Bank Hapoalim sponsored Energycom's 'Investor Club' and hosted the sixth annual conference to connect leading investors in climate and energy technologies in Israel with early-stage climate-tech entrepreneurs.
The event, held at Bank Hapoalim's conference center, brought together startup entrepreneurs with innovative solutions in the fields of climate and energy with potential investors from Israel and abroad.
Energycom is an energy innovation community established by the Economy Ministry, Energy Ministry, and the Israel Innovation Authority, initiated by 'Eilat-Eilot Renewable Energy' and the 'Association for Smart Energy.'
The conference opened with a lecture by Prof. Avi Domb, the Chief Scientist of the Ministry of Innovation, Science, and Technology, who shared new initiatives and planned collaborations aimed at positioning Israel at the forefront of innovation in climate and energy.
Later in the conference, a panel of climate tech investors, led by Daniel Baron, Development Manager of Energycom, included participants such as Dr. Bracha Chalaf, co-founder and managing partner of Gravity Climate Fund; Ofir Gouma, CEO of Capital Nature; Sheli Dvir, partner at 2B.VC; Amir Horovitz, CEO of ESIL; and Elad Har-Zahav, Business Development Manager at Poalim Tech. They shared their knowledge and experience in the field.
Selected startups presented their projects in renewable energy, energy transmission, circular economy, and carbon capture.
These initiatives are included
Red Currents is a company that developed a new material called Red C (developed in Technion labs). This material conducts electricity, is lightweight (1/6 the weight of copper), strong, flexible, does not heat up, and can carry more than twice the current of copper.Solar Fence is a venture developing innovative solar panels for walls and fences.NAKI is a company that turned industrial sludge into sustainable aviation fuel.Watairgy is a venture developing a compact home device for generating green electricity 24/7 through accelerated evaporation in a closed volume.
NOF is a company that developed breakthrough cooling technology using carbon dioxide to extend the shelf life of agricultural products.Conext is a company that developed a real-time monitoring and control system for the construction industry to improve concrete mix quality, reduce costs, and greenhouse gas emissions.Amos Lesker, CEO of Energycom, said at the conference,"The Investor Club we established represented a unique opportunity to meet industry leaders, hear about the latest developments, expand professional networks, and invest in the next unicorn in the energy and climate worlds. We were pleased with our collaboration with Bank Hapoalim, which allowed us to continue deepening our impact in the ecosystem and promote new business opportunities for investors and startups."
Sharon Alalof, ESG Manager at Bank Hapoalim, said at the conference, "Accelerating the transition to a low-carbon economy to address the climate crisis requires, above all, technological innovation. The climate technology ecosystem in Israel is growing rapidly, reflecting the global acceleration in the field. Bank Hapoalim placed great importance on supporting and encouraging the local climate-tech industry through a variety of financial and banking services via Poalim Tech, investing in VC funds investing in startups in the field through the bank's real investment arm Poalim Equity, and through collaborations with selected ecosystem partners, including our successful collaboration with Energycom."