Intel Ignite

We’re pleased to introduce Oscar Mendoza, a seasoned Intel Ignite US mentor with over 23 years of industry experience. Oscar is the Design For Test and Recovery Lead for Intel’s Xeon Server product, and has developed various recovery features for Xeon Servers. He has also received an Intel Achievement Award in 2022 for recovery in Module Design for Integration (MDFI) High-Performance Interface (HIP), servicing Embedded Multi-die Interconnect Bridge (EMIB) crossings. Oscar brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to Intel Ignite and the startups he mentors.

In his role at Intel, Oscar is challenged to take great ideas and turn them into millions of shipping units, something that requires fine-grain engineering rigor. As part of Intel Ignite US’s first cohort’s mentor team, he was able to leverage his expertise to contribute to the startups’ learning experience, motivating their founders to take their vision to completion while leveraging engineering best practices.

For Oscar, being a mentor has been very fulfilling. He found the energy and enthusiasm behind every question and response inspiring. In his words, “You know things are going well when a simple discussion on segregating development tasks consumes an entire meeting.”

Oscar’s : “Ask questions! Learning and growth are what the best startups use to take their great ideas to the marketplace.”

Learn more about the Intel Ignite startup program: https://intelignite.com/

Thank you Maddyness UK for this recent article where Paul Ferretti chatted with Markus Bohl, Managing Director of Intel Ignite Europe.

Read the article to:
🤝 get to know the new Intel Ignite Europe batch 6 participants
🚀 learn how we’re carrying out our mission to accelerate ground-breaking deep tech startups
🔍 what we look for in startups to join our program
🥇 why we have some of the best mentors in the world

Learn more: https://www.maddyness.com/uk/2023/11/06/stoking-the-fire-of-innovation-intel-ignite-selects-10-startups-for-fall-2023-european-cohort/

Stoking the fire of Innovation: Intel Ignite selects 10 startups for Fall 2023 European Cohort - Maddyness UK Intel® Ignite, Intel Corporation’s startup accelerator program for early-stage deep tech startups, has now launched its sixth cohort in Europe.

Delighted to see Akooda’s article on AI-Powered Operations Intelligence is published in TechCrunch 📰

Read the article where our Intel Ignite Tel-Aviv batch 8 alumni explain how understanding operations intelligence can be a game-changer for a startup. https://techcrunch.com/2023/10/30/understanding-operations-intelligence-can-transform-a-startup/

Understanding operations intelligence can transform a startup | TechCrunch Operations intelligence aims to optimize information flow, address bottlenecks, and eliminate obstacles to progress.

🎉 Congratulations to OX Security, Intel Ignite Tel-Aviv batch 8 alumni, on receiving a strategic investment from IBM Ventures! This collaboration will help advance the successful adoption of DevSecOps practices. 🚀

Neatsun Ziv and Lior Arzi, we’re so proud of you and this incredible achievement. We can’t wait to see what’s in store for you 🔥

Read more: https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/sjkqxf0022

Time flies when you’re working hard and having fun while doing it. We are heading into the summer having had a blast working together with Intel Ignite Europe batch 5, perfecting pitches, honing in on the startups’ stories, and pushing their limits to drive success.

Batch 5 – we are so proud of all that you have accomplished in the 12 weeks we worked together. The future is looking bright – keep disrupting it! 🔥

Akhetonics | Deep Render | Decentralized Web Services (DWS) | Enlightra | InCirT | Qbeast | Qilimanjaro Quantum Tech | Roseman Labs| TurinTech AI | United Manufacturing Hub

The countdown has begun for Intel Ignite US #3 Cohort! This is the final week to submit your application. ⏳🚀

The Intel Ignite accelerator program has a proven track record of helping deep tech startups achieve significant strategic impact, and get to product market fit faster.

Join our community of select deep tech founders and co-create the future of tech. https://lnkd.in/dFjgiCPk

We’re delighted to introduce Petra Felsner, a seasoned Intel Ignite Europe mentor. She holds a PhD in Physics and has over 26 years' experience in the semiconductor industry, including a 12-year tenure at Intel Corporation, where she is currently the Director of Europe Ecosystem Strategy.

