THE Landing Pad, an incubation program for Australian businesses in Israel, was one of the highlights of an eight-day tour by 11 Victorian Coalition MPs under the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC) Rambam Israel Fellowship Program.
The delegation, which included a number of shadow ministers, learned about Israeli life and industry, including the country’s thriving start-up culture, the complexities of Israel’s political and security problems, and the nation’s history.
Led by David Southwick, MP for Caulfield and Shadow Minister for Innovation, Energy & Resources, and Renewables, the group visited Australia’s Landing Pad in Tel Aviv, which is the first of five overseas working spaces the federal Coalition government established.
The Landing Pad, located in the established co-working space SOSA (named for its location South of Salame Street, Tel Aviv), will see more Australian emerging businesses visit Israel as they will be given the opportunity to access venture capital, create industry connections and promote Australia–Israel collaboration on projects.
Southwick stated: “It was fantastic to meet with key executives at the Landing Pad to discuss how we can encourage more emerging Victorian businesses to use this wonderful facility that connects them to Israel’s start-up ecosystem. Israel is a global leader in the start-up world, one which Victoria can continue to partner with and learn from.”
Read the article in the Australian Jewish News.