Despite the ongoing war and its effects on Israel’s younger population, an Israeli team won first place at the international robotics competition in Houston, Texas, at the end of April, for the first time in twenty years.

This competition is run by a non-profit organization called FIRST which strives to expose students to STEM-related subjects through different robotics competitions. With the support and sponsorship of the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, FIRST Israel offers children programming from when they are in primary school to when they attend high school through which they can learn about robotics as part of a team and community.

These programs – FIRST LEGO League Challenge for primary school students and FIRST Robotics Competition for high school students – also provide a platform for kids to learn about core values such as teamwork, the importance of the process of learning, and inclusion.

In the time it takes to read this article, several people in the United States will likely experience a heart attack — according to the CDC, someone in the US suffers from one every 40 seconds.

That morbid statistic highlights the importance of coronary artery disease detection methods, and companies developing them.

One such company is Israeli startup AccuLine, which recently secured $4.2 million in seed funding for the development and commercialisation of its CORA (Coronary Artery Risk Assessment) system, designed to improve the early detection of coronary artery disease (CAD), a leading cause of heart attacks.

CORA detects two bio-signals in the heart’s electrical activity, providing insights into coronary artery health. The system uses artificial intelligence and machine-learning algorithms to analyse this data, identifying patterns that may indicate CAD.

The CORA assessment improves upon current CAD diagnostic tools by means of a noninvasive, radiation-free test that evaluates three vital signs — the heart’s electrical activity, oxygen saturation levels and respiratory phase — in four minutes.

The system is designed to be operated by medical staff in various healthcare settings, with immediate results. By potentially replacing some existing stress test examinations, CORA could reduce medical expenses while maintaining diagnostic accuracy.

AccuLine, based in Petah Tikva, estimates the market potential for the technology at $7 billion annually in the United States.

The company has conducted two clinical studies in Israel to validate CORA’s diagnostic capabilities. The first involved 100 participants, while the second, larger study included 300 participants across seven medical centers. A third study is planned for next year in the US to seek US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval.

“Diagnosing patients at very early stages of risk for CAD without invasive testing will add value to patients, healthcare systems, doctors and insurance organisations,” said AccuLine cofounder and CEO Moshe Barel.

“This test has the potential to save millions of lives a year and save hundreds of millions of dollars for healthcare systems on unnecessary tests or expensive treatments for patients after a heart attack, including rehabilitation and medication.”

Maayan Kinsbursky, a graduate of the advanced degree program in industrial design at the Technion, has won the international Red Dot Design Award for her master’s project. The award ceremony will take place in Singapore on October 10, and the project will subsequently be exhibited at the Red Dot Design Museum, also in Singapore. The project was supervised by Assistant Professor Yoav Sterman, former innovation manager at Nike, and a faculty member in the industrial design program headed by Prof. Ezri Tarazi, in the Faculty of Architecture and Town Planning.

Kinsbursky’s project, U·Bra, is an innovative bra designed for women who have undergone a mastectomy and cannot have reconstruction surgery. These women often opt for a silicone prosthesis inserted into a special bra, which can cause excessive sweating, rashes, pressure, and shoulder pain. Additionally, the prosthesis can create an asymmetrical appearance and may cause discomfort and embarrassment due to the fear of it shifting or falling out.

The U·Bra

In Kinsbursky’s research, the bra and prosthesis were designed as an integrated unit, customized for women who have had a mastectomy. The customization is based on 3D scanning, design processing, and 3D printing using a unique method developed at the Technion. The resulting product is a soft, airy, lightweight textile item that is tailored to the specific user.

Kinsbursky, who grew up in the Golan Heights, completed her bachelor’s degree in industrial design at Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design and pursued her master’s degree at the Technion. The award-winning project was realized at the Technion using innovative printing technology developed in the CodedMatter Laboratory led by Asst. Prof. Sterman. As she is currently on maternity leave, Kinsbursky’s lab team is continuing the pilot program, fitting bras for twenty women who have undergone mastectomies.

The Red Dot Design Awards, considered to be the “Oscars of the design world,” aim to promote excellence in design. The awards are given in three categories and Kinsbursky won in the Design Concept category. The project was selected to participate in the Technion’s “Science Accelerators” program, generously supported by the Hitman Foundation and the Bernstein Foundation.