Throughout her career, Petra has accumulated extensive technical, strategic, and leadership expertise, and has held a number of technical and management positions.

Petra mentored startups in three batches of the Intel Ignite Europe accelerator program:

🌟 Batch 2, she mentored LIDROTEC, a German startup focused on expanding the application potential of ultrashort pulse laser processing and productizing the latest innovation in wafer dicing technology and equipment.
🌟 Batch 3, she mentored SILINA, a startup based in France that’s revolutionizing imaging sensors curving solutions.
🌟 Batch 4, she was the lead mentor for Space Forge, a low carbon technology startup from the UK developing fully reusable satellites to manufacture next-generation super materials in space.

Petra’s : "Engage openly with your mentoring team for support; prepare well for meetings with experts, and let them know your needs beforehand so you can make the most of your time together."

Through her continued interactions with the Intel Ignite startups, she has enriched her professional journey, cultivated deeper relationships, and broadened her engagement in the tech startup ecosystem.

Having developed an extensive network over a decade at Intel, as well as with European partners across the semiconductor value chain, Petra provides startups with valuable connections that offer insights not only into semiconductor technology, but also grants, supply chain management, market intelligence, and more.

Intel’s accelerator program for early-stage deep tech startups, is now accepting applications for its Fall 2023 cohorts! https://lnkd.in/gRD2Hzfg

🚀 Congratulations to Akhetonics, Intel Ignite Europe batch 5 alumni, on raising €2.3 million! The funding was led by deep tech investors Runa Capital, with investment from Interface Capital, Rheingau Founders, Thomas Pirschke, and Marie Tai.

Michael Kissner and Leonardo Del Bino we’re so proud of you and this huge achievement! We can’t wait to see what the future holds for you – we know it’s going to be bright 💡

Read more on TechCrunch: https://lnkd.in/gfgeyH5a

We’re so excited for the Intel Ignite portfolio startups who will be attending Black Hat USA and wish them a super successful event!

If you’re attending Black Hat USA, look out for:

LayerX Security
Oxeye
OX Security
Oligo Security
BreachQuest

🚀 LightSolver’s hiring!

Intel Ignite Tel-Aviv alumni LightSolver are looking to hire a Head of Product and Office Administrator (Deep Tech).

LightSolver is building the next generation of supercomputers, based on a proprietary pure Laser Processing Unit (LPU), in the field of quantum-inspired solvers, to solve complex optimization problems.

Click on the links to apply!

Head of Product: https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/3600118880

Office Administrator (Deep Tech): https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/3652276961

🤝We love connecting groundbreaking startups with tech industry leaders, and that’s just what we got to do at the inaugural meeting of the Intel Ignite Customer Advisory Board 🚀

At our CAB meeting, startup founders got to connect with CIOs, CTOs, and CISOs, and gain valuable insights into the global deep tech market.

Some of Intel Ignite's most disruptive startup portfolio companies pitched:
Akooda, Intel Ignite Tel-Aviv cohort 8 (Yuval Gonczarowski)
Modzy, Intel Ignite US cohort 1 (Josh Sullivan)
Qwak, Intel Ignite Tel-Aviv cohort 4 (Lior Penso)
Subsalt, Intel Ignite US cohort 2 (Ben Winokur)

Special thanks to:
🔷 Motti Finkelstein, Corporate Vice President, Digital Transformation Officer, Intel, and Chairman of Intel Ignite Customer Advisory Board
🔷Alon Leibovich, Managing Director, Intel Ignite
🔷Mark Castleman, Managing Director, Intel Ignite US
🔷 Ranjit Bawa, Chief Strategy and Technology Officer, Deloitte US
🔷 Ofer Lior, Director of Portfolio Development, Intel Ignite
🔷 Roni Sendik Shoham, Program Manager, Intel Ignite

Learn more about the Intel Ignite Customer Advisory Board: https://lnkd.in/gtc24ptZ

Intel Ignite Europe Batch #5 passed the finishing line with a smashing Grand Finale Week! A huge thank you to all of our mentors and speakers who made this such an impactful week.

