The Zell Entrepreneurship Program at Reichman University

What The Zell Entrepreneurship Program at Reichman University does

The Zell Entrepreneurship Program at Reichman University is a one-year, application-based incubation program for founders in the earliest stages of building a venture. Founded in 2009 and housed at Reichman University's Adelson School of Entrepreneurship in Herzliya, Israel, the program selects 16–20 founders per cohort through a multi-stage process (application, alumni interviews, faculty interviews, Pre-SIP, and a Summer Induction Program). Programming is delivered via structured courses covering venture creation, entrepreneurial finance, legal aspects, entrepreneurial strategy, marketing strategy, business modeling, conflict management, and financial thinking, taught by a faculty of operators, investors, and lawyers including senior figures from Aleph, Lightspeed, Hippo, Goldfarb Gross Seligman, and Pearl Cohen. The program is free for accepted Fellows, with tuition covered for extra-year undergraduates and stipends available for select participants.

The program is not a technology company and does not produce commercial software; its core "technology" is a curated curriculum, mentorship infrastructure, and alumni platform. Its commercial mechanics are essentially philanthropic: operating support comes from Sam Zell's endowment and the ZEP Fund, an evergreen vehicle that sometimes provides pre-seed investment to select alumni companies at program completion. Beyond the program itself, Zell operates three sub-brands: the ZEP Fund (capital), zell.life/Zible (alumni engagement platform with Guilds such as ZEO and Product), and ZGEN (a global network connecting Zell alumni across University of Michigan Ross, Northwestern Kellogg, and Reichman). Cumulative outcomes include 490 alumni, 191 companies founded, 36 exits, 5 IPOs, $6.4B raised by portfolio companies, and 7,400 jobs created. Beginning with the 2025 cohort, admission is restricted to Reichman University students and graduates, narrowing the talent pool to a single academic institution.

Name

The Zell Entrepreneurship Program at Reichman University

Legal name

Zell Entrepreneurship Program

Website

https://zellprogram.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Zell Entrepreneurship Program at Reichman University is a free, one-year, application-based incubation program in Herzliya, Israel, selecting 16–20 founders per cohort from Reichman University students/graduates. It provides mentorship, structured coursework, alumni network access via zell.life/Zible, and potential pre-seed investment from the ZEP Fund to support early-stage venture creation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Entrepreneurship Education

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (61143), Business Schools and Computer and Management Training (6114)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Business Incubators & Accelerators (EDAMAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Entrepreneurship Foundations & Startup Basics (EDAMAHAA), Marketing, Branding & Sales Skills (EDAMAHAG), Financial Literacy, Budgeting & Personal Finance (EDAMAHAE)

Keywords

• Entrepreneurship incubation
• Venture creation program
• Startup mentorship
• Pre-seed investment
• Alumni network platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Herzliya

HQ country

Israel

HQ region

Middle East

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Educational Program Services: The program is free of charge for participants. The program covers tuition for extra-year undergraduates. The program's funding comes from Sam Zell's investment and the ZEP Fund evergreen fund that supports alumni companies.
2. ZEP Fund Pre-seed Investment: At the end of the program, the ZEP Fund sometimes offers pre-seed investment funding to select teams to support their next stage of growth. This creates potential returns through portfolio company exits.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Zell Entrepreneurship Program is a one-year, on-campus intensive incubation program at Reichman University in Herzliya, Israel. It selects 16-20 founders per cohort and provides structured courses, mentorship from domain experts, weekly strategic advice, business development support, and access to an evergreen venture fund (ZEP Fund) offering pre-seed investment to select teams at program completion.

