When thinking of Jerusalem, most people imagine the holy sites and the city’s diverse demographic makeup.

But for Inbal Halperin Gottesman, the uniqueness of the city is its world-class startup ecosystem.

In the latest episode of ‘The Connectors”, we had the pleasure to host Gottesman, Jerusalem Ecosystem Manager at Start-Up Nation Central, and learn about her work elevating the city as a center of global innovation.

Recently ranked as the 6th most attractive ecosystem for #startups (alongside Tel-Aviv), there are over 400 active tech companies that operate in the city, which is a 102% increase since 2012. In 2019 alone, $233M was invested in Jerusalem-based-companies, with an overall of 22 exits, including Mobileye which is the largest exit in Israel’s history.

• What does “a day in a life” of a city ecosystem manager look like?
• What steps did Startup Nation Central take to attract Israeli innovators to the city to grow professional its tech communities?
• What does it take to create a successful “beta site” to try out new ideas and collaborations?
• What are the stages of ecosystem growth and how can they be developed to ignite innovation in cities?
• What are some best practices for building bridges between businesses, government entities, academy officials, and NGO leaders?

Answers to these questions and more in our latest interview with Inbal.