We are excited to share with you an update on an innovative new project your generosity makes possible in our sister city of Sha’ar HaNegev, Israel.

SouthUp is an exciting new business incubator with a mission to create and support a large entrepreneurial climate and ecosystems in the region, catapulting Sha’ar HaNegev into a startup community, and to promote economic growth and activity within the Sha’ar HaNegev Region.

They are now actively seeking startups to join the incubator, and are working with local educators to develop a student internship program. Along with those exciting developments, they also passed along information about their new building and a new project for donors.

The building

We successfully completed the bidding process for the building in the Sha’ar HaNegev Regional Council. This means that SouthUp has officially been granted the exclusive use of this building.

We are currently in the process of finalizing plans for the remodeling of the building and we hope to be able to put out a tender by early August to select a contractor to carry out the work. Once the contract is signed, the target date for completing building renovation is January, 1, 2017.

Friends Club

We are working on creating a Friends of SouthUp club for our partners and donors, as a way to help us realize our vision.

Membership in the club will provide access to fresh startup companies with a potential for explosive growth, besides the satisfaction of being a partner in this exciting and important venture.

By participating in the club, members help facilitate fundraising for the development of Sha’ar HaNegev regional council across all aspects – education, culture, employment and entrepreneurship. Members will have information rights for any accelerator projects.

The club will hold various activities through-out the year.  Members are invited to meetups and various social events aimed at giving publicity to the work of the accelerator and its companies, and raising awareness of issues that lie at the intersection between technology and education.

Members of the club include philanthropists, investors (angels, tech incubators, VC funds), various firms (our suppliers and service providers), businesses in the Gaza envelope region, and the kibbutzim of Sha’ar HaNegev.