PROGRAMS.
We are not your typical accelerator. Our programs are uniquely designed for experienced entrepreneurs with proven technology, seed funding and resources, and established plans to launch in U.S.
Speed up market validation, refine your sales, and marketing strategies, and gain access to U.S. customer, strategic partners and investors.
OUR TARGET INDUSTRY.
HEALTH.
Digital health, health and wellness monitoring tech, medical devices
AGRICULTURE.
New crops, robots, drones, artificial intelligence for farm/field efficiencies
URBAN.
Real estate, construction solutions, smart city technologies
SPORTS.
Athlete development/monitoring, smart stadiums, health & fitness, fan engagement
HOSPITALITY.
Solutions for labor and supply chain challenges
CYBER.
Cyber solutions for MSSPs, Government agencies and enterprise.
OUR SERVICES.
Launching your technology in a new market is complicated. FIBA can help expedite your time to market by helping you find your initial US-based customers. Once you have a track record in the US, customer acquisition can become easier, and investors will be more inclined to consider your company. Israeli companies that have identified Florida as a target market for their technology, have a market-ready product in one if our target industries and have allocated resources for their activities in the US market are good candidates for our acceleration services. Our services are offered at no upfront cost. For any successful deal that FIBA helped facilitate, FIBA will receive a commission based on the value of the gross sale.
Ready to open a US base of operations? Companies that are in the process of opening a base of operation in Florida can get assistance from FIBA with the logistical and administrative tasks involved in the process at no cost.
Our team and network of service providers will provide guidance on incorporation, tax and legal issues, office space leasing, talent recruitment, lead generation, and — most important — setting up an efficient operation that will support U.S. customers. By avoiding common pitfalls and establishing a solid foundation, we will increase the probability of your success in the U.S. market.
Opportunities to present to our industry partners. See current and past program.
CURRENT PROGRAMS.
TOURISM & HOSPITALITY PROGRAM.
In partnership with the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association.
PAST PROGRAMS.
In 2024, FIBA offers Israeli start-ups an opportunity to participate in a program anchored by Florida based government agencies and industry partners. Companies selected by FIBA will be invited to participated in an in-person program that will prepare them to pitch and to sell in the U.S. market and will provide exclusive pitch opportunities to CISOs and investors.
The program will start with an exclusive opportunity to present to Florida’s state agencies and representatives from the Florida legislature. The Florida Department of Management Services, who manages the state contracts, and the Florida Opportunity Fund, which invests in early growth companies doing business in Florida, have partnered with FIBA to bring Israeli tech companies to pitch at the Florida Capitol in Tallahassee. The event will take place in Tallahassee, Florida on Thursday, February 22, 2024.
Program dates: February 22 in Tallahassee, February 23-29 in Tampa, Future visit to Miami TBD.
Application deadline: February 1, 2024.
FLORIDA-INTERNATIONAL AGRICULTURE INNOVATION SUMMIT.
Virtual Participation: March 30-31, 2022
See summit schedule below.
Brought to you by the Florida-Israel Business Accelerator (FIBA) and Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS)
The 2022 summit included speakers and participants from Canada and the Netherlands in addition to Florida and Israel. The topics for summit were water conservation and precision agriculture.
The purpose of the Florida-International Agriculture Innovation Summit was to gain insights on important issues facing the agriculture industries in Florida and other countries and to form opportunities for collaboration between these agriculture power houses. Participants had the opportunity to hear directly from growers, investors, scientists and innovators.
DAY 1 - MARCH 30, 2022.
PRECISION AGRICULTURE.
7:45-8:15AM EST: Virtual Networking
8:15-8:45AM EST: Welcome and Opening Remarks
Moderated by: Alan Brock, Rural Affairs Director, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS)
Speakers:
Ms. Shelby Scarpa, Interim Assistant Commissioner, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS)
Ms. Susan Harper, Consul General of Canada in Miami
Ms. Ruth Emmerink, Consul General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Miami
Mr. Maor Elbaz-Starinsky, Consul General of Israel in Miami
8:45-9:00AM EST: Success Stories
Moderated by: Rakefet Bachur-Phillips, Co-Executive Director, Florida-Israel Business Accelerator (FIBA)
Speaker: Lior Barhai, CEO, Envonics
9:00-9:15AM EST: Coffee Chat: One Year Later: Lykes Bros & Brick Street Farms
Moderated by: Pam Miniati, Co-Executive Director, Florida-Israel Business Accelerator (FIBA)
Speakers:
Shannon O’Malley, Co-Founder and CEO, Brick Street Farms
Carl Bauman, CFO, Lykes Bros. Inc.