Photo credits: Haim Zinger, Faculty of Architecture and Town Planning Photography Lab (Maayan and Yoav). Reut Degani (Bra).

Even before the establishment of the State of Israel, faculty, students, and alumni of the Technion helped develop and manage water resources in a desert land. They contributed to the national water carrier that brought water from the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee) in the north to the drylands in the south. They improved technologies for water treatment, desalination, and drip irrigation. These efforts have turned Israel from a water-deficient to a water-abundant country.  

Today, Israel leads the world in water reclamation, recycling more than 90% of its wastewater for use in agriculture and industry. No longer reliant on the Kinneret, Israel’s five desalination plants provide the bulk of the country’s drinking water. Complex systems carry diverse water types from diverse water sources for diverse water needs. 

But far from resting on its laurels, improving the sustainability and quality of water and water management facilities remains a major priority for Israel and for the Technion. The University established the Stephen and Nancy Grand Water Research Institute (GWRI) in 1993 to address these challenges through science, technology, engineering, and policy development.  

The GWRI comprises more than 40 researchers from various faculties, including civil, environmental, mechanical, and chemical engineering, as well as chemistry, biotechnology, and more. They publish about 200 papers a year on topics from water resource management to aquaculture systems to feed a burgeoning world population. While its focus is on the needs of Israel, it is also very much involved internationally. 

“One-third of the world’s population lives under water scarcity conditions,” said Professor Eran Friedler, director of the GWRI and the Henry Goldberg Academic Chair in the Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering. He is also a Technion alumnus, having received a Ph.D. in environmental engineering in 1994.  

FROM LEFT: PROF. DAVID BRODAY; PROF. ERAN FRIEDLER; ILAN KATZ, CEO AND CTO OF H2OLL; AND LIRON HOUBER, STUDENT.

“The number will only increase due to population growth, urbanization, and climate change. And this can lead to political instability and refugees,” Prof. Friedler added. 

And that’s the reason he co-invented a system that produces clean water from the air with a colleague, Professor David Broday. Their atmospheric water generator harvests air moisture by an innovative continuous liquid desiccant system. Energy is only invested when condensing the vapor into liquid water. It even works in desert regions and can run on solar energy. They founded a startup, H2OLL, to commercialize the product. 

Prof. Friedler’s area of expertise in developing alternative water resources and improving delivery systems extends to research on wastewater reuse and methodologies to harvest rainwater. He is looking into ways to store rainwater in tanks that can be released when the water flow in drainage pipes is low. This rainwater can be used in toilets, washing machines, and dishwashers. And with some treatment, it could be used for drinking water. 

“With climate change, rain events are going to be more severe. If we can store the water through harvesting, we can reduce the amount of drainage water in cities while supplying water to various uses.” 

Other GWRI researchers are working on ways to reduce the environmental impact in water treatment and desalination. Some are working on organic methods to remove pollutants. 

“Even at the end of the traditional treatment process, there are still pollutants in very small concentrations that are not removed,” said Professor Yael Dubowski. “Residues of pharmaceuticals, pesticides, personal care products — we don’t know enough about the problems they could cause when water containing them is used for agriculture.” 

PROF. YAEL DUBOWSKI USES VACUUM-ULTRAVIOLET VERY SHORT WAVELENGTH RADIATION TO REMOVE POLLUTANTS IN WATER WITHOUT CHEMICALS.

Prof. Dubowski has investigated a chemical-free advanced oxidation process that is based solely on ultraviolet light. Such radiation breaks the water molecules and generates the radicals needed for pollutants’ oxidation. It holds promise for an additional step in the water treatment process. 

Associate Professor Adi Radian is studying the natural, positive processes that occur in the environment to breakdown pollutants. She wants to mimic them to improve remediation in engineered systems. 

“Clay minerals are plentiful, cheap, natural, nontoxic, and have huge surface areas,” she explained. “Clay is often used to soak up spills and bad smells — think cat litter.” Prof. Radian is working on changing the chemistry of clay to make it adsorb (bring to the surface) rather than absorb pollutants. Depending on the properties of the pollutant, she can change the properties of the clay.  

ASSOC. PROF. ADI RADIAN HAS DEVELOPED A WAY TO REMOVE TOXIC PFAS (PERFLUOROALKYL AND POLYFLUOROALKYL SUBSTANCES) LIKE TEFLON AND OTHER NONSTICK MATERIALS FROM WATER.

