NURA Global Innovation Lab (formerly Pears Program for Global Innovation)

🎦 A Day in the Life at Pears Challenge Here’s a little window into what it feels like to be part of the Pears Challenge 2025: ClimateTech Bootcamp. On Day 2, our founders were deep in problem research and root cause mapping, but we also made time for meaningful conversations, inspiring moments, and lots of sticky notes. Huge shoutout to our Mentor-in-Residence, Henry Rajoro, for capturing the vibe so beautifully in this short video. 🙏 And a heartfelt thank you to monday.com for graciously hosting us at their stunning offices, and to Dana Yaari for sharing insights with our founders about how corporations can be catalysts for exponential social good.  Emergency Response Team monday.com 🚀 The journey continues, but here's a quick glimpse into the early days of building something that just might make a difference.

Pears Challenge 2025: ClimateTech UPDATE 🚀 The Endorsement Phase is here! Over the past weeks, our Pears Challenge 2025: ClimateTech ventures have been sharpening their ideas and building the foundation for high-impact solutions in East African markets. Now, it’s time for the next big milestone: Endorsement. Each venture will pitch its solution and potential to a committee of global partners who bring deep expertise in climate innovation, inclusive tech, and emerging markets. We’re honored to have six incredible organizations reviewing and advising our teams during this phase: 🔹 Mercy Corps Ventures  – Backing scalable impact startups building climate resilience and financial inclusion.  🔹 Kenya Climate Ventures (KCV)  – Investing in climate-smart solutions shaping Kenya’s future.  🔹 GSD Global – Driving inclusive innovation through strategy, design, and partnerships.  🔹 E4Impact Entrepreneurship Center, Kenya – Empowering African entrepreneurs to build sustainable, scalable businesses.  🔹 TECA by BFA Global – Launching ventures that create tech-enabled impact across emerging markets.  🔹 ITrade Kenya - The Israeli Economic & Trade Mission to Kenya – Connecting Israeli innovation with opportunities across Kenya. This process will determine which ventures will be selected for the Field Validation phase and will travel with us to Kenya later this year!   Stay tuned! Dan Block | Hannah Eskinder | @Tyler Fredinand | Barak Granot | Polycarp Otieno | Joannah W. | Tanya Ogwel | Yaniv Gelnik | John Ngumi | Isabella Tenai | Charles Nyadero | David Mendelbaum | Roni Levy

🌍 Last week, Yonatan Bukhdruker represent NURA Global Innovation Lab (formerly Pears Program for Global Innovation)\ at a special gathering organized by the Israeli Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Israel, and Foreign Trade Administration - Ministry of Economy & Industry, alongside Ambassadors and senior staff from Sub-Saharan African embassies. NURA was the only non-governmental speaker invited to address the forum, and we had the pleasure of sharing our work and mission: helping Israel’s tech innovation sector engage meaningfully with Sub-Saharan African markets through sustainable business models and a clear impact lens. Yonatan spoke about the key gaps Israeli companies often face in Sub-Saharan Africa: 🔹 Contextual knowledge 🔹 Need for market adaptation 🔹 Limited networks 🔹 Tailored funding He also presented SoliDrip’s journey. From initial exposure in South Africa to exploring a groundbreaking pay-per-use irrigation model in Kenya. A real example of how focused, persistent support can provide the necessary springboard for companies to do their magic. 🙏 Big thanks to Galit Aber Harari for organizing and inviting us to be part of this important dialogue.

🌍 In June, we had the pleasure of hosting journalist Aviv Lavi at the Pears Challenge 2025: ClimateTech, where he joined us for a behind-the-scenes look at our work, supporting Israeli innovation tackling some of the world’s most urgent climate challenges. 🎤 During his visit, Aviv interviewed our Managing Director, Hagit Freud 🎗, exploring how Nura helps Israeli startups test and validate ClimateTech solutions in real-world conditions across East Africa. From circular economy to novel materials, the conversation highlighted how our venture-building model combines intensive training in Israel, field validation, and local partnerships to create sustainable, scalable impact. 💬 As Hagit shared: “To succeed in these markets, you have to start with humility and curiosity, and spend time understanding the local context. That’s exactly what we help entrepreneurs do.” 📈 Since launching, our programs have supported nearly 20 new ventures and helped unlock over $24 million in grants, contracts, and investments to scale impact. 📖 Read Aviv’s full article (Hebrew) on Zman Yisrael here: 🔗 https://xmrrwallet.com/cmx.plnkd.in/d4AVWRVn We’re grateful for the opportunity to share our story, and even more excited about what lies ahead. Thank you, Aviv, for the thoughtful conversation, and to our growing community of partners working with us to deliver bold climate solutions where they’re needed most. Roni Levy David Mendelbaum Sivan Cohen Shachari 🎗 Yonatan Bukhdruker Tamar Schejter-Cohen #ClimateTech #GlobalInnovation #IsraeliInnovation #PearsChallenge #NuraGlobal #TechForGood #Africa #ClimateAction