9:15-10:05AM EST: Precision Agriculture: Groundbreaking Research
Moderated by: Olivier Demers-Dubé, Project Director, Zone AgTech
Speakers:
Florida: Dr. Arnold Walter Schumann, Associate Professor of Soil and Water Science, Citrus Research & Education Center, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS), University of Florida
Canada: Blake Weiseth, Agriculture Research Chair, Applied Research Lead, GFM Discovery Farm Research Chair, Saskatchewan Polytechnic
Israel: Dr. Victor Alchanatis, Agricultural Engineering, Growing, Production and Environmental Engineering, Agricultural Research Organization (ARO), Volcani Institute
Netherlands: Dr. Saskia Visser, Head of Program, Circular and Climate Neutral, University of Wageningen
10:15-11:15AM EST: Precision Agriculture: Industry Challenges and Solutions around the World
Moderated by: Kelly Friend, Director, Agricultural Environmental Services, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS)
Speakers:
Florida: Matthew Donovan, CEO, Agriculture Intelligence and Lead Product Officer, Agroview
Canada: Robert Saik, Founder and CEO, AGvisorPRO
Israel: Guy Sela, Founder, Croapia & YieldApp
Netherlands: Jasper Snijders, Sales Engineer, Aurea Imaging
11:15AM-12:05PM EST: Precision Agriculture: Innovations Disrupting the Status Quo
Presenting Companies Executive Summary
Moderated by: Scott Livingston, CEO, Livingston Securities
Presenting Companies:
Florida: Harvey Kaye, Founder, Bam-FX
Florida: Terence L. Bolden, CEO, Stud Pac Portable Hydroponic Systems
Canada: Samuel Fournier, Co-Founder & CEO, Chrysalabs
Canada: Yvan Ouellet, Co-founder & CEO, Horoma AI
Israel: Thai Sade, Founder & CEO, BumbleBee AI
Israel: Ronit Berman, VP Marketing, N-Drip
Netherlands: Arend Koekkoek, Owner, Pixelfarming Robotics
Netherlands: Bas Alderding, Co-founder & Commercial Director, Farm21
12:15-12:55PM EST: Keynote: Sustainability and Disney – Combining Action and Inspiration
Speaker: Dr. Mark Penning, Vice President, Animals, Science and Environment, Disney Parks, Experiences and Products
Introduced by: Guillaume Beland, Project Director, Direct Investments, Zone Agtech
12:55-1:00PM EST: Closing Remarks
Speaker: Ms. Nikki Fried, Agriculture Commissioner, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS)
1:00-2:00PM EST: Virtual Networking
DAY 2 - MARCH 31, 2022.
WATER CONSERVATION: RECYCLE, RECLAIM, REUSE.
8:00-8:30AM EST: Virtual Networking
8:30-9:00AM EST: Welcome and Success Stories
Moderated by: Rakefet Bachur-Phillips, Co-Executive Director, Florida-Israel Business Accelerator (FIBA)
Speakers:
Lisa Brand, CTO & Co-Founder, LG Sonic
Dil Vashi, Corporate Development Manager, CO2 GRO
9:00-9:50AM EST: Water Conservation: Groundbreaking Research
Moderated by: Dr. Aavudai Anandhi Swamy, Associate Professor, Biological Systems Engineering Program, Florida A&M University
Speakers:
Florida: Dr. Vivek Sharma, Assistant Professor, Precision Water Management, Agricultural and Biological Engineering Department, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS), University of Florida
Canada: Dr. Chandra Madramootoo, James McGill Professor, Irrigation and Drainage Engineering, McGill University
Israel: Dr. Daniel Kurtzman, Soil, Water and Environmental Sciences, Environmental Physics and Irrigation, Agricultural Research Organization (ARO), Volcani Institute
Netherlands: Chris Schott, Researcher, European centre of excellence for sustainable water technology, Wetsus
9:50-10:50AM EST: Water Conservation: Recycle, Reclaim, Reuse: Industry Challenges and Solutions around the World
Moderated by: Chris Petitt, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS)
Speakers:
Florida: Angela TenBroeck, CEO, Worldwide Aquaponics
Canada: Michael Warren, CEO, Limiting Factor Innovation
Israel: Miriam Brusilovsky, Technical Director, IDE Technologies
Netherlands: Toon Boonekamp, Team Leader Water for Industry, Arcadis
11:00-11:50AM EST: Water Conservation: Innovations Disrupting the Status Quo
Presenting Companies Executive Summary
Moderated by: Scott Livingston, CEO, Livingston Securities
Presenting Companies:
Florida: Dr. Eban Bean, Director & Co-founder, and Piyush Agade, Co-founder, Gator Byte