She has already had great success with removing “forever chemicals” from water systems. These are toxic substances like Teflon and other nonstick materials that repel water. Using iron oxide coated-clay together with cyclodextrin polymers, she was able to remove 90% of them from contaminated water in just minutes. 

Since Israel has been using desalinated water for drinking and reclaimed wastewater for agriculture in greater quantities and longer than any other country, Profs. Friedler, Dubowski, and Radian, and other Technion researchers are sure to play a major role in solving the world’s water scarcity problems. They acknowledge that the key is finding environmentally sustainable and affordable means to do it.  

In the late 1970s, when no one thought it could be possible, Dov Raviv, a Technion alumnus, had a fantastical idea for a defensive weapon that could intercept and shoot down long-range incoming missiles. The idea developed into what would become the Arrow Antimissile System, the world’s first missile defense platform, and what would protect Israel from Iran’s missile barrage on April 13, 2024.
Dov Raviv was born in Bucharest, Romania, in 1937. Had he stayed there he was destined to become a tradesman. Fortunately, his family emigrated to Israel in 1947. He initially trained as a locksmith in Israel, but his mother wanted more for her son. After all, he was now living in the Promised Land. So, Dov enrolled at the Technion, unsure what field of study to pursue.
“My father said, ‘why don’t you learn how to make airplanes,’” Dov said. His father, who sold and bought luggage and other travel items, didn’t suggest the field because he believed Dov showed some kind of special acuity for aerospace or engineering, but “just because he liked airplanes. So that’s what I did.”
The Technion has the only faculty of aerospace engineering in Israel. At the time, Moshe Arens, a U.S.-trained aeronautical engineer, was one of its earliest faculty members. “Moshe Arens was very inspiring,” said Dov. “He was an excellent teacher and he drove me.” After leaving the Technion in 1965, Arens served as minister of defense for Israel three times and as ambassador to the United States.
Dov obtained a bachelor’s degree in aeronautical engineering in 1959, and went to work for MLM, a subsidiary of Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI). He excelled at all tasks and brought many new ideas to the company. While at MLM, he was also an officer in the Israeli air force in charge of ballistic missile trajectories.
He was promoted to director of MLM in 1978, overseeing 180 employees and transforming it from IAE’s manufacturing plant into an arm for engineering systems and production with 1,100 employees by the time he retired in 1992. During this timeframe, he began development on the Arrow interceptor missile and launcher he had envisioned with a team of all Technion graduates.

THE ARROW 1 TECHNOLOGY DEMONSTRATOR WAS SUCCESSFULLY TESTED IN 1990.

The air force didn’t believe a device to intercept missiles was possible. But Dov didn’t give up. “I pushed it so much until people started listening. I had a reputation for getting things done,” he explained. But funding was lacking.

In 1984, a delegation from the United States Air Force visited IAI and Dov was asked to present projects in development. Six months later, U.S. Lt. Gen. James Abrahamson, an aeronautical engineer and astronaut, requested a proposal to support the Arrow experiment. Gen. Abrahamson was the director of the new Strategic Defense Initiative Organization (SDIO), known as the Star Wars Program, to develop a sophisticated anti-ballistic missile system for the U.S.

“I submitted a proposal for $150 million. They couldn’t believe it could be done with so little money and they funded it, I believe, as an exercise to see if it could really be done. In the end, we did it with a lot less.”

In 1986, a formal agreement between the U.S. and Israel was signed to co-fund a multi-billion-dollar Arrow program, and in 1988, SDIO placed an order with IAE for the Arrow 1 technology demonstrator. Arrow 1 was successfully tested in 1990. The Gulf War in 1991 was the impetus for further development of the Arrow. Arrow 2 became the world’s first operational defense system against missiles in 2000.

Arrow 3 — also led by a team of Technion alumni — became operational in 2017. It is capable of intercepting intercontinental ballistic missiles carrying nuclear, chemical, or biological warheads as far as 1,500 miles away during the space-flight portion of their trajectory. Both Arrow 2 and Arrow 3 were used to intercept the long-range ballistic missile barrage from Iran in April.

