The start-up is just the excuse

Ben-Gurion University's Yazamut 360 Leaders Program, led by Gadi Bahat, trains students in entrepreneurial thinking and resilience through hands-on start-up building, prioritizing personal development over company creation. Alumni founded ANNIE, a medical platform improving trauma casualty management.

Ben-Gurion University of the Negev's Yazamut 360 Leaders Program, founded by Gadi Bahat, takes an unconventional approach to entrepreneurship education. Rather than focusing on producing successful start-ups, the program treats the start-up as a learning tool for developing entrepreneurial mindset, resilience, and leadership skills. Students work in teams to build companies, but success is measured by personal growth rather than business outcomes. The program's philosophy has produced socially minded ventures like ANNIE, founded by alumni Ofek Eliasko, Idan Mizrahi, and Tal Ben-Lulu. ANNIE is a medical technology platform that uses wearable hardware and software to monitor trauma casualties in real time, transmitting vital signs from the point of injury through emergency dispatch to hospitals. The founders credit the Leaders program for providing the foundation and mindset to tackle real-world challenges. The program includes an alumni association that maintains ongoing connections and professional support.

The start-up is just the excuse