Tech Talk: 8200 intelligence unit start-up program
The 8200 Social Program is supported by six leading partners: ICL, Naschitz-Brandes-Amir, Amdocs, KPMG, Bank Hapoalim and Nefesh B’Nefesh.
By ARIEL SHAPIRANeta Li Meiri(photo credit: OMER HACOHEN/ HUMANS OF STARTUP NATION)
The 8200 Social Program is the first acceleration program in Israel for social technology start-ups that aim to solve significant social problems in technological means in a wide spectrum of fields: disabilities, promoting gender equality, the elderly, education and more.Founded by 8200 intelligence unit alumni in 2013 (8200 is an elite IDF intelligence unit whose graduates are leaders in the hi-tech field) and led by Neta-Li Meiri, this non-profit program was launched in order to harness the human capital of 8200 alumni for the benefit of society. The program is open to all Israeli citizens, not only to 8200 alumni. The five months of acceleration include lectures, mentoring, office hours, connecting with investors and with the 8200 alumni network. The 8200 Social Program is supported by six leading partners: ICL, Naschitz-Brandes-Amir, Amdocs, KPMG, Bank Hapoalim and Nefesh B’Nefesh.The program includes these leading start-ups: Novotalk is an Israeli start-up providing a full therapeutic solution for people who stutter. Stuttering has a tremendous and sometime even devastating effect on the lives of those afflicted, which many times prevents them from reaching their full potential. For more than 70 million people, it will remain a chronic condition that no current solution can solve effectively.To those people, Novotalk delivers on-demand, self-guided tele-therapy, and a training platform, that allows them to talk fluently and achieve a fully functional life.The stutterers can learn the known speech fluency method online and on their own schedule, practice, gain, and maintain fluent speech without the dependency of a speech therapist.Individuals who use Novotalk on an ongoing basis experience fluent speech, which for them, is a life-changing experience.The service will re-launch in Israel this month, in cooperation with Hadassah Medical Center, and will launch its beta version in English on July 1. A waiting list is already quickly filling for both.SmartAir aids asthma patients who struggle to assess their health condition and prevent disease exacerbations. Air pollution, dust and allergens are known to be major triggers of asthma attacks and hospitalizations. SmartAir is a personal device that predicts and prevents asthma attacks. The device collects disease-related information while monitoring environmental triggers in real time. By using SmartAir’s unique algorithms, patients receive real-time alerts about personal exposure risks, thus reducing urgent health care costs and improving asthma management.Voiceitt helps the millions of children and adults who find verbal communication a nearly insurmountable task. The underlying causes of their speech disorders vary widely, including degenerative diseases like ALS and Parkinson’s; developmental disorders like autism and cerebral palsy; and stroke.AdvertisementVoiceitt’s speech-recognition technology translates non-standard speech patterns into clear speech in real time, enabling people with severe speech impairments to communicate spontaneously and naturally using their own voices.The company’s flagship software application, Talkitt, is easyto- use, language-independent, hands-free and non-stigmatizing.Keheala is a mobile health platform that improves treatment outcomes by extending the reach of healthcare systems to deliver demonstrated behavioral interventions that address the non-medical drivers of disease. Accessible by smartphone, Keheala is a low cost intervention that’s available today across the developing world.In partnership with the US Agency for International Development, the Kenyan Ministry of Health and academic partners from Harvard University and Yale University, Keheala recently launched a 1,200 patient-trial with tuberculosis patients in Kenya.EyeControl is an affordable, wearable and easy-to-use communication device for ALS and other “locked-in” patients. The company’s mission is to enable any patient to communicate anywhere, anytime. Today, the company is being supported by the government and by a private group. They are already working with a few patients and have had a successful clinical trial in the Rambam Medical Center in Haifa.BrainTalk is an innovative technological solution for the initial detection of cognitive deficits based on speech. It aims to help many millions of individuals who have significant difficulties in their daily lives due to undiagnosed but treatable deficits in cognitive functioning, following accidents, injuries, chronic diseases, medical events or interventions, and age-related cognitive decline. Using BrainTalk, for example, an athlete who sustained a mild head injury will be able to determine if he needs assessment or care, just by providing his doctor with a five-minute recording of himself speaking.Griiip has designed, developed and manufactured what it calls “the most advanced racing car in its class in the world.”In a country with no motor sports industry and no major race tracks, Griiip has produced a world-class race car with cutting- edge technology.The firm’s owners are engineers from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev who have a passion for racing, and in a relatively short time span they have made several exceptional strides including collaborations with some world-class firms.If you run a young start-up, have developed an interesting app or have a question, please feel free to contact info@social-wisdom.com
