Falling Walls Lab Tel Aviv’s Two Inaugural Winners Represent in Berlin

Following their success at Falling Walls Lab Tel Aviv, two Israeli representatives competed simultaneously at the global Falling Walls summit in Berlin this November. Offir Inbar was the winner of the first-ever Tel Aviv event in 2023, and Netanel Loyfer was the winner of the 2024 Tel Aviv lab, which was held at Tel Aviv University (TAU) and supported by The Lowy International School. 

From October 7 to Berlin’s Global Stage

In a rare exception by the Falling Walls organization, Inbar was able to defer his participation, as October 7 prevented him from attending the November 2023 event. “I think it was really important to go in and represent Israel,” Inbar said, reflecting on what it was like to not only compete one-year later in Berlin, but to build more geopolitical understanding when chatting with the 100 other finalists from around the world. 

Offir Inbar at the global Falling Walls summit

“When you get to talk directly with people and spend a lot of time with them, you of course get hard questions, but you can also explain and give them a different perspective.” 

Inbar’s pitch in Berlin focused on a low-cost water filtration system now being implemented in Tanzania, and he emphasized the impact of bringing sustainable clean water opportunities to underserved areas. While it’s been approximately two years since Inbar and his project members first implemented the system, he said he’s even more proud today—seeing how the system continues to thrive.

“That this technology is actually working and it’s getting replicated … that’s the most valuable thing.”  

Today, Inbar is focused on finishing up his PhD at TAU under supervisor Prof. Dror Avisar; he is aiming to complete his project, which utilizes AI to build practical water technologies, in the next few months.

Diagnostics Research Earns Third Place

Netanel Loyfer, who won the Tel Aviv lab this year, presented his work on non-invasive diagnostics—through blood tests, Loyfer and his team are able to track cell-free DNA fragments to detect a wide range of diseases. And while Loyfer said all the pitches were strong, he suspected a few things contributed to him winning third place in Berlin:

“The potential impact for improving the diagnostics for all kinds of diseases is very clear … and the technology is working now.”

“There’s work to be done, of course, but we’re no longer in a very early stage in the development,” he added. 

Netanel Loyfer presenting his project

Loyfer, who is now working on creating a startup based on the research—along with his advisors and project members Prof. Tommy Kaplan and Prof. Yuval Dor—is currently a postdoctoral fellow in medicine at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

He said that Falling Walls left him with a surge of energy, and that he’ll likely keep in contact with some of the other scientists and innovators he met at Falling Walls: “I learned a lot and was inspired by promising young scientists … I loved it.”

Loyfer (left) with the other two winners of the global Falling Walls summit 2024 

And while Israelis have increasingly encountered antisemitism abroad, both Inbar and Loyfer said they encountered nothing but professionalism and friendliness in Berlin.

“Everyone was very open, which made it easy to connect and collaborate.”

Tel Aviv Lab Credited for Supporting Innovators

Both Inbar and Loyfer also credited Falling Walls Lab Tel Aviv for giving them the opportunity to pitch their ideas and for bringing them together with a network of peers working on interesting research.

“This event is a unique opportunity for Israeli innovators. I feel proud to have been part of it.”—Netanel Loyfer

Interested in learning about other opportunities for researchers at TAU?

To learn more, check out our research opportunities portal or contact The Lowy International School’s coordinator for international researchers.