🚗 We visited Fernride, Intel Ignite Europe batch 1 alumni, where CEO Hendrik Kramer shared how the company has evolved since its participation in the Intel Ignite accelerator program. He spoke about how the company and the founders tackled hypergrowth following their funding rounds, how he has developed personally and professionally together with the growth of his role as CEO, and emphasized the importance of seeking support from coaches and good mentors.
It made us incredibly proud to see how far Fernride has come since participating in Intel Ignite.

The founders got the chance to ask all their remaining burning questions in Ask-Me-Anything 1:1s with Batch #1 alumni Tomek Schultz & Tobias Pohl, mentors Manuel Bönisch, Patrick Nathen, Stefan Langefeld, Chris Rijnders, and experts Marija Kose, Bastian July, Nermin Sejdic, Ofer Lior, and Sarit Rosenthal-Aviram.

Batch 5, this isn’t goodbye – we look forward to continuing to plan the future together. As we always say, completing the program is only the end of the beginning of our lifelong relationship 🌅 See you in the office whenever you are in Munich!

We’re accepting applications for the Intel Ignite Europe fall 2023 cohort. If you’re an early-stage deep tech startup based in Europe, apply by Sept. 15th: https://bit.ly/3D1x9UZ

Akhetonics | Deep Render | Decentralized Web Services (DWS) | Enlightra | InCirT | Qbeast | Qilimanjaro Quantum Tech | Roseman Labs| TurinTech AI | United Manufacturing Hub

🔥 Congratulations to Akooda, Intel Ignite batch 8 alumni, on raising $11M!

Yuval Gonczarowski, Itamar Niddam, and Gal Abramovitz – we’re so thrilled for you and can’t wait to see what’s in store for you 🚀

Akooda is the world's first Ops Intelligence platform, providing true insights on top of existing SaaS tools used across the digital footprint.

Read more: https://techcrunch.com/2023/07/25/akooda-is-using-ai-to-help-companies-understand-their-business-with-fewer-meetings/

Join the AI Strategy Forum on August 2nd at 9:30 at Intel Ignite Tel-Aviv. Connect with local executives from cnvrg.io, Wix, Johnson & Johnson, and The Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer and learn strategies to introduce LLMs into your organization and deliver AI at scale.

Why should you attend?
🤝 Network and collaborate with AI experts
💻 Stay up to date on emerging AI technologies and gain innovative ideas to plan your future strategy
📝 Learn lessons from AI executives about their current strategy💡 Gain valuable insights into the latest trends, challenges, and best practices surrounding LLMs
☕️ Enjoy breakfast, coffee and swag!

Space is limited! Register here to save your spot: https://cnvrg.io/events/cloud-strategy-forum-tlv/

🎓 Congratulations to our new Intel Ignite US cohort 2 alumni!

You gave your all in our 12 weeks together, and we are so inspired by your dedication, hard work and commitment.

Throughout this journey, you delved into storytelling, product market fit, fundraising, and more! We can’t wait to see what’s in store for you as you continue to disrupt your industries 🚀

Applications are open for our Fall 2023 cohorts in the US, Europe, and Israel! https://bit.ly/3D1x9UZ

AI Proteins | Antaris Inc | Axoft | BreachQuest | Knode (TrustCheck) | Sentenai | Subsalt | TenSixty Biosciences | Themis AI | Ubicept

That’s a wrap for Intel Ignite Tel-Aviv batch 8! What an incredible journey it’s been, working together with a group of founders who amazed and inspired us week after week.

Our program culminated in our grand finale, with mentors, alumni and the current batch coming together to celebrate the hard work and huge strides that were made during the program.

Batch 8 – welcome to the growing Intel Ignite family! Our journey together continues!



