WeWork to Launch Accelerator Program in Israel in June

Shared office real estate company WeWork announced Tuesday that it is launching its early stage startup accelerator program in Israel. Branded as “WeWork Labs” the accelerator will begin operating in Tel Aviv in June, becoming one of the first WeWork Labs locations outside of the U.S.

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Originally introduced in 2011 before disappearing from the radar, WeWork Labs’s relaunch was announced in February. The program supports early stage entrepreneurs through courses, mentorship, and by facilitating collaborations with other startup incubators and accelerators. WeWork Labs is headed by Israeli Roee Adler, who formerly served as WeWork's first chief product officer.

In a Facebook post in February announcing the program’s relaunch, Mr. Adler said the company intends to launch Labs in Brazil, India, Korea, China, Israel and in several U.S. cities within six months. Labs currently operates out of four locations in New York, Sao Paulo, and Rio de Janeiro. By the end of 2018, the company said, at least 25 Labs outposts are set to open in 14 cities worldwide.

In a statement, WeWork said that the Labs Israel accelerator would feature several programs that are unique to the Israeli market, including a program focused on helping Israeli startups grow their businesses globally, and the WeWork Entrepreneur-in-Residence (WEIR) program, in which a serial entrepreneur will provide participants with guidance.

“We are very excited to bring WeWork Labs to Israel, one of the cradles of entrepreneurship in the modern era,” Mr. Adler said in a statement. “In Israel, a major challenge for early stage startups is winning globally and we are excited to bring our programming and content to Israel to support the next generation of Israeli startups as they make a positive impact on the world.”

WeWork has over 210,000 members in more than 240 locations in 72 cities around the world. The company was founded in 2010 in New York by Adam Neumann, who was born in Israel and served in the country’s military, and Miguel McKelvey, and employs more than 5,000 people.