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BGU’s Head of Entrepreneurship Talks Shop

BGU’s Head of Entrepreneurship Talks Shop

June 21, 2019

Business & Management

Radio Entrepreneurs–This American-based online show recently featured Dana Gavish-Fridman, head of entrepreneurship at Ben-Gurion University. She spoke about what drew her to BGU after 13 years at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem and how her innovations are making significant inroads.

Jeffrey Davis, who interviewed Gavish-Fridman, is the founder and host of Radio Entrepreneurs and also the co-author of “The 24 Hour Turnaround: How Amazing Entrepreneurs Succeed in Tough Times.”

Click on the play button below to watch the interview.

“If you want to make a big move in life, you need a reason. It was clear that I needed something else, and that was featuring entrepreneurship in a different way,” Gavish-Fridman told Davis.

She expressed how strongly she feels about the challenges facing students today and how she is helping the University prepare all levels of students for a difficult job market.

“It’s not enough to have academic grades,” she said. “When you go looking for a job, employers expect you to have more lines on your CV. Activities like volunteer work, building a community, having different life experiences and skill sets are all important for landing your first job.”

When asked exactly what “entrepreneurship” means, Gavish-Fridman explained: “It’s about creative thinking; it’s about teamwork; it’s about being able to listen to each other and to actually work together.”

Gavish-Fridman has been instrumental in launching BGU’s unique Cactus Capital Fund, a student-led program that was funded by a $1 million investment from the University. The project allows students to invest in entrepreneurial initiatives by students, recent graduates and academics in order to get real-time business experience. Students learn how to make good investments, how to be an analyst. A fourth-year student in engineering leads the program.

“Graduates are already considering themselves an elite squad,” she said, “always looking for the next investment opportunity. We have students investing in students, powered and managed by students.”