👩🏫 This week we proudly launched the 𝟕𝐭𝐡 𝐜𝐨𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞 and kicked off our intensive four-week bootcamp! 🚀 We’re thrilled to welcome 11 extraordinary ventures, committed to building impactful ClimateTech solutions. The program began with an overview of international development. From there, we dove into thought-provoking sessions on leapfrogging, systems thinking and problem deepening workshops, challenging our entrepreneurs to explore their venture ideas from fresh, new perspectives. We are also privileged to be joined by six Mentors-in-Residence, African graduate students currently pursuing advanced degrees in Israel, who bring invaluable expertise, lived experience, and deep contextual knowledge to the cohort. Their guidance, insights, and collaboration will undoubtedly enrich the journey and contribute significantly to the success and impact of the ventures - Esther Naini, Bideri Urwibutso Marie Jeanne, Roselyne Kamau, Henry R., Dravin R. Odhiambo Mitchelle W. We're also thankful for our hosting partners monday.com and Herzog, for hosting this week Bootcamp sessions. There's a real sense of energy and momentum in the air—and we're only just getting started! Stay tuned as we continue to share powerful moments, eye-opening discussions, and behind-the-scenes experiences from our 𝐏𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓: 𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐩. More information on the Bootcamp and the participating ventures can be found in the link in the first comments. Hagit Freud 🎗 Roni Levy David Mendelbaum Yonatan Bukhdruker Adam Bujman Barak Halpern Shoham Vigiser Boaz Wachtel Evgeni Grabov Jordan Mizrachi Ran Dvir Shimshon Omer Liana Berlin-Fischler Raslan Gnaiem Shai Erev Levi Sigal Ayalon Ofek Uri Givan

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐀𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚. 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐈𝐬𝐫𝐚𝐞𝐥 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐮𝐩? 𝑊𝑎𝑡𝑐ℎ Hagit Freud 🎗 𝑎𝑠 𝑠ℎ𝑒 𝑡𝑎𝑐𝑘𝑙𝑒𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑖𝑠𝑠𝑢𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝐼𝑠𝑟𝑎𝑒𝑙𝑖 𝑖𝑛𝑛𝑜𝑣𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑟𝑜𝑙𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝐴𝑓𝑟𝑖𝑐𝑎. Yesterday our own Managing Director, Hagit Freud, was interviewed for the morning show "Boker Calcali" on Channel 10 (ערוץ 10- ערוץ הכלכלה), together with Sivan Yaari, Founder and CEO of Innovation: Africa, and Michael Lotem, Ambassador of Israel to Kenya, Uganda, Malawi, and the Seychelles, for a discussion about the potential of Israeli Innovation in African countries. 🚫 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭 𝐅𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐮𝐫𝐞 While countries like China, India, Korea, and the EU are scaling their presence in Africa, Israel is largely absent—despite our geographic proximity and technological expertise. Israeli innovation has the potential to create a real impact in emerging markets, but we're lacking the necessary infrastructure and support system to fulfil this potential. These markets and the solutions we can offer them aren’t “plug-and-play”, solutions need adaptation, localization, and long-term partnership. 📺 𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞: 👉 https://xmrrwallet.com/cmx.plnkd.in/dnA3qAcv Want to make a change and contribute to the future of Israeli innovation in East Africa? 𝐉𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞! 🕒 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫: Applications for the 𝐏𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 closes 𝐓𝐎𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐑𝐎𝐖! 🔗 Apply here: https://xmrrwallet.com/cmx.plnkd.in/drzFKgRE 𝐋𝐞𝐭’𝐬 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭! #Innovation #AfricaDevelopment #IsraeliTech #impact #techforgood #devtech #GlobalImpact #PearsProgram #NURAGlobal #SocialInnovation #startupnation Roni Levy Yonatan Bukhdruker David Mendelbaum Shirley Cohen 藏雪莉 Aliza Belman Inbal