Florida: Dr. Daniel Yeh, Founder, BioReNEW
Canada: Thomas Gradek, President, RHST Industries
Canada: Lisa Fast, Marketing and Communications Manager, Livestock Water Recycling
Israel: Tal Maor, Founder & Chief Business Officer, Viridix
Israel: Ronen Barkan, N. America Business Development and Sales Director, Fluence
Netherlands: Rasoul D. Mikkelsen, Director for Strategic Business Development, Eijkelkamp
12:00PM-12:45PM EST: Keynote: From Farms to Incubators-How Women Leaders are Transforming Agriculture Through Innovation
Speaker: Amy Wu, Founder, From Farms to Incubators, Award Winning Writer for Women’s Agriculture and AgTech Movement
12:45-1:00PM EST: Closing Remarks and Next Steps
Moderated by: Alan Brock, Rural Affairs Director, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS)
1:00-2:00PM EST: Virtual Networking
*Application is now closed. If you feel you missed the deadline, or have any questions, please contact Ori@fibaflorida.com
FIBA DIGITAL HEALTH PARTNER PROGRAM.
April-June, 2021
The Florida-Israel Business Accelerator (FIBA) offers Israeli startups an opportunity to participate in a program anchored by a Florida-based industry partner. FIBA is looking for Israeli startups with cutting edge solutions to challenges in the physician office setting as defined by our partner, Tampa General Hospital (TGH). FIBA will facilitate the application process and preliminary screening and TGH will select the companies for the program. Companies selected by TGH are required to participate in an 8-week virtual program which includes weekly workshops and culminates in a presentation to TGH executives for a potential pilot and additional pitch opportunities to investors and other partners.
We are looking for Israeli Innovation for the Outpatient Physician Office in the Following Areas:
- Operational Efficiency: Ways to shorten or eliminate the manual administrative tasks of procuring and recording patient billing information and provider authorization both prior to and after the physician visit. (Clinical workflow)
- Quality of Care Impact: Ways to provide the physician with more detailed, current, accurate and wholistic patient health information (PHI) prior to the visit. (Big data)
- Provider Burnout Reduction / Communication Overload: Ways to reduce the administrative time and activities that clinical physician office staff perform daily (clinical workflow)
- Exam Room Automation: Ways to improve throughput or efficiency of the exam room with cutting edge technology in the physical room. (NLP, Sensors, Computer vision with AI, IoT, NOT RPM)
WHY YOU SHOULD APPLY.
Exclusive Access to Customers and Capital Partners:
- Meet with TGH executive team for consideration for a pilot
- Pitch to additional healthcare partners
- Present to a network of engaged investors across Florida and the US
Marketable and Monetizable Knowledge:
- One-on-one coaching to refine your US Value Proposition
- Gain an insight into the sales process in the US
- Customize investor and customer presentations for a US audience
- Learn the best practices of penetrating the US market (and what not to do)
Terms
- No upfront fees
- Equity free
- Success fee / finder’s fee only
ABOUT TAMPA GENERAL HOSPITAL.
TGH is a private not-for-profit hospital and one of the most comprehensive medical facilities in West Central Florida serving a dozen counties with a population in excess of 4 million. TGH is ranked one of America’s Best Hospitals for 2020-2021 in five specialties. As one of the largest hospitals in Florida, TGH is licensed for 1,006 beds, has more than 8,000 employees, with 1,200 physicians. In 2020, TGH had around 50,000 inpatient discharges and 500,000 outpatient visits. Learn more.
About the Program
ABOUT THE PROGRAM.
Companies accepted to the Partner Program will be required to participate in an 8 week virtual program (2-3 hour weekly commitment).
One company representative is required to participate.
Application period: February 22, 2021- March 26, 2021
Program Preparation: April 12 – April 30, 2021
8 week virtual program: May 3, 2021 – June 25, 2021
TGH - A LEADER IN INNOVATION.
FLORIDA-INTERNATIONAL AGRICULTURE INNOVATION SUMMIT.
