From Vision to Action:
HELIX Initiatives
Since the launch of HELIX – The 8400 US-IL Task Force in February 2025, the vision is now in action.
Through the collaborative process during Israel Week, six dynamic teams have emerged, each focused on addressing a critical challenge to accelerate Israel’s HealthTech innovation and unlock its global potential. The teams are now moving forward with initiatives that are already creating tangible opportunities for innovation in two strategic areas: Venture Formation and Maturation and Commercialization Excellence.
Venture Formation and Maturation
HelixBio
Name
Background
Israel has world-class scientific talent and biomedical research, but too many discoveries stall before reaching clinical or commercial application. A major barrier is the lack of structured, early-stage support for translating science into scalable biotech ventures. Project HelixBio was created to bridge that critical funding and development gap, and to strengthen the infrastructure for biotech innovation in Israel.
Mission
HelixBio’s mission is to create and scale 3–5 breakthrough biotech companies over the next decade by investing in promising early-stage science, developing strong leadership, and forming global strategic partnerships. By doing so, it seeks to position Israel as a global leader in biotech innovation and improve health outcomes worldwide.
Team Members
Mati Gill
Adam Koppel
Ronit Satchi Fianaro
Yuval Cabilly
Tomer Goldberg
Yael Mazuz
Marius Nacht
Sam Moed
Yair Schindel
Biohub
Name
Background
The Biohub is a bi-national initiative operating in Israel and the U.S. to accelerate the growth of mature Israeli HealthTech ventures. It screens and prepares startups in Israel for U.S. market entry, while the U.S. hub focuses on leadership development and strategic board assembly. With talent as a core driver, the Biohub offers programs for both experienced executives and emerging leaders.
Mission
To equip selected ventures with strong leadership, smart capital, and operational readiness—positioning them for sustainable growth and deeper engagement with the U.S. market.
Team Members
Shiri Nester
Noam Shomron
Rani Dudai
Drew Fromkin
Anat Cohen-Dayag
Richard Brudnick
Michal Preminger
Alise Reicin
The Israel Translational Science Institute
Name
Background
Israel excels in scientific research but lacks a national engine for translating discoveries into real-world impact. The Israel Translational Science Institute (ITSI) aims to fill this gap by building a uniquely Israeli platform for translational research, inspired by global models like the Broad and Wyss Institutes and leveraging the country’s strengths in technology and data science.
Mission
The primary goal of ITSI is to accelerate translational research and maximize its impact by advancing Israeli science into scalable, investable, and clinically meaningful innovations. ITSI will empower researchers to pursue high-risk, high-reward projects and build national platforms that drive real-world outcomes in health and medicine.
Team Members
Sam Moed
Issi Rozen
Natalie Artzi
Gaddy Getz
Yifat Merbl
Shulamit Levenberg
David Gilman
Gal Markel
Kfir Batat
Ran Balicer
Deborah Estrin
Name
Background
Mission
Team Members
Commercialization Excellence
Name
Background
Mission
Team Members
MCI^2
Name
Background
Many promising HealthTech and MedTech innovations in Israel struggle to transition from R&D to real-world market success due to a lack of structured commercialization support. Recognizing this gap, the Medical Commercialization Initiative (MCI) was developed to provide tailored, hands-on programs that address the unique challenges of bringing medical innovation to market.
Mission
MCI’s mission is to accelerate the commercialization and market success of HealthTech and MedTech ventures through a three-tiered approach:
Tier 1 – MCI 1.0: A focused, blueprint-driven three-month boot camp for early-stage startups, aiming to support ~50 companies annually.
Tier 2 – MCI 2.0: Targeted support for companies in or near the commercialization phase, addressing six critical elements of commercial success, with capacity for up to 20 companies per year.
Tier 3 – CEO Executive Training: Specialized leadership training designed to build strong, commercially focused HealthTech executives capable of scaling innovation sustainably.
Team Members
Gilad Glick
David Israeli
Hadas Klein
Ittai Harel
Nitsan Karesenty
Oded Rose
Phyllis Gotlib
Ran Balicer
MNC & US Healthcare Company Strategy
Name
Background
Israel has a vibrant healthcare innovation ecosystem, but aligning its strengths with the evolving priorities of major global healthcare players remains a challenge. To unlock deeper collaboration and commercial opportunity, there is a need to better understand and respond to the specific needs of leading payers, providers, and multinational corporations (MNCs).
Mission
This initiative aims to identify Israel’s unique competitive advantages in relation to the strategic goals and pain points of major healthcare organizations. By doing so, it seeks to strengthen and expand partnerships between top U.S. healthcare enterprises and Israeli innovators — enhancing Israel’s attractiveness as a partner and solution hub for the global health market.
Team Members
Ittai Harel
Lee Shapiro
Boris Kheyn
Avi Veidman
Shira Eting
Avner Halperin
Hagai Itkin
Raanan Cohen
US Network
Name
Background
Israeli health innovators often face challenges when trying to access and navigate the U.S. healthcare market — from validating their solutions to building meaningful relationships with key stakeholders. To bridge this gap, the HelixBio initiative is forming a network of senior U.S. HealthTech and Life Science leaders who can serve as trusted advisors and connectors.
Mission
The initiative aims to build an engaged network of 20–30 senior U.S. leaders who will contribute their expertise as mentors, commercialization advisors, and ecosystem partners. Their involvement will be tailored to their availability and interests. This collaboration will create mutual value: empowering Israeli startups with U.S. market insight and access, while offering participants the opportunity to make meaningful contributions and expand their own global professional networks.
Team Members
Amir Dan Rubin
Varda Shalev
Laizer Kornwasser
Ran Ridnik
Michal Tsur
Yair Schindel