Dov Raviv, who lives in Rishon LeZion, a suburb just south of Tel Aviv, reflected on his journey. “I would have been a pretty good locksmith. I was the youngest and best in the class.” No doubt. It’s lucky for Israel that his mother wanted him to get a higher education and his father liked airplanes.

No idea is too big in Start-Up Nation, and resilience and motivation are what make Israel’s bustling tech economy so successful. I recently had the pleasure of speaking with Omer Schneider, former CEO and co-founder of cybersecurity company CyberX, about his time at the Technion and how he took his big idea all the way to an acquisition deal with the largest tech company in the world.

His dedication to his work in every stage of life gave him the confidence to believe in himself and make an impact on millions of people throughout his career. Omer’s story is also a great lesson: if you think you’ve already shot for the stars, you can shoot even higher.

Michael: You’ve had quite an impressive career already, building a company from the ground up and then selling it to the biggest tech company in the world. I’m intrigued by what that process looked like, but I thought we could first go all the way back to the beginning and talk a bit about your time at the Technion. 

Omer: It’s been quite the journey, but it actually started well before my time at the Technion. My story begins with the computer my parents gave me as a kid. Eventually, I used that computer to teach myself how to code in high school. Additionally, half of my family attended the Technion, and the university was very much a family legacy for us. Growing up, I knew that I wanted to continue that legacy and was eager to start my studies in Haifa.

Michael: Was pursuing computer science a no-brainer?

Omer: I hadn’t decided to focus on computer science or any other specific field before I started at the Technion. Honestly, at that age, I thought I could best contribute to my community as an army engineer. I applied to and was accepted into the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) engineering academic reserve program where my education at the Technion prepared me for my future career in the military. Ultimately, my childhood fascination with computers drew me to computer science. I wanted to learn about the intersection of hardware and software, looking at computer systems at-large.

Michael: What role did the Technion play in your transition into the IDF after graduation?

Omer: With my Technion degree, I was eventually drafted into an elite cybersecurity unit in the army (Matzov). At the time, Israel was building out its national cybersecurity initiative, and I was a founding member of the Israel National Cyber Security Bureau. My early years at the Technion laid the groundwork for my success in this program that essentially established Israel’s cybersecurity infrastructure from the ground up. I refined my skills at setting and accomplishing challenging goals within a rigorous environment while I was in university, and I brought these strategies with me after graduation. I was so invested in the project that I decided to stay in the army an additional two years beyond my required six years of service.

Michael: It sounds like you made quite the impact on your community during those years in the IDF. I can imagine that making the decision to leave was a difficult one.

Omer: Yes, I definitely didn’t take the decision lightly. However, I felt like I had made my mark in an important way, and I wanted to explore what it was like to make an impact in the private sector. Much of my motivation was driven by my curiosity. I wanted to know what it would be like to have my own company and start a new challenge like nothing I had ever faced. My business partner, Nir Giller, and I saw the digital world changing before our eyes and found a gap in the cybersecurity market at the time. We believed that we could build something quite large to fill it, and shortly after I left the IDF in late 2012, we launched CyberX.

Michael: It’s quite a feat to build a company of CyberX’s magnitude in just a few years. Can you expand on CyberX’s mission?

Omer: When I left the army, I had a hunch that the world was about to become much more connected than it had been, even in the early 2010s. From my previous experience, I knew that many of our critical infrastructure networks were missing key monitoring and detection capabilities to prevent attacks. Those systems were only going to expand, so the security risk was becoming more and more urgent, which is where CyberX came in. We specialized in OT (Operational Technology) and IoT (“Internet of Things”) security. We developed unique technology that provided real-time visibility into industrial networks used in energy utilities, water purification plants, oil and gas refineries, chemical plants, manufacturing, healthcare, and other facilities that use equipment from many different suppliers such as Schneider Electric and Rockwell Automation. Our platform used patented behavioral analytics to analyze industrial network protocols in order to detect attacks, understand their root cause, assess risk, and identify vulnerabilities in this very complex equipment.

After a few years of establishing a strong reputation across several industries, we were working with three of the top ten utility companies in the US, three of the top ten global pharmaceutical companies, and multiple Fortune 500 companies, and in more than 30 countries worldwide.

Michael: No wonder Microsoft was interested in your work! 

Omer: It was definitely a surprise, but at the time, I can proudly say that we had grown to be a leader in the space and raised close to $50 million. Our next step was already on the horizon, and then Microsoft appeared!

