ScaleUp House - A new home for Israel’s most promising scale-ups
Calcalist and Showcase IL have launched ScaleUp House, a new year-round initiative designed to support ambitious Israeli technology companies as they scale globally, raise their next rounds, and build international market presence.
Israel knows how to build startups. It knows how to create breakthrough technologies, raise capital, and build companies at remarkable speed. But the moment an Israeli company steps beyond the country’s borders and sets out to become a global player is a completely different kind of test. It is the moment when vision must become a business engine, a product must become a global market proposition, and a founder must evolve into the leader of a global company. This is why Calcalist and Showcase IL are launching Scale-up House - A new home for Israel’s most promising scale-ups.
The year-round initiative is designed to support ambitious Israeli technology companies as they navigate the critical phase of global scaling, subsequent fundraising rounds, and international market penetration. While the Israeli ecosystem excels at fostering early-stage startups, the transition to the scale-up phase presents a unique and demanding set of obstacles.
Addressing these challenges - from global expansion and international fundraising to building leadership teams and navigating foreign markets - requires a specialized form of long-term support. Rather than functioning as another brief accelerator, ScaleUp House is established as an ongoing community. It connects participating companies with experienced founders, investors, senior executives, global partners, and professional experts.
The initiative is spearheaded by Calcalist and Showcase IL, in collaboration with LeumiTech, Google, Sela, Sullivan & Worcester, and Phoenix ESOP. To initiate the community, a selection committee composed of prominent investors, entrepreneurs, and industry executives will choose a cohort of approximately 15 to 20 outstanding Israeli companies. Selected ventures must possess market-ready products, demonstrated traction, and clear global ambitions.
“Scaling globally, especially in an uncertain environment, requires more than capital. It requires diverse expertise, experience, and perspectives”, said Maya Eisen Zafrir, CEO of LeumiTech. “That is why being a key partner in ScaleUp House is important to us: bringing together leading experts from different disciplines to help companies make better decisions and build sustainable global growth.”
Yam Regev, a Strategic Growth Partner for the initiative, notes that "Israel has no problem building innovative products," notes. "The real challenge is scale: turning those products into profitable, durable global players." Drawing on his experience as a founder, operator, and advisor to late-stage companies, Regev emphasizes the necessity of this unified support system.
Throughout the year, the selected companies will have access to the ScaleUp House Strategic Network. This curated group of Growth Partners will provide practical guidance on fundraising, go-to-market strategies, finance, technology, product management, and leadership. The program will facilitate close-knit professional sessions, direct investor meetings, strategic introductions, and expert consultations.
Dror Shaked, VP of Business Development at Wix, who has joined the initiative to share his insights, underscores the value of such mentorship. "Building a successful global company is a challenging journey," Shaked says. "access to the right network and experience can help founders avoid critical mistakes and significantly accelerate their path".
This support is particularly vital in today's rapidly shifting economic and technological environment. Yodfat Harel Buchris, Managing Director at Blumberg Capital, points out the high stakes of the current era: "We are living through an extraordinary period of accelerated technological development, creating opportunities at an unprecedented pace. ScaleUp House initiative is particularly important today, giving founders the experience, network and support they need to move faster and build significant global companies".
As ScaleUp House prepares to launch its first cohort, founder Hilla Ovil-Brenner (who also founded Showcase IL) expressed her outlook for the collective effort. "I’m incredibly excited about ScaleUp House and proud of the amazing partners, investors and Strategic Network who have joined us," she says. "Together, we’re building a strong home for exceptional Israeli companies ready to scale globally".
Registration for the first cohort closes on August 26.
Register here >> Scale-up House
