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title: Israel Tech Challenge - Wikipedia
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> **Original source:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel_Tech_Challenge

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Israel Tech Challenge

Formation

2013; 13 years ago

Founder

Raphael Ouzan, Oren Toledano

Founded at

 ![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d4/Flag_of_Israel.svg/40px-Flag_of_Israel.svg.png?utm_source=en.wikipedia.org&utm_campaign=parser&utm_content=thumbnail)[Israel](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel "Israel")

Purpose

Bringing international highly technical talent to Israel

Executive Director

Oren Toledano

Affiliations

Israeli National Cyber Bureau, Jewish Agency, Paul E. Singer Foundation

**Israel Tech Challenge** is a non-profit organization that aims to bring international highly technical talent to [Israel](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel "Israel"). It is backed by the Israeli National Cyber Bureau, the [Jewish Agency](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_Agency "Jewish Agency"),[\[1\]](#cite_note-KeinonCyprus-1) the [Paul E. Singer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_E._Singer "Paul E. Singer") Foundation,[\[2\]](#cite_note-2) private donors, and corporate partners. It was founded in 2013 by [Raphael Ouzan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raphael_Ouzan "Raphael Ouzan") and Oren Toledano.[\[3\]](#cite_note-OrpazIsrael-3)

As of 2018, Israel Tech Challenge provides 2-month internships, 5-month bootcamp and 10-month fellowships that have trained more than 400 new engineers from more than 20 countries. It has brought an estimated gain of $34.1M to the Israeli economy.[\[4\]](#cite_note-4)[\[5\]](#cite_note-5) In 2017, six month internships in the program were offered to 15 students form Cyprus and 15 from Greece as part of an effort to strengthen ties between the world Greek and Jewish communities.[\[1\]](#cite_note-KeinonCyprus-1)

Oren Toledano is executive director.[\[6\]](#cite_note-Zalaya-6)[\[3\]](#cite_note-OrpazIsrael-3)

Brief internship experiences are offered as part of the [Birthright Israel](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birthright_Israel "Birthright Israel") program.[\[6\]](#cite_note-Zalaya-6)[\[7\]](#cite_note-ElisSays-7) [Haaretz](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haaretz "Haaretz") asserts that the program, which it calls "Birthright for Geeks", seeks to expose young diaspora Jews who work in or study cutting edge tech to the tech industry in Israel.[\[3\]](#cite_note-OrpazIsrael-3)

In June 2018, Israel Tech Challenge was chosen by the Israel Innovation Authority as one of seven providers to run bootcamps and train engineers in Israel.[\[8\]](#cite_note-provider-8)

1.  [1](#cite_ref-KeinonCyprus_1-0) [2](#cite_ref-KeinonCyprus_1-1) Keinon, Herb (15 June 2017). "PM in Thessaloniki for trilateral summit with Greece and Cyprus". Jerusalem Post. [ProQuest](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ProQuest "ProQuest") [1910723844](https://www.proquest.com/docview/1910723844).
2.  [↑](#cite_ref-2) ["Israel tech challenge"](https://web.archive.org/web/20180220152138/http://www.israeltechallenge.com/). _www.israeltechallenge.com_. Archived from [the original](http://www.israeltechallenge.com/) on 2018-02-20. Retrieved 2018-02-20.
3.  [1](#cite_ref-OrpazIsrael_3-0) [2](#cite_ref-OrpazIsrael_3-1) [3](#cite_ref-OrpazIsrael_3-2) Orpaz, Inbal (17 August 2014). ["Relocation to Startup Nation: Why Diaspora Tekkies Are Flocking to Israel"](https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/business/2014-08-17/ty-article/.premium/relocation-to-startup-nation/0000017f-e671-dc7e-adff-f6fda4610000). Haaretz. Retrieved 21 March 2018.
4.  [↑](#cite_ref-4) [""הבנקאות במשבר, כל בנק מקים לעצמו היום חברת פינטק": רפאל אוזן על עולם הולך ומשתנה"](https://web.archive.org/web/20180221035512/http://www.forbes.co.il/news/new.aspx?Pn6VQ=&0r9VQ=EHEJF). _פורבס ישראל_ (in Hebrew). Archived from [the original](http://www.forbes.co.il/news/new.aspx?Pn6VQ=&0r9VQ=EHEJF) on 2018-02-21. Retrieved 2018-02-20.
5.  [↑](#cite_ref-5) ["Sionisme 2.0"](https://web.archive.org/web/20180220152513/https://www.haaretz.com/haaretz-labels/essence/1.5724015). Archived from [the original](https://www.haaretz.com/haaretz-labels/essence/1.5724015) on February 20, 2018 – via Haaretz.
6.  [1](#cite_ref-Zalaya_6-0) [2](#cite_ref-Zalaya_6-1) Zelaya, Ian (16 January 2014). "Taglit-Birthright offers 12-day Tech Challenge". Washington Jewish Week. [ProQuest](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ProQuest "ProQuest") [1492727606](https://www.proquest.com/docview/1492727606).
7.  [↑](#cite_ref-ElisSays_7-0) Elis, Niv (24 July 2014). "Despite sirens, visiting techies keep coding. 'I'm more worried about getting lost in TA than rockets,' hacking competitor says". Jerusalem Post. [ProQuest](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ProQuest "ProQuest") [1551320897](https://www.proquest.com/docview/1551320897).
8.  [↑](#cite_ref-provider_8-0) Ravet, Hagar (4 June 2018). ["Israel Picks Seven Companies to Run State-Funded Coding Bootcamps"](https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3739465,00.html). Calcalist. Retrieved 12 November 2018.