Merage 45+ 2019 Startup Competition Winner: NeuroTrigger

Neurotrigger innovative system designed to improve the functioning of patients suffering from facial nerve paralysis

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Sep 26, 2019, 12:50 ET

TEL AVIV, Israel, Sept. 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Last Monday, the final stage of this year's Merage 45+ Entrepreneurs' Competition, launched by Paul and Lilly Merage of the Merage Institute, concluded in Tel Aviv.

NeuroTrigger has been announced as the big winner of this year's competition, receiving support of $100,000 in funding and a seat in the exclusive two week Merage Institute 'Innovation Bridge Intensive Program' in California, where they will join 16 selected participants to learn how to strategize their product's penetration into the U.S. market.

The Merage Institute launched the 45+ Competition intending to promote entrepreneurship and innovation among the 45+ community, as well as drive and strengthen connections between Israeli entrepreneurs and the U.S. markets. Paul Merage, an American businessman and Founder of the Merage Institute, said on his vision, "when we started this institute, I realized that to build a bridge between the United States and Israel — to have the flow of technologies across — we had to build it from both ends, to make it strong and sustainable."

Yishay Aizik, Executive Director of the Merage Foundation, stated, "We identified the need to provide Israeli entrepreneurs with practical tools to commercialize their wonderful ideas. Our goal is to increase the rate of success among Israeli startups and to help them penetrate the U.S. market in the future – I am proud to share that our experience in the last 15 years and over 800 graduates present an amazing percentage of success performed by a great group of people that are MI program graduates." All the top three finalists will have the opportunity to take part in Merage's Innovation Bridge Program, which provides knowledge and tools instrumental in succeeding in the United States and the global market.

The final results were announced at the annual Merage alumni conference concluding event, organized by the Merage Institute Team and led by alumni Adi Stein and Eti Finkelstein, where hundreds of members of Merage's wide network of elite entrepreneurs gathered to network and enjoy lectures given by Merage alumni and other inspiring business leaders, notably including Israeli entrepreneur Zohar Zisapel.

Stein and Finkelstein, themselves highly successful female entrepreneurs are the Co-Directors of the Merage alumni network. They regularly organize meetups, workshops, and networking events that bring together Merage's elite community of founders, CEOs, and investors.

They strongly believe that everyone who took part in the program is a winner and are pleased to share the top five finalists of the 2019 Merage 45+ program:

Neurotrigger develops an innovative system designed to improve the functioning of patients suffering from facial nerve paralysis.

SynergyMed Ltd is focused on the development of cancer treatment products for veterinary and human applications based on an innovative noninvasive ablation technology.

Clanz is a revolutionary, AI-based solution which monitors the audio of the daily routine within care environments, to detect and prevent caregivers' maltreatment.

Diagnoz.me Develop a home diagnostic kit for microbial infections.

Airy geared towards reducing air pollution in cities and reversing climate change, by using area-specific Moss Tiles tailor-made for the area's climate. By reabsorbing pollutants from the air and decreasing the percentage of gas emissions,

A special thanks to all of the judges who dedicated their time to the competition:

Eli Herscovitz, Hanna Azulai, Rami Guzman, Mishel Hivert, Assaf Harel, Ilan Haber, Yossi Dashti, Cecile Blilious, Roni Zor, Tali Aben, Adi Stein, Eti Finkelstein, Mira Peled Kamar, Ayal Itzkovitz.