seen in the matriculation eligibility rate, in their significant roles in the military, and in academic studies and the integration into the workforce. We do this magic in partnership with an amazing business community that takes an active and significant part in the programs we implement, and in making our ambitions to transform the periphery into Israel’s growth engine a reality, closing social gaps. We know how to create success, but we cannot achieve it alone. It is in the interest of all of us that there will be enough high-tech workers and quality workers in general."