Virtual Participation: March 30-31, 2022
See summit schedule below.
Brought to you by the Florida-Israel Business Accelerator (FIBA) and Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS)
The main components of the Florida-Israel Agriculture Innovation Summit was to learn about the agriculture industry in Florida, agriculture innovation from Israel, and to form opportunities for collaboration between these two agriculture power houses. Participants had the opportunity to directly from Florida’s largest growers, agriculture investors, scientists and Government officials about current challenges and future plans for Florida’s agriculture industry, the 2nd largest industry in Florida after tourism. Additionally, presentations were given from leading Israeli Ag Tech companies and researchers offering solutions and technologies in the fields of ag robots/drones and hemp/cannabis.
DAY 1 - NOVEMBER 16, 2020.
SUMMIT KICKOFF.
8:00-9:00AM EST: Welcome and Introductions + Overview of Florida and Israeli Agriculture Industries
Moderated by: John Dicks, Partner, Litigation, Ackerman Law
Speakers: Nikki Fried, Commissioner, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS)
Mr. Yakov Poleg, Senior Deputy Director General, Foreign Trade and International Cooperation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development
Deborah Tannenbaum, Deputy Commissioner of Agriculture, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS)
Shmuel Rausnitz, Researcher & Scout for Agrifood-tech, Start-Up Nation Central
9:00-10:00AM EST: Florida-Israel Agriculture Success Stories
Moderated by: Rakefet Phillips, Co-Executive Director, Florida-Israel Business Accelerator (FIBA)
Speakers: Rebecca Marshall, Program Development Manager, 4Roots Farm
Eyal Harel, CEO, BlueGreen Water Technologies
Lior Hessel, CEO, Growponics
Dr. Diane Rowland, Professor & Chair of Agronomy Department, Director of the Center for Stress Resilient Agriculture, University of Florida/IFAS,
Trevor Perrott, CEO, Censys Technologies
James Estrada, Instructor and Director of Agroecology for UF Agronomy and Center for Stress Resilient Agriculture, University of Florida
DAY 2 - NOVEMBER 17, 2020.
HEMP/CANNABIS.
8:00-9:00AM EST: Current State of Hemp/Cannabis Industry in Florida
Moderated by: Holly Bell, Director of Cannabis, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS)
Panel Discussion: Brandon Boyd, Owner, TBG Hemp
Kent Dunston, Director, Greenstone North America Corp.
Brett Finkelstein, Investor/Entrepreneur/Executive, Former Co-Founder & Managing Director, Phyto Partners LP
Carley Nelson, Chief Operations Officer, One Hemp Brands
Anthony Armas, Executive Vice President, One Innovation Labs
Mallory Lykes Dimmitt, Vice President of Strategic Development & Business Relations, Lykes Bros. Inc.
9:00-10:00AM EST: Presentations by Israeli Hemp/Cannabis Companies
Moderated by: Adam Hunter, Partner, Assurance Services, Cherry Bekaert LLP
Israeli Companies: Agritask Ltd, DryGair Energies Ltd, Hortica, MyCrops Technologies Ltd, Neswell Group, Visicann Technologies Inc.
10:30-11:30AM EST: Hemp/Cannabis Research Roundtable Discussion
Moderated by: Dr. Matthew Curran, FDACS Director Division of Food Safety
Panel Discussion: Scott Burgett, COO and Co-founder of Green Earth Cannaceuticals,
Jerry Fankhauser, Assistant Director, Florida Agricultural Experiment Station (FAES), University of Florida
Dr. Moshe Flaishman, Researcher, Institute of Plant Sciences
Professor Menachem Moshelion, Hebrew University
DAY 3 - NOVEMBER 18, 2020.
DRONES/ROBOTICS/AI.
8:00-9:00AM EST: Current State and Future State of Robotics/Drones/AI in Florida’s Agriculture Industry
Moderated by: Dr. Yiannis Ampatzidis, Assistant Professor, Prescision Agriculture Engineering, University of Florida
Dr. Aditya Singh, Assistant Professor, Hyperspecral and Hypertemporal Remote Sensing, University of Florida
Panel Discussion: Dr. Elizabeth Malek, Crop Protection Manager, Lipman Family Farms
Timothee Sallin, Co-CEO, IMG Enterprises
Shannon O’Malley, Founder & CEO, Brick Street Farms
Robert Pitzer, CTO, Chief Engineer, Harvest CROO Robotics
Joby Sherrod, Director of Grove Operations, Duda & Sons, Inc.