Product overview

The Zell Entrepreneurship Program is a business creation platform and one-year intensive incubation program that invests in extraordinary individuals to empower them to shape the future. The program provides a collaborative platform with three key components: the core Program (incubation and mentorship), Alumni network (zell.life platform with guilds and groups), and the ZEP Fund (evergreen venture fund). The program offers structured courses and workshops including Venture Creation, Entrepreneurial Finance, Legal Aspects, Entrepreneurial Strategy, Marketing Strategy, Business Modeling, Conflict Management, and Financial Thinking for Startups. The ecosystem is connected through ZGEN (global network of alumni from three Zell programs) and provides funding support, business development, and personal growth resources for founders in early stages.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ZEP Fund: Evergreen venture fund that supports Zell alumni companies
• zell.life
• ZGEN
• Zible

Products and services

• Zell Entrepreneurship Program

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ZGEN (Zell Global Entrepreneur Network)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerZGEN is a network of global entrepreneurs who are alumni of the three Zell programs: Zell Entrepreneurs at the Ross School of Business, University of Michigan; Zell Fellows at the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University; and the Zell Entrepreneurship Program at the Adelson School of Entrepreneurship, Reichman University. Producing truly unique experiences that alumni can't find anywhere else is a key differentiator.
• zell.life (Zible)coreStrategic or Co-development Partnerzell.life is the alumni network platform connecting, supporting, and engaging all Zell alumni and current Fellows. The CEO Liraz Sharabani leads the platform which includes Guilds such as ZEO (for active CEO Fellows), Product guild (for product management positions), and organizes events including the Annual Family Event and Zell.Life Annual Gathering.
• CoverminorOthersInsurance benefit partner for alumni with contact person Ido Galili ([email protected])
• H-F&Co. Law OfficesminorOthersLegal services benefit partner for alumni with contact person Maor Levran ([email protected])
• Amazon (AWS)minorOthersCloud services benefit partner for alumni with contact person Moran Nir ([email protected])
• HubSpotminorOthersMarketing and sales software benefit partner for startups with contact [email protected]
• Tollman's DotminorOthersMarketing/design services benefit partner for alumni with contact person Shirley Schwartz ([email protected])
• SedricminorOthersAI platform benefit partner for alumni with contact person Noam Rom ([email protected])

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• The Junction: Israel's leading pre-seed program founded by Zell faculty member Eden Shochat (Aleph GP). Directly comparable as an Israeli pre-seed accelerator targeting early founders, with strong overlap in mentor network and target founder profile.
• Seedstars: Swiss-based accelerator focused on emerging markets and growth-stage startups in 90+ countries. Comparable to Zell as a global accelerator with regional programs, though Seedstars targets a different founder geography than Zell's Israel focus.

Direct peers

• MassChallenge: Global non-equity accelerator running multi-month cohort programs for early-stage founders, with a strong mentorship model. Comparable to Zell in being equity-free and selective, though MassChallenge serves a broader geography and industry mix.
• Y Combinator: The world's leading startup accelerator, running cohort-based programs for early-stage founders with mentorship, demo days, and follow-on capital. Comparable to Zell as a selective, equity-free (now standard deal) program that turns founders into fundable companies, but at vastly greater scale and global reach.
• Antler: Global early-stage investor and accelerator that helps founders build companies from scratch across multiple geographies. Comparable to Zell's model of taking pre-idea or early-idea founders and supporting venture creation, with a stronger global footprint.
• Founders Factory: London-based accelerator and venture builder that creates and invests in early-stage startups with corporate partners. Comparable to Zell in the venture-creation-from-scratch approach and corporate-affiliated structure.
• Station F: The world's largest startup campus in Paris, hosting 1,000+ startups and running multiple accelerator programs on-site. Comparable to Zell as a physical hub for early-stage founders, though Station F is multi-program rather than a single branded incubator.
• Techstars: Global accelerator network running 13-week cohort programs with mentor-driven curricula and seed investment. Directly comparable to Zell in structure (cohort-based, mentorship-heavy) but operates globally with hundreds of portfolio companies versus Zell's single Israel location.

Broad incumbents

• SOSV: Multi-stage venture fund operating accelerator programs (HAX, IndieBio, Chinaccelerator, etc.) for early-stage founders across verticals. Comparable to Zell as an accelerator operator with deep founder support infrastructure, though SOSV runs multiple specialized programs.

Regional players

• AlphaLab: Pittsburgh-based accelerator providing mentorship and seed funding to early-stage technology startups. Comparable to Zell in cohort-based, mentorship-driven structure but operates in a different geography (US) targeting founders outside Zell's Israeli focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/zell-center-for-entrepreneurship-at-idc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Zell Entrepreneurship Program at Reichman University