As I mentioned in a previous post, we recently had the opportunity to visit the northern part of Israel to meet with some of the more interesting companies in the country. What I didn't mentioned in that post is that between all of the work, we found some time to take in the beautiful sights and scenery of the Galilee region.
Our first stop along this journey was the city of Safed. At nearly 3,000 feet of above sea level, this city provides views over the countryside below filled with vineyards and dotted by pine trees. Dating as far back as its biblical references, Safed serves as one of Judaism's four holy cities, which is noticeable from first arrival. Walking the shop-lined cobbled streets of the old city, one feels as though he were transported back in time.
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| The team exploring Safed |
After Safed, our next stop along the journey into the North was a rafting trip along the Jordan River. Relaxing on inflatable rafts and kayaks, we paddled (or in some cases just floated) down the shady and tree-lined Jordan River which feeds the Sea of Galilee.
Once we completed our trip down the Jordan, we headed towards our hotel at Kibutz Ha'on. Nestled on the eastern shores of the Sea of Galilee, our accommodations faced west across the Sea towards Tiberias, making for an unforgettable sunset.
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| Galilee sunset |
The next morning we were up early to tour a few of the countless holy sites surrounding the Sea of Galilee. From churches:
to ancient ruins:
we took in the best sites that the Galilee has to offer. We capped off our Galilee experience with some excellent hiking with great views of the entire region:
and an offroad jeep tour of the surrounding countryside:
After this weekend, we all came away with a deep appreciation of the history and natural beauty of the Galilee Region. Warm and sunny by day, cool and quiet by night, and home to some of Israel's most hospitable people, I believe we are all eager to one day return.
This past weekend the team completed our Tour of Israel with a trip to the northern regions of Galilee and Golan Heights. While there, we had the opportunity to meet executives at two of Israel's more exciting companies: Amiad and the Misgav Venture Accelerator.
Amiad
With the world's population rapidly expanding in areas already challenged by substandard access to clean water, it has become clear that the problem that my generation will be charged with solving is how to provide water to a world population that will exceed 7 billion by the end of this decade. In a country where water is an issue of national security, it is no surprise that one of the world's most innovative water filtration companies has come out of Israel. By providing customized solutions that last a lifetime, Amiad deploys its filtration products across the globe to meet the needs of small African villages and growing metropolises alike. In meeting with their management and touring their facilities, our team left Amiad quite impressed by their innovative approach to tackling this timeless problem.
Misgav Venture Accelerator
An incubator run the by Trendlines Group, the Misgav Venture Accelerator is focused on building businesses out of life science technologies that seek to improve the human condition. Awarded "Best Incubator" by Israel's Office of the Chief Scientist, Misgav is clearly doing something right. Their CEO and Chairman Steve Rhodes walked the team through the Israeli incubator program and discussed its merits and recent successes. By providing mentoring, office support and collaboration among like-minded entrepreneurs, Misgav has shown great promise in creating such innovative companies as ETView and Endo Grab. Their innovations save on healthcare costs and improve healthcare delivery in such a manner that the end user and the healthcare provider both benefit. Before concluding our meeting, we all had the opportunity to pitch the companies we are building at the Technion and receive valuable feedback from experienced venture executive and long time business builder Steve Rhodes, an honor of which many an entrepreneur would be jealous.
The views expressed on this site are those of Andrew Giessel, hereafter referred to as "the author", and do not necessarily represent those of the University of Maryland, the Robert H. Smith School of Business, or the Technion. All content provided on this blog is for informational purposes only. The author makes no representations as to the accuracy or completeness of any information on this blog or found by following any link on this blog. The author will not be liable for any errors or omissions in this information nor for the availability of this information. The author will not be liable for any losses, injuries, or damages from the display or use of this information.
