October 19, 2017 | Earlier this year, Startup Canada and the Embassy of Israel partnered to search for a young Canadian entrepreneur to send to this year’s StartJLM Conference (#StartJLM) in Jerusalem, Israel, November 5, 2017 to November 11, 2017.
Today, His Excellency Nimrod Barkan, Ambassador of Israel in Canada attended Startup Canada Day on the Hill to announce Maayan Ziv, Founder of AccessNow, as the 2017 Canadian representative. She will be joining representatives from 30 other countries who will be convening in Israel to participate in a unique accelerator program for new technology companies which will expose participants to the innovative, vibrant hi-tech environment in Israel.
Maayan Ziv is an activist, a photographer and an entrepreneur based in Toronto, Canada. From a young age, Maayan challenged norms and worked within her community to increase awareness of disability issues and improve accessibility.
Living with Muscular Dystrophy, Maayan is a passionate and relentless advocate for creating a more accessible world. In 2015, Maayan founded AccessNow, a crowdsourced app to map the accessibility status of locations worldwide. She has since been a regular commentator in the media on topics such as disability and inclusion.
“I am honoured to be selected as the recipient of this year’s StartJLM Conference in Jerusalem,” said Maayan Ziv, Founder of AccessNow. “At AccessNow we are inspired by the forward thinking assistive technologies that have come out of Israel that have empowered and enabled so many people with disabilities. In Canada we believe that diversity is our strength, and I am so excited to represent our country in Israel.”
“We are thrilled to have such an accomplished entrepreneur as Canada’s representative at the 2017 StartJLM Conference in Jerusalem,” said Nimrod Barkan, Ambassador of Israel to Canada. “We were very impressed with Ms. Ziv’s entrepreneurial spirit, and look forward to her experiencing the beauty and innovation of The Startup Nation.”
“Maayan will be a fitting representative for Canada in Jerusalem,” said Victoria Lennox, CEO and Co-Founder of Startup Canada. “Maayan embodies the resilience, ambition and impact of the Canadian entrepreneurial spirit.”
Maayan was announced as this year’s recipient at the 2017 Startup Canada Day on the Hill flagship event in Ottawa. Startup Canada Day on the Hill is Canada’s largest national entrepreneurship event convening leading entrepreneurs, innovators, investors, industry executives, and government representatives annually to raise the bar for Canada as a globally competitive innovation nation.
For more information please contact:
Randy Fox
Director of Communications – Embassy of Israel in Canada
Press@ottawa.mfa.gov.il
613-750-7507
Lindsay Bright
Marketing, Communications and Digital Production Administrator
lindsay.bright@startupcan.ca
613-627-0787 ext. 101
About the Embassy of Israel
The Embassy of Israel in Canada is dedicated to promoting and developing the diplomatic, economic, and cultural ties between Canada and Israel. Through various programs and partnerships, the Embassy seeks to build on common values and interests in order to continue to strengthen the great friendship between the two countries.
For more information, visit http://embassies.gov.il/ottawa/ and check us out on Facebook or Twitter.
About Startup Canada
Startup Canada is the leading national social enterprise supporting and giving a voice to entrepreneurs through online programs, national awards, flagship events, and partnerships with private sector and government to foster a community for startup and small business success across the country. For more information, visit www.startupcan.ca.
About StartJLM
In celebration of Jerusalem and the numerous jubilee anniversaries of Israel in 2017, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry for Jerusalem Affairs and Heritage, and the Jerusalem Development Authority are pleased to sponsor the StartJLM Conference in Jerusalem.