End of one 10 day journey and on to the MIT Extension!

Yesterday,we went to two exciting companies in Jerusalum, Voiceitt and OrCam. Voiceitt is working on apps to help people with impaired speech, motor disorders, and degenerative conditions by empowering them to communicate. They have two projects, talkitt and moveitt: talkitt takes in impaired speech and outputs coherent speech and moveitt allows users to move a curser using their voice. OrCam developed a camera device that can be attached to glasses that allows blind and visually impaired to "see". The device allows users to differentiate between currency, read, recognize faces, get on the right bus, find the products they want, and other everyday tasks.

I loved seeing these companies because they exemplified what it meant to use technology to improve the lives of others. Also, the people we met with were really nice and just cool. They were go-getters that were working on projects they believed in and it was really fun to talk to them. Going back to campus I will feel empowered to look for projects and companies that are making a difference I also might look into working for OrCam because their product is just so cool. I also now know about what sorts of companies are based in Israel and am proud that they are dealing with such meaningful projects.

I also loved all the additional Jerusalem activities we got to do yesterday, like the kotel tunnel tours and the Christian and Muslim quarters. It gave me a greater appreciation for the history of the city and it made me feel more connected to that history because walking through the walls of the old city made the history come alive. It suddenly became real versus something I've grown up studying only. Thank you so much for making these opportunities a reality! I am so appreciative of being able to maximize my time in Israel by getting a first hand, insider look at the Start-up Nation!