A Closer Look at the Start-Up Nation Block Week Class
The Chazen Institute offers a May block week course in collaboration with Reichman University, Arison School of Business in Israel. CBS MBA students take the course, and work in mixed teams with Reichman MBA students, who currently take an active role in the Israeli innovation ecosystem, to facilitate cultural exchanges and allow all students to experience the Israeli startup culture.
The course will take place over 5 full days (Sunday – Thursday); students should plan to be in Israel May 10-16, 2025.
Students will be exposed to various aspects of the way innovation is initiated and managed in Israel with an emphasis on the characteristics of the "start-up nation" management style. The course will be a mix of academic classroom sessions at Reichman university led by their faculty and visits with businesses/startups. The course is led on the Columbia side by Professor Oded Netzer. You can read more at the course description here. This course is open during Summer course match to students taking summer 2025 courses.
Students will interact with leading figures from successful companies and startup accelerators, who will share the "behind the scenes" of Israeli innovation.
This block week course will travel to Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, Israel May 10-16, 2025. A predeparture session will be held for this class on April 28, 2025 at 12:30pm. The program fee for this class is $2100 and provides students with double occupancy lodging, ground transportation and some meals. It does not cover roundtrip international airfare. The add/drop period for this class will close on May 2, 2025 and no program fee refunds will be given after the add/drop period has closed. Please note all international travel involves risk; we do not control the cities and companies we visit. We try our best to plan a safe trip with positive experience. However, if your tolerance for risk or uncertainties is low, this class is not for you. As with all Chazen travel programming, should the institution or our partners decide to cancel, travel may be cancelled at any time. Please note that Columbia Business School will support travel in accordance with recommendations from the ISSO; this means if the ISSO is not recommending travel for students in certain situations, the Chazen Institute/Columbia Business School will not provide letters of support to secure visas or travel.
Please note Chazen travels often involve travel to emerging economies, exposing students to cultures and environments often times different than their own. This often means differing levels of infrastructure, efficiency and standards affecting hotel stays, meals, traffic delays and transportation limitations. Please keep this in mind if you sign up for our travel programs — it is important to be considerate and flexible. All international travel involve risk. We do not control the cities and companies we visit. We try our best to plan a safe trip with positive experience. Please note that Columbia Business School will support travel in accordance with recommendations from the ISSO; this means if the ISSO is not recommending travel for students in certain situations, the Chazen Institute/Columbia Business School will not provide letters of support to secure visas or travel.
For general information, please view the following websites and information:
- Pre-departure health information: Columbia Health for information on travel medicine and scheduling appointments for vaccinations or health assessments prior to traveling.
- Health and Wellness Information: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO).
- US State Department Travel Information: International Travel and Country Security Reports websites.
- 24/7 Travel and Emergency Information: International SOS is Columbia University's 24/7 emergency assistance provider. If you have any questions or concerns about travel destinations, we encourage students to reach out to International SOS directly at their 24-hour assistance center at +1 (215) 942-8478. We also recommend that students download the International SOS app.
Israel specific
- Visas/required travel documents: Starting from January 1, 2025, visa exempt countries are required to secure ETA-IL (Electronic Travel Authorization) to enter the state of Israel. Eligibility for ETA-IL can be checked here. You can enter your nationality and the purpose of the visit – tourism. Once you check you will be advised if you can travel with the ETA-IL or if you need to apply for a visa. Passports must be valid for three months after the intended date of departure from the country. We can provide the backup required in order for you to apply for a visa; but given the tight turn around you must start the process as soon as you are enrolled.
- Health and Wellness Information: Routine vaccines recommended for travel to Israel. Please review the CDC Israel page for vaccine and wellness recommendations.
- Safety and Security Considerations: At present we’ve been advised that travel to Israel can proceed safely to the areas we plan for this class to visit. However conflict in the region remains and we advise students to read the ISOS country report on Israel for details on safety, security, and travel considerations. Should the situation worsen prior to the time of departure; travel may be cancelled.
Block week courses differ from Global Immersion Program (GIP) courses. GIP courses meet for classes before the travel period, whereas block week classes do not.
This class will follow the same policies set for the Global Immersion Program/all Chazen travel programs. Those can be found here.