Modeled after distinguished small colleges in the United States, IDC Herzliya was founded in 1994 by the renowned Israeli professor, Uriel Reichman, as a private non-profit institution of higher education which does not rely on government subsidy. IDC
Herzliya’s founders sought to create an Israeli university where personal achievements go hand in hand with social responsibility. IDC Herzliya is dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in education and research, and to training future leaders by offering innovative interdisciplinary educational programs which combine academic study with practical, hands-on training.
IDC provides its students with a broad, in-depth education and a practical environment that fosters independent thinking and a full range of ideas. These innovations are already being felt in the global business environment thanks to IDC’s alumni who are making their mark in the world of commerce. IDC graduates Eyal Gura and Offir Gutelzon set up a picture recognition technology company, Picscout, which was recently purchased by Getty Images and is now the Getty Images Global Research Center in Israel. Graduates Moran Nir and Omer Faragi’s company, Funkkit, produces “stickers for sneakers,” an ingenious idea combining technology, community and art for footware. It is clear that IDC’s winning combination of information technology and global market studies provides fertile grounds for young, inquisitive and dynamic minds. Combining theory with real world experience, meshing individual freedom with social responsibility, and promoting entrepreneurship and leadership alongside a commitment to the community ensures that needs and ideas will never be divorced from ability.
Whether technology driven or based on a business model innovation, IDC students have achieved some respectable accomplishments: Zohar Dayan and Yotam Cohen are completing a second round of financing for Wibbitz, a web player that automatically converts static web content into engaging videos; Dror Ceder and Daniel Tal created Wibiya, a tool bar for bloggers that was recently purchased by Israeli Conduit; or the Gifts Project, a group gifting application, sold to eBay and now known as the eBay Social Commerce Innovation Center (eBay’s only R&D center outside of the US).
Established eighteen years ago, IDC continues to expand its worldwide reputation. Its faculty and student body are rapidly growing; the program is constantly updated to reflect new developments in business education and in the global arena; and its alumni are making their mark in Israel and abroad promoting the name of the institution where they gained their foothold in the world of business and commerce.
“Israel’s success is the combination of classic elements of technology clusters with some unique Israeli elements that enhance the skills and experience of individuals,
make them work together more effectively as teams, and provide tight and readily available connections within an established and growing community.”
Dan Senor and Saul Singer, Start-Up Nation, 2009