Michael: I’m sure that this was an important milestone for you, especially having grown up in Start-Up Nation. At the same time, I know you closed the deal during the pandemic, which sounds like a massive logistical hurdle.

Omer: We were ecstatic about the opportunity, but yes, working on the deal through the pandemic added an extra layer of complexity. The world was changing every day, the stock market was unpredictable, and we had to conduct all negotiations on Teams. Fortunately, Microsoft was committed to the process, and finally, after several months of paperwork and discussions, we closed the deal in June 2020.

Michael: Wow, that must have been an incredible whirlwind. I’m always curious what a start-up founder does after a successful exit. Personally, I would choose a long vacation, but something tells me you aren’t finished quite yet.

Omer: You’re right, I stayed with the Microsoft team for two years after the deal as a director on the IoT security team as we continued to grow the business inside Microsoft. Since then, I’ve stayed active in the tech world and done some investing. I’ve also enjoyed spending time with my wife and four kids here in the Boston area. I’m a long-distance runner as well, so I’m always training, and I’ve done an Iron Man triathlon and several marathons.

Michael: It never ceases to amaze me hearing from Technion graduates about how much tenacity they have in every aspect of their lives! What is your next move now that you’ve left Microsoft?

Omer: I learned from my time at CyberX that I love to be the guy who makes things happen, and I’m certainly not finished leaving my mark on the tech world. I’m working on a new company – Cetu with a new partner, Kfir Gollan. Something big is in the works, even bigger than CyberX in my opinion – I just can’t say much about it yet. The company will focus on the intersection of security and data!

Michael: You have quite the resume for making big impacts, so I don’t doubt that your expectations are correct. Thank you for taking the time to speak with me about your career so far and your time at the Technion!

Going from development on Israel’s world famous Iron Dome missile defense system to maximizing energy usage might sound a little odd, but to Ron Halpern, chief commercial officer at mPrest, the software company behind the platform, the transition was a natural one.

“Iron Dome essentially is a real-time distributed asset optimisation system; the assets happened to be interceptors,” Halpern tells NoCamels.

mPrest used the principles behind Iron Dome to create the mDERMS energy management system (IDF Spokesperson’s Unit)

Having developed the command and control system for Iron Dome, the 20-year-old, Petah Tikva-based company “went on an Internet of Things journey,” as Halpern puts it, and decided to apply the principles used to create the missile defense software to making electricity plants more efficient and sustainable. 

“Fundamentally, from an architectural perspective, we’re continuing to do the same thing,” he says.  “We do asset health management as performance management in the electric grid.”  

mPrest used its optimization technology to create a new distributed energy resource management system (DERMS). These systems are designed to maximize efficiency on a power grid through both the supplier (referred to in the industry as “front of the meter”) and the consumer (known as “behind the meter”). 

“We’re creating a single picture, a single view, a single process – the virtual process – and we’re analyzing that process and optimizing that process,” Halpern says. 

The company’s unique platform, known as mDERMS, manages all aspects of a power grid’s performance, integrating with existing software such as analytics and hardware such as sensors and providing a bottom-up image of the infrastructure for the operators and a detailed breakdown of their energy consumption for users. 

Illustrative: mDERMS presents a bottom-up presentation of a power grid’s performance (Unsplash)

mDERMS also integrates power from those users who supply the grid with clean energy they have themselves produced through wind, hydro or solar power on their property. These independent energy producers band together to form consortiums in order to sell a substantial amount of power to utility companies, rather than the negligible amounts they produce individually. 

These consortiums are known as virtual power plants (VPPs) and the power they provide supplements the grid, making it more sustainable. 

What sets mPrest apart, Halpern says, is its holistic AI-driven approach – merging the clean energy from the VPPs, optimization of resources and advanced storage capabilities to create what he calls “a dynamic and efficient energy ecosystem.” 

The main target function of the mDERMS is to ensure that from an operational perspective, everything is optimized, he explains. 

The software can put together a plan to dilute energy consumption across a longer period of time so that there is not a peak of demand at certain hours, such as when people come home from work. 

This is known as “peak shifting,” Halpern says, and also involves the utility company charging less at certain times in order to encourage more usage at those hours. 

