How To Succeed in Business
By Kevin Fritz
In a continued effort to serve the Jewish community through cutting-edge and innovative programs, the Israeli American Council (IAC) Central Florida is teaching local teens real-world business acumen by challenging them to create a startup company as part of an immersive, national competition.
The project, Eitanim, is an accredited entrepreneurship program of the IAC for boys and girls ages 13 to 17. For the past couple of years, local kids have joined thousands of other teens in discovering their leadership abilities. Eitanim is named in honor of Major Eitan Balachsan, who was killed in 1999 during a special operation as a paratroopers commander of the Israel Defense Forces.
“They learn how they can find a solution to a problem and that life is not always about success,” explains Ziva Kurlansik, community engagement manager for IAC Central Florida, which was established in 2018. “There is Israeli spirit throughout the projects, which are positive in nature and could impact the world.”
“This program is fostering innovation, thinking, and entrepreneurial skills.”
This past school year, 12 area teens learned how to build a business from the ground up. As they progressed, each student took on a role in the company. In the end, they developed a startup called EdAppt featuring an app that attempts to bridge the gap between education and innovation.
“This is our solution to what is going on with the quality of education in Israel today,” explains Leedor Yacobi, EdAppt chief executive officer, a 12th grader at Lake Mary Preparatory School.
Daniel Yoffe, a 10th grader at Horizon High School in Winter Garden and EdAppt chief financial and technology officer, adds that the concept involves moving away from the standardized way of teaching using their interactive and adaptive app.
“Using AI (artificial intelligence), the app can recognize strengths in students and learn their habits,” says Daniel.
Mentors in Business and in Life
Karin Weiss-Yacobi, program mentor for IAC Central Florida’s Eitanim project.
The project began this past October after the High Holidays. The students studied Israeli start-ups and heard firsthand from successful local and Israeli businessmen and women.
Mentors with Israeli ties to business guide Eitanim and bring their own worlds into the curriculum. First, students learn entrepreneurial skills such as networking, research, branding, marketing, decision making, design, and product development. Then, teens learn how to actually build a start-up company. At the end of the project in April, students created a video pitch and a presentation that will be judged by the IAC against approximately 30 other entries. While this year’s prize is yet to be determined, last year’s winning students traveled to New York City to present their idea at the United Nations.
“This program is fostering innovation, thinking, and entrepreneurial skills,” explains mentor Karin Weiss-Yacobi, who has practiced as an attorney and worked in the corporate world in both Israel and the United States focusing on business development and strategy.
As a volunteer, Karin teaches the business aspect of the program and introduces the students to CEOs and managers of companies. While those guests usually talk about their strengths, they sometimes speak about their failures – a real-life aspect of business.
“The kids can ask anything they want from the people I bring in,” says Karin. “I want them to identify with these people so they can see themselves in their shoes in the future.”
“Mentors provide the students with experience and life skills,” adds Ziva. “Karin is an amazing mentor. She has so much to offer.”
While the end goal is to create a winning pitch, the life lessons offered by Eitanim are just as important.
“I think it’s a great experience,” says Mia Benbassat, an eighth grader at Continuum Montessori in Windermere. “We learn how to be independent and to become leaders.”
A group of students ages 13 to 17 participated in IAC Central Florida’s Eitanim project for the 2023-24 school year.
The students developed a startup called EdAppt, which features an app that attempts to bridge the gap between education and innovation.
“The kids can ask anything they want from the people I bring in,” says Karin. “I want them to identify with these people so they can see themselves in their shoes in the future.”
“Mentors provide the students with experience and life skills,” adds Ziva. “Karin is an amazing mentor. She has so much to offer.”
While the end goal is to create a winning pitch, the life lessons offered by Eitanim are just as important.
“I think it’s a great experience,” says Mia Benbassat, an eighth grader at Continuum Montessori in Windermere. “We learn how to be independent and to become leaders.”
This story was originally published in print in Summer 2024.