September 2nd 2021
Reading time: 2 mins.
Innovation on Location: Biotech
Led by Start-Up Nation Central, Jerusalem: Where Tech Meets Design presents Innovation on Location, a series of videos showcasing Jerusalem-based startups and unique local venues. This episode focuses on BioTech, highlighting startup Seevix and venue Jerusalem Botanical Gardens.
Startup: Seevix
Seevix Material Sciences is a privately held biotech company producing high-strength spider silk fibers that are identical to natural fibers and six times stronger than high tensile steel at one-fifth the weight. Using recombinant DNA technologies, Seevix replicates the natural process of spider silk creation. Seevix combines the spider silk with other materials, resulting in new composites with enhanced mechanical properties. The company currently targets medical and cosmetic applications where the combination of the fibers’ mechanical properties and biocompatibility can improve existing products and provide solutions for unmet needs.
Shlomzion Shen, PhD – Co-Founder and CEO
Dr. Shen has over 20 years of experience in business development executive management roles and R&D at startup and late-stage companies in the life science industry. She has been responsible for advancing products from early-stage research to late-stage development and licensing deals with strategic partners in the US, Europe and Japan. Prior to founding Seevix, Dr. Shen served as CEO of MedAware Ltd., an Israeli healthcare IT company, and as CEO of Fluonic Inc., a US-based medical device company. She advised Israeli and US-based venture capital funds, and performed due diligence related to biotechnology and medical device technologies. Dr. Shen holds a PhD in Biology from Bar-Ilan University and an MBA from Tel Aviv University.
Venue: Jerusalem Botanical Gardens
The Jerusalem Botanical Gardens is a gem in the heart of Jerusalem. It serves as an education, learning and research center, holds a diverse collection of plants from around the world which are displayed geographically and is a destination for tourism, recreation and cultural events. At around 30 acres, the Jerusalem Botanical Gardens is the largest in Israel. There are over 6,000 species and varieties of plants from around the world – Israel’s largest collection of live plants – displayed in 6 phyto-geographical sections – Southern Africa, Europe, North America, Australia, South-West and Central Asia and the Mediterranean. The sections simulate the landscapes of these areas and so there is always something blooming at the Jerusalem Botanical Gardens.
Tom Amit – CEO
Tom Amit is the CEO of the Jerusalem Botanical Gardens. He joined the Gardens after a celebrated career as National Campground Manager at the National Park Authority of Israel where he managed 25 campsites which hosted over 400,000 visitors each year. Prior, he managed three national parks which expanded over 7,000 acres and focused on guest services, nature preservation and Israeli heritage. Tom holds a Masters Degree in Sociology with a focus on organizational consulting from Bar Ilan University. Under Tom’s management, the Jerusalem Botanical Gardens has become one of the “must visit” sites in Israel. Tom lives with his wife and two children in Kibbutz Bahan in Northern Israel.
For a list of companies like Seevix working in the BioTech sector, click here.
Click here for a list of more Jerusalem-based companies on Start-Up Nation Central’s Finder.
Concept and Production: Brief.
Partners: Start-Up Nation Central, Scale Up Velocity, Jerusalem Foundation, The Jerusalem Development Authority, Ministry of Jerusalem and Heritage, Jerusalem Municipality
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