IAI Opens Innovation Center With Starburst Accelerator

 Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd. (IAI) has opened an innovation center in Tel Aviv, in collaboration with California-headquartered aerospace and defense accelerator Starburst Ventures, IAI announced Tuesday.

Scheduled to start operations in January 2020, IAI’s innovation center will act as an accelerator for local startups. In its first year, the center will focus on pre-seed startups and offer several different cohorts, according to IAI’s statement. The teams chosen for the first class of the accelerator develop radar, robotics, and autonomous driving technologies. Government-owned IAI is Israel’s largest aerospace and defense company. It develops and markets defense systems for air, space, sea, land, cyber, and homeland security.

Founded in 2012, Starburst is an aerospace and aviation incubator, supporting startups in the aeronautics, defense, and space markets. The accelerator operates offices in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Munich, Paris, Singapore, and Montreal.