Akooda | Hossted | InsidePacket, Inc | OX Security | Pelanor | Phononics | PVML | Speedb | Tweed | VOCAI

Wow what an incredible London Selection Day! 🎡 We are so grateful for everyone who participated and took part in Intel Ignite London’s first-ever selection day 🔥

Thank you to the 𝟭𝟯𝟰 𝗷𝘂𝗱𝗴𝗲𝘀 who joined us today, including VCs and investors, Intel Corporation executives and experts, members of the London deep tech ecosystem, our external mentors and program speakers, Intel Ignite’s customer advisory board members, and our alumni.

A huge thanks to the Intel Ignite team for their support and hard work that got us to selection day.

Now the fun really starts – we can’t wait to kick off cohort 1 of Intel Ignite London! Let’s go! 🔥

💰 Entrepreneurs seeking venture capital – the money is still out there. The key to securing funding is to strategically research and screen investors. In his Forbes Council article, Tzahi Zack Weisfeld, VP and GM of Intel Ignite, shares the key factors investors seek in a promising startup and a few steps you can take to screen VCs before approaching them:

🎯 Operationalize your approach: Investors look for founders who can present something truly groundbreaking. Find investors already primed for your venture.

🔍 Screen VCs with care: Research preferences, explore portfolios, and utilize online resources like CrunchBase and AngelList. Stay up-to-date with VC blogs and social media for insights into their focus areas.

💡 Get into the investor mindset: Tailor your presentation, adapt to who's in the room, and address their specific interests. It's all about risk and demonstrating market validation earlier.

🔒 Avoid pitfalls: Establish a presence in the VC world, stick to niches, show evidence of product-market fit, and communicate any concerns openly.

👀 Stand out: Tell investors something they've never heard before. Identify the perfect investors for your readily available solution and maintain precision in your approach.

👓 What investors really look for: Visionary founders who spot problems and offer solutions. Also, low-tech debt and the ability to build quickly.

While 2023's VC terrain leans toward risk aversion, opportunity persists for entrepreneurs. Think smart, act strategically, and capitalize on the opportunity! https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2023/07/05/how-to-strategically-research-screen-and-win-over-investors-for-your-startup/?sh=6a8475577cc8

The appliedAI Institute for Europe has released the German AI Startup Landscape 2023 report, introducing the 𝟮𝟬 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗔𝗜 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗽𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗚𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘆. We are thrilled to see FOUR Intel Ignite Europe alumni on this list! 🚀

Congratulations to 🔥AskUI 🔥CELUS 🔥Luminovo 🔥Paretos on being recognized for your disruption in the AI ecosystem.

To view the Sixth Annual German AI Startup Landscape, and the full list of 20 most highlighted AI Startups in Germany, click here: https://www.appliedai-institute.de/en/hub/2023-ai-german-startup-landscape

🚀 Calling all early-stage deep tech startups! Intel Ignite, Intel’s accelerator program for early-stage deep tech startups, is now accepting applications for its Fall 2023 cohorts! 🔥

Our 12-week program:

👉 Offers world-class mentorship
👉 Is non dilutive: founders retain full ownership, we take no equity
👉 Enables you to get to product market fit faster
👉 Is for founders by founders
👉 Provides introductions to strategic partners and VCs

Apply now! https://bit.ly/3D1x9UZ

😎 We already knew OX Security was cool, but we’re so excited to see that Gartner does too!

HUGE congratulations to OX Security, Intel Ignite Tel-Aviv batch 8, on being recognized as a Gartner Cool Vendor! 🔥 Neatsun Ziv and Lior Arzi, we’re so proud of you and this incredible achievement.

Get your copy of the 2023 Gartner Cool Vendors in Platform Engineering for Scaling Application Security Practices report, compliments of OX Security: https://www.ox.security/gartner-cool-vendor-2023/

We’re delighted to introduce Thomas Wagner, an Intel Ignite Europe mentor. Currently serving as the Head of Package Engineering Center at Intel, Thomas has been instrumental in shaping the future of semiconductor assembly.

