At Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, the Cactus Capital student venture fund and Cactus Academy have become a unique hands-on model for entrepreneurial education and early-stage investment.
As part of the program, students are selected for the Cactus Academy, where they undergo intensive training to become startup analysts, learning how to evaluate ventures, markets, and founders. They then continue to a year-long internship within the fund itself, applying their knowledge in real investment processes and ultimately helping decide which student ventures receive funding. The top-performing participants advance to leadership roles within the fund’s management team.
The fund, chaired by Prof. Carmel Sofer, a seasoned investor and industry expert, has supported 35 startups to date, with 14 receiving follow-on investment. Approximately 200 student ventures apply for funding each year — reflecting both the scale of entrepreneurial activity at BGU and the growing reputation of the program within Israel’s innovation ecosystem.
Source: Inside the BGU fund where students invest real venture capital | The Jerusalem Post
