Action Learning

EMBA Israel Lab

EMBA Israel Lab student teams partner with Israeli host organizations to work on complex problems in critical areas with emphasis on early-stage ventures and their growth.

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EMBA Israel Lab

Welcome

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Action Learning

Israel Lab: The bridge of learning

For the past six years, Israel Lab has provided students with the opportunity to gain hands-on experience, while providing actionable insights to high-tech Israeli startups.

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15.S66 Israel Lab

Israel, like MIT, is a global leader and a center of innovation and entrepreneurship. For eight years now, our Israel Lab student teams have partnered with Israeli host organizations to work on complex problems in critical areas, including AI and machine learning, cybersecurity, life sciences, clean technology, analytics, and many more, with emphasis on early-stage ventures and their growth.

Due to popular demand, MIT Sloan now offers an Executive MBA-only version of Israel Lab. 

WATCH: Senior associate dean Jacob Cohen on Israel Lab

EMBA Israel Lab

Projects

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Action Learning

Sourcing impact investors for product launch

Israel-based social technology company Intuition Robotics has a big idea: Their ElliQ voice-activated “care companion” is like Alexa for elderly adults, offering fitness reminders, wellness support, video calls, entertainment, photos, and even jokes. But can they land funding? A team of Israel Lab students were tasked with identifying $15 million in impact investments for the product, which involved clearly communicating its benefits and drilling down on its niche in the marketplace.

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Innovating in the Startup Nation 

For eight years, our students have worked with a variety of exciting Israeli startup companies. From healthcare and agriculture, to analytics and artificial intelligence, our students are making an impact in Israel's startup culture. 

Israel Lab projects by industry

Agtech

AI, analytics, and big data

Cryptocurrency

Edtech

Enterprise tech

Healthtech

Infrastructure and shipping

Enterprise tech, marketplace and platform tech, and SaaS

EMBA Israel Lab

Info for students

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The class

Teams work for their host organizations on a four-month project engagement. In 2024, we will continue to adhere to MIT's current travel policy.

The organizations collaborate with their student teams to define the project scope, develop work plans, and determine the deliverables the teams will create. EMBA Israel Lab teams will deliver significant, concrete value to their host organizations. Equally important are the unprecedented opportunities for students to apply their leading-edge classroom learning to complex issues of innovation and entrepreneurship in real time. 

Student bidding process

Bidding for EMBA Israel Lab will take place in December, 2023. This lab is only open to Executive MBA students. 

Student timeline

  • December

    Introductions and team project-matching.

  • January-May

    Project collaboration with field study work in mid-March.

  • March 18-22, 2024

    EMBA students conduct their field study work. 

  • April

    Presentations to hosts and project conclusion. Teams debrief. 

EMBA Israel Lab

Info for hosts

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The benefits of becoming a host organization

Our enthusiastic EMBA Israel Lab teams deliver measurable impact to Israeli host companies in a wide variety of industries. 

EMBA Israel Lab is a unique opportunity for Israeli startups:

  • to work with a team of experienced, mid-career executives and innovative leaders on specific issues startups are facing
  • to collaborate to find concrete, implementable solutions through research, analysis, and knowledge sharing
  • to gain insights and guidance from a student team with wide-ranging skills, work experiences, and cultural backgrounds

 Project scope

When selecting their project scope, host companies can choose from a broad spectrum of management challenges facing executive leaders across a wide array of industries, such as strategic growth, new market entry, pricing, marketing, benchmarking, VC and fundraising, and financial strategy.

EMBA Israel Lab strongly emphasizes concrete “leave-behinds” as a primary component of the teams’ project deliverables. For example, student teams may deliver tools such as financial models, potential customer/investor/partner pipelines and screens, and go-to-market roadmaps.

Executive MBA student teams

EMBA Israel Lab teams will typically comprise four to six MIT EMBA students representing a range of backgrounds and expertise, from management consulting and financial services, to engineering, technology, and operations.

Each team will work with an EMBA Israel Lab mentor who meets with the team and oversees the team’s progress, both logistically and substantively. The team, however, is responsible for building and managing the relationship with their host company. Please keep in mind that EMBA students are also full-time working executives. 

Host company timeline

  • October

    Application and project scoping: Companies submit applications to host an EMBA Israel Lab team.

    • Describe the scope of the challenges they are facing and the solutions they would like an EMBA Israel Lab team to deliver
    • Detail the skillsets and expertise they believe would be most useful for team members to possess
  • December

     Projects are matched with teams. 

  • January through April

    March 18-22, 2024 is field study period. Team collaborates with host company in-person and remotely from MIT's campus; team undertakes initial research. 

  • April

    Host company receives final project deliverables from team. 

The project calendar

Teams work for their host organizations on a four-month project engagement. Potential host organizations submit online questionnaires through October, in which they describe the scope of the challenges they are facing and the solutions they would like an EMBA Israel Lab team to work on. We ask potential hosts to detail the skillsets and expertise they believe would be most useful for team members to possess. EMBA Israel Lab faculty and mentors are available to assist organizations in shaping and defining their project scope for the questionnaire.

In December, EMBA Israel Lab faculty match approved host organizations with self-selected EMBA teams. From January, the teams work with their hosts from campus to finalize the scope and agree on a work plan, and then undertake research, interviews, and analysis. Host organizations and teams build their working relationships through online collaboration and regular conference calls throughout this remote phase.

 The teams’ final deliverables include a formal presentation and, more importantly, a concrete analysis that host organizations can begin to use immediately.

Host company obligations

Host organizations receive optimal results when the CEO or other senior managers are available to devote focused time and energy to the project and to working directly with the EMBA Israel Lab team, especially while teams are working full-time. Please make sure that the appropriate leaders will be available to work with and guide the student team.

Host companies should be comprised of at least 15 employees. Hosts must provide a clear project statement, strategic objectives, and access to people and data. 

If you are interested in becoming a host company for EMBA Israel Lab, please contact israel-lab@mit.edu with your questions or ideas.

Gold Dome in Israel

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