Made in Jerusalem is a company.
Key people at Made in Jerusalem.
Made in Jerusalem was founded by Hanan Brand (Founder & Chairman).
Made in Jerusalem was founded by Hanan Brand (Founder & Chairman).
Key people at Made in Jerusalem.
Made in JLM ("Made in Jerusalem") is a nonprofit organization founded in 2012 that serves as the umbrella for Jerusalem's tech and startup ecosystem, connecting over 10,000 participants across 50 professional groups and coordinating a forum of 250 stakeholders from industry, academia, and government.[1][2] Its mission centers on economic development and employment by fostering communities, providing resources like job boards, events, grants, and data, and tackling barriers such as talent attraction, office space, and diversity.[2][6] Key sectors include biotech (150 companies as of 2016), internet/mobile/software (250 companies), and cleantech/energy/semiconductors (100 companies), with a track record of supporting over 500 startups and enabling 100+ new ones annually since 2014.[1] The organization has significantly impacted Jerusalem's ecosystem by building infrastructure for events, courses, and networking, helping position the city as a global tech hub—highlighted by TIME Magazine in 2015 as one of the top 5 emerging tech hubs.[1][2]
Made in JLM was founded in 2012 by Hanan Brand (Chairman), Roy Munin (CEO), Uriel Shuraki (VP), with current leadership including Rachel Wagner Rosenzweig (COO) and Yehuda Leibler (CTO).[1][2][4] The idea emerged from founders observing talented friends leaving Jerusalem due to limited tech opportunities, believing the city's legendary potential could support thriving businesses if the ecosystem was connected.[2] Early efforts focused on uniting entrepreneurs, startups, R&D centers, academics, service providers, and investors; by 2014, they launched a blog on local innovation, and by 2015, their work contributed to Jerusalem's recognition as a top tech city.[1][2] Pivotal moments include growing to 4,000+ active members and 500+ database startups by 2016, while incubating sub-communities for developers, marketers, designers, cybersecurity experts, and more.[1]
Made in JLM rides the trend of secondary city tech hubs emerging globally, transforming Jerusalem from a historical center into a "Startup Nation" outpost amid Israel's dominance in biotech, cybersecurity, and cleantech.[1][7] Timing aligns with influxes like multinationals (Microsoft, Apple) opening R&D centers, new infrastructure (HUJI parks, fast train, millions of sqm office space), and post-2015 momentum that elevated Jerusalem to one of the world's top 30 tech cities.[2] Market forces favoring it include government-academia-industry synergy, rising junior jobs from global firms, and barriers it uniquely solves like talent retention and branding in a diverse, challenged urban environment.[2][6] It influences the ecosystem by distributing opportunities, hosting events (meetups, hackathons, conferences), and fostering cross-sector ties, amplifying Israel's innovation spillover to underrepresented areas.[1][6]
Made in JLM is poised to capitalize on Jerusalem's expanding infrastructure and multinational growth, potentially scaling its 10,000-member community further through AI-driven talent matching, diversity initiatives, and hybrid events.[2][6] Trends like remote work, cleantech demand, and biotech booms will shape its path, especially with new office spaces and population influxes creating junior roles.[2] Its influence may evolve into a model for other non-Tel Aviv Israeli hubs or global "legacy cities" building tech ecosystems, solidifying Jerusalem's role in the Startup Nation. As the connector keeping talent in a city of immense potential, Made in JLM exemplifies how targeted nonprofit infrastructure turns local challenges into global innovation hubs.[1][2]