Thomas is an invaluable asset to the program, contributing his expertise to three batches. In batch 2, he provided technical mentorship to LIDROTEC, a laser processing startup. In batch 3, he served as a technical expert for SILINA, a semiconductor manufacturing startup. Most recently, in batch 4, he was the lead mentor for Corintis, an on-chip cooling startup.

Startup founders are intimately familiar with every detail of their operations, from every process step down to each screw and material property. Their hands-on knowledge is the foundation of their innovation, yet they also seek help in addressing further technical challenges. Their startup is usually founded on a single, unique problem they've managed to solve. Using his Intel experience, Thomas expands the startup’s problem-solving scope, exploring new and exciting applications and providing growth opportunities.

Thomas’s : "Your dreams are your goals, so don’t limit your goals, even if the first steps are small!"

Applications are open for the Intel Ignite accelerator program for early-stage deep tech startups. Learn more and apply here: https://bit.ly/3D1x9UZ

Exciting to see Hossted, batch 8 Intel Ignite Tel-Aviv startup, featured in Calcalist כלכליסט’s “Boarding Pass”! 🔥 Hossted is revolutionizing open source maintenance and support with its innovative OSS-OPS platform.

Congrats Elroi Marom and Lior Kesos on this incredible feature. We can’t wait to see what’s in store for you 🚀

Get to know Hossted here 👉: https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/bkn6da7yn

Hossted looks to solve the challenge of open source maintenance and support | CTech The Israeli startup has bootstrapped its first million dollars for its OSS-OPS platform

🔥 : Q2 ‘23 was a busy one for Intel Ignite portfolio startups, who raised a whopping ~$185M in funding! 💥

Take a look below and check out our Q2 ‘23 funding recap! 👇

🎓 Introducing Utila, Intel Ignite Tel-Aviv alumni from Batch 7!

Utila is committed to building an advanced operating system for digital assets. With a focus on secure custody, customizable user access, and seamless crypto management, the startup caters to financial institutions, crypto enthusiasts, and PSPs (Payment Service Providers). 🚀

The startup was co-founded by two former intelligence officers from the IDF, both of whom specialized in cyber products. Post-army, Bentzi Rabi (CEO) ventured into the cyber industry, working in a startup as an early employee and later as a venture capitalist, mainly focusing on seed investments. Sam Eiderman (CTO) joined Ravello, a cloud virtualization startup later bought by Oracle, and subsequently worked at Google.

Their paths reconverged around a shared interest in digital assets and blockchain technology, which they identified as the future of finance. They realized that every digital asset, whether a popular cryptocurrency like Bitcoin or a tokenized real estate asset, required a secure, reliable digital wallet for storage, access, and transfers.

The founders established their company with a vision to disrupt the traditional mechanisms through blockchain-based assets. They wanted to create an enterprise-grade wallet tailored for organizations like payment providers, hedge funds, and banks. Unlike existing solutions, their wallet would offer fast onboarding and a user-friendly design, inspired by Stripe's model. Their main goal was to make Utila self-serving and easily accessible, simplifying digital asset management and pushing the boundaries of fintech.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗯𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗨𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗮 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗹 𝗜𝗴𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺?
Being part of the Intel Ignite program placed Utila within a network of companies constantly looking at ways to assist each other. “Whether it was fast-tracking connections for reference checks or introductions to other founders, this network is really meaningful to Utila. The program gives us direct access to Intel Corporation. As a deep tech startup, we saw numerous potential synergies with Intel, and having this immediate connection was very powerful.”

Learn more about Utila: https://utila.io/

📣 Have you heard? CADY, Intel Ignite Tel-Aviv alumni, are in Calcalist כלכליסט’s “Boarding Pass”!

CADY addresses the problem of commonly found errors in the electrical schematics of printed circuit boards (PCBs). The company was born out of necessity while its co-founders served in the army together.

Congrats Gilad Shapira, Tal Ben Porath, and Or Shabtai on the fantastic feature!