Mass use of energy-heavy assets such as air conditioning units can put great stress on a power grid (Pexels)

“Everyone comes home in the summer and turns on their air conditioner, they want the house to be cold,” he says. 

“[But] instead of cooling the air conditioner at 6pm, let me start cooling at 5pm and then by 6pm it’ll be cold; I’ll turn it off or adjust the thermostat so that I won’t have a peak at 6pm when it’s inconvenient for the utility.”  

The same is true in winter, when water heaters go on as people arrive home and want to shower. By switching on heaters earlier in the day, people still have hot water but do not place such strain on the grid. 

And when the supplier is under high stress, mDERMS has the ability to tap into renewable power provided the VPPs, which is stored in batteries off the grid. 

In Israel, Halpern says, the government is promoting external power storage and VPPs – primarily based on solar power due to the country’s Mediterranean/desert climate, with long summers and mild winters.

mDERMS draws on renewable energy to alleviate pressure on a power grid in peak hours (Pexels)

mPrest has already worked with the state-owned Israel Electric Corporation to optimize its performance and recently signed an agreement with the EDF Renewables Israel, the local subsidiary of an international developer and operator of renewable power plants. 

But, Halpern says, the majority of its business is on the international level, where both the distribution and the VPP technology is in demand. 

Utility companies want grid stability and the ability to offer better services to their customers, he says, so they need a system such as mDERMS. 

“From a utility’s perspective, the main priority is to keep the lights on,” he says. 

200+ volunteers from tech community speedily develop GenAI and computer vision-based solutions to address new challenges presented by the war.

Israel Tech Guard, an all-volunteer, not-for-profit initiative empowering Israel’s defenses with the latest technologies, is looking to raise $2 million for rapid-pace initiatives designed to help protect the nation during and after the war.

Formed on October 7 while the Hamas attacks were wreaking death and destruction, Israel Tech Guard was cofounded by serial tech entrepreneur Mor Ram-On; software engineer and team lead at Cybereason Ron Balter; and senior programmer Lior Mizrahi, cofounder and CTO of Maveriks.

Israel Tech Guard merchandise. Photo courtesy of Israel Tech Guard

Around 200 volunteers from Israel’s tech community are working for Israel Tech Guard, which is structured in teams of two to 20 developers operating as internal startups within the organization. This allows teams the freedom to run fast without worrying about office space, legal, financial, and other logistics.

Ram-On says that this agile approach has resulted in each solution taking, on average, a week to develop.

Projects by Israel Tech Guard include:

Blood Donation Bot: A mobile web app designed to streamline blood donation by checking eligibility prior to visiting, saving donors time while also helping the staff at Israel’s national blood and medical emergency service, Magen David Adom, better manage resources.

Rehab Track: An app that helps hospitals to track the location of patients during their rehabilitation to support their physicians treating them throughout the recovery process.

Guardian X: An automated media analysis system for social networks that detects faces and objects of interest and correlates them with known databases for matches.

“Every time I’d bring him a project, he’d hand it back full of comments and tell me, ‘you can do better.’” Aerospace engineer Inbal Kreiss ’88 fondly recalled that lesson learned as a student from Technion Professor Yeshayahu Talmon. And that advice helped shape her career.  

Kreiss, a graduate of the Wolfson Faculty of Chemical Engineering, is today head of innovation at the Systems, Missiles, and Space Division of Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd. (IAI), the nation’s prominent aerospace and aviation corporation. Since joining IAI in 2000, she has held leadership positions on projects that have contributed to Israel’s security and is widely regarded as a leader in Israel’s aerospace and defense industry. 

“Prof. Talmon set the bar high and showed me that I can set my expectations higher and higher,” Kreiss said. “And the Technion opened doors, introduced me to the top level of experts, and trained me to be a professional.” 

Born in Israel, Kreiss understands that “part of being Israeli is doing something significant to contribute to the defense of our country.” Her father was the head intelligence officer in the 1976 Entebbe raid, which freed Israeli hostages hijacked to Uganda. “Israel’s space achievements are elements of statehood — the courage to be first, to dream big, and to strive for technological superiority,” she said. “The space industry is a wonderful example of the Startup Nation, which I call the Innovation Nation.”  