9:00-10:00AM EST: Presentations by Israeli Robotics/Drones/AI Companies
Moderated by: Bob Grossman, Shareholder, Greenberg Traurig
Israeli Companies: Agrint, Arugga AI Farming, Beewise, Metomotion, MyCrops Technologies Ltd, Saturas, Skyx
10:30-11:30AM EST: Robotics/Drones/AI Research Roundtable Discussion
Moderated by: Dr. Kati Migliaccio, Chair and Professor, Agricultural and Biological Engineering, University of Florida
Panel Discussion: Dr. Yiannis Ampatzidis, Precision Agriculture Engineering, University of Florida
Dr. Aditya Singh, Assistant Professor, Hyperspectral and Hypertemporal Remote Sensing, Agricultural and Biological Engineering, University of Florida
Ido Bar-Av, Chief Agronomist, Agro-scout
Dr. Ittai Herrmann, Senior Lecturer, Plant Sciences and Genetics in Agriculture, Hebrew University
DAY 4 - NOVEMBER 19, 2020.
INNOVATION TO ADDRESS COVID & FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES.
9:00-10:00AM EST: Innovation to Address COVID Challenges in the Agriculture Industry, presented in partnership with the Consulate General of Israel in Miami and Holland & Knight
Moderated by: Meital Stavinsky, Partner and Israel Practice Co-Chair, Holland & Knight
Speakers: Galit Peleg, Interim Consul General of Israel in Miami
Kent Shoemaker, CEO, Lipman Family Farms
Naty Barak, Senior Advisor, Chief Sustainability Officer Emeritus, Netafim
Yemel Ortega, Marketing & Strategy Leader, ADAMA
10:15-11:15AM EST: Funding Opportunities and Sources for Florida and Israeli Companies in Florida
Moderated by: Pam Miniati, Co-Executive Director, Florida-Israel Business Accelerator (FIBA)
Speakers: Haim Katz, Research Coordinator, Binational Agricultural Research and Development Fund (BARD)
Tony Gannon, Vice President, Research & Innovation, Space Florida
Nofar Hamrany, International Collaboration Manager, Israel Innovation Authority (IIA)
Damian Adams, Interim Associate Dean for Research, University of Florida/IFAS
Sarai Kemp, VP Business Development, Trendlines Agrifood
11:15-11:30AM EST: Closing Remarks and Next Steps
VITRUAL JABIL CTO SUMMIT
Opportunity for Israeli startups: Exclusive presentation to Fortune 200 company - June 18, 2020
The Jabil CTO Summit is a quarterly event gathering all of Jabil’s CTOs, their teams and other corporate leadership from around the world for the purpose of developing the organization’s technology roadmap and objectives.
Jabil has partnered with FIBA to identify and feature 4-5 Israeli solutions in the rapidly developing areas of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning for medical devices, smart homes, manufacturing and autonomous vehicles.
Special interest in technologies relevant to the post COVID-19 era addressing data transfer, wireless communication, equipment tracking and ventilator devices.
WHY YOU SHOULD APPLY.
- Exclusive opportunity to (virtually) meet with senior technologists, supply chain experts, business leaders, and strategists from across the 5 Jabil divisions: Enterprise & Infrastructure (E&I), Engineering Solutions Group (ESG), Healthcare, GreenPoint (Consumer Electronics), and Packaging Solutions.
- Establish relationships with key contacts that can facilitate introductions to Jabil customers.
- Generate new sales channels opportunities.
ABOUT JABIL.
Headquartered in Tampa Bay, Jabil (NYSE: JBL) is a manufacturing solutions provider that delivers comprehensive design, manufacturing, supply chain and product management services. With $25.3B in revenue and ranked Fortune 500 company for 18 consecutive years, Jabil is a growing power house worldwide. Leveraging the power of over 200,000 people across 100 sites strategically located around the world, Jabil simplifies complexity and delivers value in a broad range of industries, enabling innovation, growth and customer success. Learn more.
ABOUT THE EVENT.
Format: Be prepared to give a 15 minute full presentation with a focus on the tech and success stories where the technology has been implemented successfully. 15 minutes of Q&A with live questions from the audience. Each company will also have a separate breakout session for more in-depth conversation.
Materials needed: 1 paragraph company overview and 1-pager with contact info – these will be needed upon selection in PDF format