Read about CADY here: https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/hkcxdcau3

How does CADY tackle errors in electrical schematics? | CTech The company has raised a total of $4 million to improve the product design process

🎓 We're delighted to introduce DragonflyDB, Intel Ignite Tel-Aviv alumni from Batch 7!

DragonflyDB is a Redis-compatible datastore delivering 25X the throughput and seamless vertical scaling. Using DragonflyDB, developers can enhance performance and scale their applications effortlessly.

Founders Oded Poncz (CEO) and Roman Gershman (CTO) started DragonflyDB to help the software development community to power high-scale, real-time applications and accelerate human innovation.

Oded Poncz is no stranger to startups. A technical leader at heart, Poncz founded his first company, LabPixies, in 2007. Serving as CTO, he steered the company towards an acquisition by Google in 2010. With his footprint in the tech world, he became the Software Engineering Manager of Google+ Friends suggestion. Here he crossed paths with his future co-founder, Roman Gershman. Oded’s entrepreneurial spirit drove him to found his second venture, Ubimo, a location intelligence company. He served as CTO until its acquisition by Quotient in 2019, then took on the role of VP of Engineering.

Roman Gershman's journey began as one of the first engineers at Google Israel, where he co-designed the Google Suggest service. Roman's experience also includes working as a backend developer for Gmail and then as an architect, and later VP of R&D at Ubimo. After Ubimo's acquisition, Roman joined AWS on the ElastiCache team, the largest managed in-memory data store offering on the market.

Both Oded and Roman had, through their careers, repeatedly encountered the limitations of existing in-memory data stores like Redis. Roman, in particular, identified the lack of alternatives during his time at ElastiCache. As Oded says, "Roman kept saying that he was hitting the same problems, just like we had at Ubimo with Redis. But now he hit them on a bigger scale. It was the underlying technology that is holding the entire industry back. It required a complete re-architecture to solve it."

Seeing this opportunity, Oded and Roman decided to leave their respective companies and solve the problem themselves, and founded DragonflyDB, a solution created from years of combined experience and a shared desire to innovate.

For Oded, the shift from CTO to CEO was a big transition that called for a shift in perspective. Intel Ignite provided a wealth of resources to refine his thinking and strengthen DragonflyDB's business strategy.

The program's focus extended beyond product and technology, areas they were already comfortable in. Instead, they found significant value in mentorship around marketing, sales processes, and storytelling skills - all crucial elements in entrepreneurship.

Oded and Roman also gained from the program's community. "The connections with the other program members were invaluable. We learned immensely from their experiences and insights."

Read more about DragonflyDB: https://www.dragonflydb.io

🔥 Intel Ignite Europe batch 5 had an incredible jam-packed midterm week, working hard and playing hard from morning till midnight despite the sweltering heat.

The startups set up an IP strategy with Bastian July, founder of GoodIP; learned hacks to build a tech team with Karl Pitrich, CTO of Mister Spex; and heard the trials and tribulations of founding and running a hyper growth startup from Dr. Patrick Nathen, Co-founder & CTO of Lilium. Olga Khroustaleva dove into the business opportunities of being a climate positive company, and Oliver Trinchera talked about how to manage business success and failure over the long term.

The amazing Florian "Flo" Mueck and John Zimmer got the startups’ pitches in top shape in just 2 days 💪 They always say that public speaking is a mountain without a peak. We climbed many mountains over the course of Midterm Week.

It wasn’t all hard work, though. We definitely had some laughs, especially when the companies were tasked with pitching a fictional product. They went from zero to “product” in just 30 minutes! ⏰

A real treat for everyone was the Deep Tech VC Reverse Pitch 📊where the tables were turned in an investment game and top European deep tech VCs pitched Intel Ignite companies to win their investment. 💶

Congratulations to the winners of the pitch: Crystal van Oosterom, Maia Korradi, and Omar Hedeya.

Akhetonics | Deep Render | Decentralized Web Services (DWS) | Enlightra | InCirT | Qbeast | Qilimanjaro Quantum Tech | Roseman Labs | TurinTech AI | United Manufacturing Hub