AION Labs – a new collaboration model seeding top startups in artificial intelligence for drug discovery and development
AION Labs was founded in Rehovot, Israel in 2021 as an alliance of global pharma and technology leaders and investors to create and incubate innovative startup companies which will pave the way to the future of drug discovery and development. The alliance is supported by the Israel Innovation Authority with the objective to build a world-class innovation ecosystem in Israel attracting the world’s best biotech talent and investment from global big pharma and venture capital.
The new venture creation process of AION Labs is built on the successful innovation model of the BioMed X Institute in Heidelberg, Germany, which serves as a strategic partner for the alliance. The annual process always starts with the identification and selection of the top AI challenges between the four global pharma partners of AION Labs, identification of the best researchers and entrepreneurs world-wide to solve the challenges using BioMed X’s global crowdsourcing platform, and selection of the best of the best talents and ideas in a local innovation boot camp in Israel. The winner of each boot camp is relocated with his/her family to Israel, receives a seed investment of two million US$ for up to four years to start his/her new AI company, mentorship and training data from the sponsoring partners, as well as full access to AION Labs’ facilities and local network.
The AION Labs facilities – a fully equipped co-working space with computational and wet labs – are located on the top floor of Rehovot’s tallest building with a beautiful view of the neighboring Weizmann Institute.
Consider a unique career path beyond academia and industry. Gain new insights and entrepreneurial experience in a supportive incubator environment.
Win a seed investment for up to four years and receive continuous personal mentorship by AION Labs’ global pharma, tech, and VC partners.
Israel is known as the “Startup Nation”. This is the ideal place to learn how to become a successful entrepreneur.
AION Labs in Rehovot, Israel
Tel Aviv – one of the most vibrant and entrepreneurial places on the planet
Ranked the 5th most innovative country according to the Bloomberg Innovation Index (2019), Israel has evolved into one of the world’s leading startup ecosystems and a hub of science, technology, and innovation. Greater Tel Aviv, which includes Rehovot, the home of AION Labs, is a prime destination for entrepreneurs, investors, international R&D facilities and innovation centers. Home to some of the world’s leading academic research institutions, the lively area provides companies, investors, and global enterprises with ample talent, developed infrastructure, and business opportunities. Greater Tel Aviv is currently home to around 4,000 startup companies as well as more than 100 foreign R&D centers including Google, Meta, Ebay, and Amazon.
Rehovot – the ‘City of Science’ and the leading biotech hub in Israel
Rehovot, the home of AION Labs, is located approximately 20 kilometers south of Tel Aviv (approximately 30 minutes by train) and is known as the “City of Science”. Close to its center, you can find the beautiful campus of the famous Weizmann Institute of Science, one of the world’s leading multidisciplinary basic research institutions in the natural and exact sciences. And close by, there is Rehovot Science Park which is home to about 30% of Israel’s biotech companies. With around 140,000 inhabitants, Rehovot is a prosperous city that offers a vibrant social life and a unique and international atmosphere to culture enthusiasts, foodies, sunshine-chasers, and families with kids of all ages. The growing amount of visiting academics and large international community of expats infuses the city with a truly international and cosmopolitan flavor. Due to their similarities on many levels, Rehovot and Heidelberg have been sister cities since 1983 and closely exchange ideas in all relevant areas of urban, cultural, and socioeconomic life.
Living in Israel – a great family place
Moving to Israel with your spouse and kids – even if you don’t have any Jewish background – is not as difficult as it sounds. In the recent decades, Israel has become a very international, safe, and welcoming place where people with different cultural backgrounds, genders, and religions enjoy an open atmosphere of co-creation and respect for diversity. At AION Labs, we help our scientist founders to relocate to Israel with their families. We organize work visa, help you find a new home, and an international kindergarten or school for your children. Almost everyone in Tel Aviv or Rehovot speaks English. So, no need to learn Hebrew. Come and enjoy the 300 days of sun per year, the beautiful beaches and multi-facetted landscape, the unique historic sites, the friendly people, the excellent food, and the entrepreneurial spirit of Israel!