The 2015 Lisbon-Tel Aviv Water Venture Workshop

The first Lisbon-Tel Aviv Water Venture Workshop, co-hosted by the Coller Institute of Venture, took place at the ISCTE - University Institute of Lisbon in late January, bringing together industry, leading academic research and business initiatives relating to water.

Organized by ISCTE-IUL Rector Prof. Luis Reto, Coller Institute of Venture Chairman Prof. Eli Tamor and respected entrepreneurship expert Mr. Gonçalo Amorim, the conference brought together some 70 participants from around the world.

“This event epitomizes three core values that drive Tel Aviv University,” said TAU President Prof. Joseph Klafter to an audience that included Israeli Ambassador to Portugal Tzipora Rimon. “They are what I call the three ‘i's’: interdisciplinary, international and interactive.

“This workshop is interdisciplinary in nature, as we are bringing academic leaders together with business practitioners to talk about water venture. It is international, as we have dozens of participants from various countries. And, finally, this workshop is structured as an interactive event that brings together projects and venture,” he continued, adding, “I am sure that bringing such a diverse group of people to one room will generate a great number of new ideas on many levels, and possibly a fourth ‘i’ – and that is innovation.”

Program participants attended panels on a wide range of topics, “Water Venture – Opportunities, Challenges and Realities,” “Ocean Energy and Water Efficiency Technologies” and “Combating Water Contamination, Monitoring and Treatment.” TAU conference speakers included Prof. Dror Avisar and Dr. Hadas Mamane, specialists in wastewater reclamation; and Dr. Yaron Toledo, an expert on of surface wave physics and ocean waves modeling. Additional participants included CEOs of water technology companies and keynote speaker Dr. Pedro Gonçalves, Secretary of State for Innovation, Investment and Competitiveness of Portugal.

The Coller Institute of Venture, established in 2012 by TAU Honorary Doctor Jeremy Coller at the Faculty of Management, fosters collaborations among scholars, investors, policymakers, venture capitalists and high-tech professionals in the area of global venture and business competitiveness. Coller Institute researchers aim to identify the obstacles that can prevent young technology companies from growing and developing, while the institute's teaching programs promote methodologies and practices to overcome such obstacles. The Institute's workshops and colloquia are specially designed to bridge between the academic, policy and business worlds.

The Coller Institute of Venture is headed by Prof. Talmor, founder and chairman of the Coller Institute of Private Equity at the London Business School, and directed by Prof. Yesha Y. Sivan of the TAU Faculty of Management.

Jeremy Coller, founder and CIO of Coller Capital, is widely acknowledged as a leading pioneer in the development of private equity as an asset class. Coller Capital has interests in over 2,500 companies and has been responsible for many of the industry’s milestone investments, including acquisitions from Shell, Lucent Technologies and Lloyds Banking Group among others.