🌍 𝐈𝐬𝐫𝐚𝐞𝐥'𝐬 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐜 𝐎𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐀𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚'𝐬 𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐦 In a recent article in Mako, our Managing Director, Hagit Freud 🎗, highlighted a significant opportunity in Middle Eastern-African relations. Gulf nations are investing billions in climate-related projects across Africa. These investments focus on renewable energy, water infrastructure, and smart agriculture—areas where Israeli innovation has proven expertise. As the article points out, Israel stands at a crossroads: without proactive engagement, it risks missing out on a transformative economic opportunity. However, with its cutting-edge technologies and a history of impactful collaborations, Israel is uniquely positioned to play a pivotal role in this emerging sector. 🌱 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓: 𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡 Aligned with this strategic moment, the Pears Challenge 2025 focuses on ClimateTech innovations aimed at addressing Africa's pressing environmental challenges. We invite Israeli entrepreneurs to develop scalable solutions in areas such as water management, nature-based solutions, and sustainable agriculture—sectors that are central to the Gulf's investment strategies. By participating in the Pears Challenge, Israeli startups can validate their technologies in the East African contexts, fostering partnerships with investors and positioning themselves at the forefront of the ClimateTech revolution. 𝐈𝐬𝐫𝐚𝐞𝐥𝐢 𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐮𝐫𝐬: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐰! 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐠𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓. 🔗 Learn more and apply here: https://xmrrwallet.com/cmx.plnkd.in/d2rRQQ-U 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞: 𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝟐𝟗 🔗 Read the full article here: https://xmrrwallet.com/cmx.plnkd.in/dbjJqzN8 #ClimateTech #Innovation #IsraelAfrica #PearsChallenge2025 #SustainableDevelopment #GlobalImpact Roni Levy Yonatan Bukhdruker David Mendelbaum Shirley Cohen 藏雪莉

💬 In a recent interview with Makor Rishon, NURA's Managing Director, Hagit Freud 🎗 , shared how Israeli technologies can help solve urgent challenges in African countries like Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. Through the Pears Challenge program, entrepreneurs from Israel's will be developing ClimateTech ventures in agriculture, water, and aquaculture tailored for East Africa. 🤝 These partnerships highlight Israel’s role as a force for innovation and positive impact. Interested to apply to the Pears Challenge 2025: ClimateTech? Deadline extended until May 29! Apply now: https://xmrrwallet.com/cmx.plnkd.in/d2rRQQ-U 👉 Read the full article (in Hebrew) here: https://xmrrwallet.com/cmx.plnkd.in/d5pawQ_M #pearsprogram #impact #ClimateTech #emergingmarkets #eastafrica #startupnation #climatechange Roni Levy David Mendelbaum Yonatan Bukhdruker

🚨 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐄𝐱𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝! 𝐏𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 – 𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡 – 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐲 𝐛𝐲 𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝟐𝟗 🚨 Good news for founders with ClimateTech solutions fit for emerging markets! 🌍 We’re giving you a few more days to join a cohort of brilliant innovators at 𝐏𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 https://xmrrwallet.com/cmx.plnkd.in/d2rRQQ-U — a unique opportunity to: ✅ Get tailored support to shape and validate your venture ✅ Explore East Africa’s fast-growing markets and connect with the vibrant local ClimateTech ecosystem ✅ Join a funded trip to test your solution on the ground and gain access to grants If you have a venture idea, a prototype, or an early product - don’t miss this chance. 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐲 𝐧𝐨𝐰 → https://xmrrwallet.com/cmx.plnkd.in/drzFKgRE #climatechange #climatetech #emergingmarkets #eastafrica #naturetech #entrepreneurship #climateaction #climateresilience #impact #devtech #startupnation #femalefounders #nuraglobal #pearsprogram #techforgood Hagit Freud 🎗Roni Levy Yonatan Bukhdruker David Mendelbaum Shirley Cohen 藏雪莉

Even #ChatGPT knows -𝐏𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓: 𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡 is the ultimate opportunity for early-stage startups to validate their solutions in East Africa 🌍 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐞𝐱𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥 𝐓𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝟐𝟗! Don't miss your chance to join - https://xmrrwallet.com/cmx.plnkd.in/d2rRQQ-U #startupnation #impact #innovation #climate #climatetech #entrepreneurship #eastafrica #techforgood #emergingmarkets #challenge #devtech Hagit Freud 🎗 Yonatan Bukhdruker Roni Levy David Mendelbaum Shirley Cohen 藏雪莉