Courses & Workshops

While the Zell Program consists of a full course load that complements and sometimes replaces participants’ regular study track, students are still required to fulfill additional course requirements for their major. The program’s core course is Venture Creation: a year-long course in which self-selected student teams formulate and analyze potential business ideas, develop business plans, build business and financial models and actually launch their own ventures.

Overview


The student teams are guided by industry expert mentors and can rely on the program’s network of alumni, friends and advisors for ad-hoc advice and support. Throughout the program, at different stages of their ventures’ development, the student teams present their business ideas to panels of venture capitalists, entrepreneurs and representatives of the business community, who provide invaluable feedback.

More Information


  • The program is comprised of two weekly days of classes as well as miscellaneous activities and events. Students are expected to use the remaining days of the week to work with their teams on their ventures.
  • The program culminates in a study trip, where participants visit leading companies, meet potential partners and customers, as well as present ventures to potential investors.

Venture Creation

  • Venture Creation A and B

    Mr. Ori Schnitzer

    The capstone course that weaves in all the supporting courses to enable students to take an idea from inception to launch. In particular, the course offers a framework meant to guide teams through problem definition, idea development and validation, customer discovery, competitive analysis, assumption and market mapping, product design and market experimentation.

  • Legal & Finance Aspects of Entrepreneurship

    Dr. Ayal Shenhav, Adv. & Ms. Liat Aaronson, Adv.

    This course introduces students to the major legal issues that confront an entrepreneur when starting a new business, including the proper form of incorporation, intellectual property law, the legal structuring of entrepreneurial transactions, and the governmental regulatory environment.

  • Marketing Strategy for New Products

    Dr. Eyal Maoz

    This course is designed to present a comprehensive framework for analysis, strategy formulation, and tactical marketing decision-making for new ventures and products based on a value approach, whereby the creation of value for customers, strategic partners, and for the company itself is considered to be the ultimate goal of the marketing process.

  • Concept Testing for Products and Services

    Dr. Eyal Maoz

    The purpose of the course is to build on the Marketing Strategy for New Products course and further develop a specific concept for the venture and do formal Concept Testing on this concept.

  • Entrepreneurship Workshop

    Mr. Ori Schnitzer

    This workshop explores topics in entrepreneurship from building a business and managing relationships with all stakeholders through navigating setbacks and facing failure. The course is a compilation of case study methods and guest instructors.

  • Financial Thinking for Startups

    Mr. Eden Shochat

    Start-ups need to consider the financial and quantitative underpinnings of their business from day one from the ability to size the market and assess the financial strength of competitors, through producing their product, building financial models to grow the business, budget management, and the different funding options and their implications.

  • Start Up Economics

    Mr. Ariel Anati

    The goal of this course is to get a sense of the concepts and thinking needed to consider the finance aspects of a venture from valuation to budget

  • Business Modelling

    Mr. Yoni Cheifetz

    In addition to creating a successful product, entrepreneurs have to know how to monetize the venture. In this workshop, the participants get acquainted with a large variety of business models, in order to understand which will be the most relevant for their venture.

Entrepreneurial Toolbox

  • Entrepreneurial Toolbox

    Ms. Liraz Sharabani

    The Entrepreneur's Toolbox Course focuses on what is the unique skill set entrepreneurs need and how to use it when they want to create a venture, be part of a founding team, and be an entrepreneur. The course is designed for students with a passion for enhancing the quality of life, achieving more, becoming better people, and trying to be a better version of themselves.

  • Leadership and Conflict Management

    Dr. Amir Kfir

    This workshop focuses on how to select the best complementary team, create a successful venture, and develop successful groups based on authentic leadership. Entrepreneurs will be guided through in-depth self-exploration to increase self-awareness and examine effective teamwork methods. Furthermore, approaches to resolving and managing conflicts will be learned.

  • Negotiation Skills

    Ms. Yael Chayu

    This workshop prepares students for various business situations. Through a combination of frontal sessions and small group activities, participants deep-dive into the key elements of how to craft and deliver high-impact communications to achieve their goals.

  • Effective Communications

    Ms. Abigail Tenembaum & Mr. Michael Weitz

    One of the most important skills that an entrepreneur strives for is the ability to pitch themselves and their idea in the most effective and professional manner. This workshop allows students to go out of their comfort zone, get on stage, and acquire significant tools to take their ideas to the next level.

  • English Training

    Ms. Leora Roth

    The English training workshop will assist the participants in their ongoing tasks and improve their ability to speak and present in English more fluently and accurately as well as communicate well in writing. Be it speaking, presenting, writing, or listening; the students need to sharpen their English skills and adopt expressions used in realms of business and hi-tech.

  • Vision, Values & Leadership

    Ms. Lorraine Tuffias

    In addition to the different skills and knowledge relevant for young entrepreneurs, this workshop allows the students to stop and think over the core values they'll want to apply with their venture. Through different activities and discussions, the students go through a series of questions, where the answers will affect both their venture and their professional path.

  • Sales for startups

    Ms. Danna Zakai

    The workshop will provide the students with the tools they need to communicate with their prospects and customers, as well as manage their sales funnel effectively smartly.

  • The Talent Complexes

    Mr. Gilad Rosenau

    The study of success has revealed that the best performers in each role use similar talents defined as repetitive patterns of thought, emotion, and behavior that enable them to excel in their roles. The students will practice the language of 34 productive talent complexes developed by Gallup and will identify their strengths.

Schedule

  • January-August

    Pre-Acceptance

    1. Online Application. 2. Interviews (alumni and faculty). 3. Pre-SIP activities and summer assignments. 4. Summer Induction Program (SIP). 5. Final acceptance to the program

  • August-October

    Post-Acceptance
    1. Industry and Opportunity Analysis 2. Ideation Frameworks and Exercises. 3. Orientation Week

  • First Semester

    First Semester
    1. Team Formation. 2. Preliminary Validation. 3. Work Plan. 4. MVP 5. First Draft Executive Summary

  • Second Semester

    Second Semester
    1. Advanced Market Research. 2. Prototype/Beta Development. 3. Investor Ready Deck and Executive Summary. 4. Study Trip. 5. Sprint week. 6. Final Presentation

  • Complementary Content

    Course Work Complemented By
    1. Mentor Meetings. 2. Faculty Guidance. 3. Panel Presentations. 4. Company Visits