The Israel Innovation Authority is working to address the gender disparities in the high-tech industry presented in this report via a range of tools related to funding, training, and coordinating efforts.
In the startup entrepreneurship sector, the Innovation Authority offers a 10% grant increase for female-led startups as part of the Startup Fund.1Full details of the benefits are available on the Innovation Authority’s website. In addition to the Startup Fund, the Authority provides early-stage funding to entrepreneurs via the ‘Tnufa’ Incentive program. 77 women applied for funding from the ‘Tnufa’ Program in 2024 – representing 15% of all applications submitted that year.
Furthermore, the Innovation Authority operates a variety of training programs for women in different management roles. These include the Women in Mobility Program, designed to train female CEOs in deep-tech. The program provides participants with personal support in the placement process, including connections to VC funds, technology incubators and startups seeking new female CEOs.
The Authority also operates six programs aimed at advancing female high-tech employees into key positions. These programs focus on women with a technological background and experience who are either in, or preparing for, their first managerial role. The programs are run by the Technion, the 8200 Alumni Association, Co-Impact, Holon Institute of Technology (HiT), the Modern Agriculture Foundation, and ‘Temech’.
At the same time, the Innovation Authority and the Ministry of Labor are operating the Tech50:50 initiative aimed at synchronizing inter-organizational efforts. Established in 2023, the initiative created a network of over 200 partners from high-tech companies, academia, government, local authorities, and the IDF, leading to several pilot projects to promote gender equality in the industry.