Kreiss received her Technion bachelor’s degree, graduating with honors while finding time to do folk dancing. She received an Executive Master’s of Business Administration from Tel Aviv University, and continued her studies as a visiting researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). From 1988 to 2000, she worked in the Directorate of Research and Development of the Israeli Ministry of Defense, and then joined IAI. By some estimates, one-half its employees are Technion alumni. 

From the get-go, Kreiss was central to IAI’s defense technology development. She led and managed the design programs of the Arrow 2 and Arrow 3 anti-ballistic missile defense systems. Later, she led the spacecraft design and assembly team for Israel’s first mission to the moon, Beresheet. Even though the spacecraft crashed upon landing, it achieved lunar orbit, and “inspired young children to pursue STEM and space fields,” Kreiss said. What started as a dream of three young entrepreneurs “ended with an entire nation following every maneuver all the way to the moon. For our nation, all it takes for a dream to come true is to dream big— and a lot of determination.”  

Kreiss’ career is punctuated with many proud moments, such as serving as chairwoman of the 2022 Rakia Mission, Israel’s first venture to the International Space Station (ISS). Rakia gave scientists and entrepreneurs opportunities to test space-related technologies in the unique atmospheric conditions of outer space. The selection process to determine which experiments would travel to the ISS was competitive, but the Technion won three spots. “The Mission positioned Israel as a prime player on the global space map, and again the Technion was a key player,” said Kreiss. “The Rakia Mission is a great example of Israeli chutzpa.” 

Married to Yitshak Kreiss, Director General of Sheba Medical Center, Kreiss modestly dismisses references to them in Israeli newspapers as “the scientific power couple.” “That’s only what’s written in the news. We are doing what we do, balancing our work with our life,” she said. “I spent my entire career breathing, living, and dreaming space … bringing together scientists and engineers, entrepreneurs, and innovators, who collectively make the frontier of space accessible.”  

Judith Hocherman-Frommer always envisioned an academic career at the Technion. After all, she spent 10 years there. She received three degrees in electrical engineering and control systems. After a postdoc at Princeton University, she taught as an adjunct lecturer for three years, while working full time at Rafael Advanced Defense Systems.  

“I thought I would get some real-world experience before immersing myself in academia,” she said. She intended to stay for one year, but 27 years later, Hocherman-Frommer is the executive vice president for research and development (R&D) at Rafael.   

She is responsible for setting the R&D strategy, finding trends, and determining where to put the research dollars for investment. She also oversees systems engineering and is responsible for collaborations with academia and businesses.   

There are several collaborative programs with the Technion from teaching and student employment to collaboration in research. They send employees to the University to do research and the Technion sends students to do their degrees at Rafael. In some cases, employees are getting degrees from the Technion while doing their research at Rafael’s facilities.  

“The Technion makes a great contribution to the qualitative competitive edge of Israel, which is extremely important for the country,” she said. “Many of our employees are Technion alumni and other leading industries employ Technion graduates.”

When Hocherman-Frommer began her studies at the Technion in 1984, she was one of only about 10 women in a class of hundreds in electrical engineering. But it was never a concern to her, nor did she face any obstacles or discrimination.   

Today, there are times when she is the only woman at the table, particularly in meetings with high-ranking military officers, but she has never felt out of place or disrespected. “I am appreciated for the contributions I make.”   

Hocherman-Frommer is very proud of the role Rafael plays in keeping Israel safe. At the end of 2019, Forbes magazine rated two of Rafael’s innovations among the 12 most significant defense systems of the decade: Iron Dome and Trophy, both of which are playing major roles in the current Hamas-Israel war.  

Iron Dome has saved thousands upon thousands of lives. Its ability to destroy rockets in mid-air with more than 90% accuracy allows Israelis to live life in war with some degree of normalcy. Trophy has saved the lives of countless soldiers. It protects tanks from anti-tank guided missiles and high-explosive artillery.  

“After the Forbes article, I thought, what do I have to invest in now for the next decade?” She’s sure Iron Beam will be the next super innovation. It uses a high-energy laser interceptor, and not a missile, to destroy targets, and is expected to be ready by 2025.   

Of her alma mater, Hocherman-Frommer said, “The Technion makes a great contribution to the qualitative competitive edge of Israel, which is extremely important for the country.   

“The Technion is a place of excellence. Working hard and striving to excel are the keys to success. I got this from the Technion.”