Israeli hackathon unveils tech solutions to domestic violence surge
Michal Sela Forum leads the world’s largest hackathon for domestic violence prevention.
"The Elephant in the Room", an AI-powered decorative elephant designed to help protect caregivers from domestic violence, was crowned the winner of the Michal Sela Safe@Home Hackathon Competition. Developed by a team from NeuroDerm, the smart device sits on a table, decodes audio in the room, and, upon detecting signs of violence, alerts security, emits an audible alarm, and vibrates.
The competition, held for the sixth time in partnership with Calcalist, the Israel Innovation Authority, and the Peres Center for Peace and Innovation, was launched to honor what would have been the 38th birthday of Michal Sela, who was murdered by her partner in 2019. Organized by the Michal Sela Forum, the event is the world’s largest developer competition focused on creating technologies to prevent femicide and improve home security.
This year’s hackathon took place in the shadow of war, with organizers urging participants to design solutions that respond to the sharp rise in domestic violence since October 7.
Second place went to "You Know", a virtual assistant that uses AI to conduct anonymous, non-judgmental risk assessments for potential victims of domestic violence. Third place was awarded to "Winning Team (Shachar)", which created discreet tablets for mikvahs (ritual baths) aimed at Haredi women. The platform helps identify abuse and provides access to assistance.
The Audience Choice Award went to MAXinMIND, a project by the credit company MAX. It uses financial behavior analysis to detect economic abuse and offers affected women discreet tools such as hidden transactions and prepaid credit cards.
“This has been a very difficult year for me,” said Lili Ben Ami, founder and CEO of the Michal Sela Forum. “I buried both a sister and a brother. Two months ago, my brother David Sela was killed while changing a tire on Highway 5. People often ask me how I keep going. The answer is that working for the public good gives me resilience - it’s my greatest strength.”
Noa Tamir, CEO of Calcalist, added: “Lili told me that if this could happen in her family, it could happen in any family. In these challenging times, creating something so powerful and transformative that gives women a sense of security at home—it’s truly remarkable.”
Out of 31 startups competing in the semi-finals, only 7 teams reached the finals, held at a gala event at the Peres Center for Peace and Innovation in Tel Aviv-Yafo. The event was co-hosted by the puppet Barkuni, popular in Israel’s high-tech scene, and actress Agam Rudberg, an advocate against gender violence.
The distinguished panel of judges included: Lili Ben Ami (Michal Sela Forum); Micha Kaufman (Fiverr); Barak Regev (Google Israel); Adi Soffer Teeni (Meta Israel); Noa Tamir (Calcalist); Yinon Aharoni (Ministry of Welfare); Shira Lev-Ami (National Digital Directorate); Dr. Alon Stopel (Innovation Authority); Efrat Duvdevani (Peres Center).
Dr. Stopel said: “Just a week and a half ago, we asked how Israeli innovation could save lives. Today, we see real answers—tools, algorithms, and platforms developed in just two days. These solutions are engines of hope.”
Efrat Duvdevani noted: “The ability to recover from personal and national trauma and turn pain into engines of growth—that’s what we see here. Optimism is not a privilege, it’s a mission. As Shimon Peres said: ‘Life isn’t about what you are—it’s about what you do.’”
Shira Lev-Ami emphasized the power of digital tools as bridges for help and safety: “The real challenge is integrating these AI tools into the complex systems of government, while managing risks like privacy invasion and bullying, and ensuring that no one is left behind.”
Ben Ami added that the Michal Sela Forum is currently protecting 608 women at risk, with services including guard dogs, home security systems, panic buttons, and legal aid.
Barak Regev of Google Israel remarked: “This is the first time I’ve heard statistics about how many lives were actually saved through these initiatives.”
Adi Soffer Teeni of Meta Israel said: “Every week and a half, a woman is murdered in Israel. That’s a horrifying reality. But today’s event shows there are bright spots—moments of strength, innovation, and solidarity.”
Finally, Yinon Aharoni from the Ministry of Welfare concluded: “Domestic violence is a universal issue. We are all partners in the fight to change this reality.”
