Dr. Elena Itskovich, a PhD in stem cell biology, with advanced degrees from Weizmann Institute, and Cambridge and Stanford Universities. She has recently founded Nest Catalyst, an entrepreneurship program that nurtures scientific innovation by Israeli scientists worldwide. The program runs an annual cohort of 5-10 teams, where founders get tools and training by world experts to support them to launch deep tech life science companies. To expand its impact, she is now fundraising for a pre-seed investment fund to invest in the highly innovative pre-seed science based companies fostered by the Nest Catalyst program. With her work she is on the mission to empower science founders to start revolutionizing companies. Apart from this, Elena is on the advisory board for ScienceAbroad, a non-profit organization for Israeli scientists worldwide where she also manages their online community of over 6000 scientists. She is also the co-host of a podcast mAcademia, a podcast for scientists interested in science beyond academia.
