Corporate accelerators are a recent phenomenon, both in Israel and globally. Microsoft selected Israel last year to launch its very first accelerator program. The company takes no equity, with the emphasis on business and technical mentoring.
Venture Geeks Launches New Startup Accelerator Program in Tel Aviv
GeekMedia, the company behind the Israeli blog NewsGeek (Hebrew) has launched VentureGeeks, a new incubator program in Israel, which will provide seed funding and mentorship to Israeli startups. The Tel-Aviv based incubator is meant to serve as an accelerator program for startups, following the model of US based Y Combinator. Startups which are admitted to the program will receive up to $20,000 in pre-seed funding, office space, administrative services and advice from a group of mentors. The cost for startups is 10% of their equity.