Unexpected Founders, Unlikely Team, Unstoppable Idea

17 July 2025

Prof Jackie Goren, Head of the Sofaer Global MBA with Lalascript team: Ohad Gev, Liu Liu, and Ilya Kolin (left to right)

At Tel Aviv University’s Sofaer Global MBA, innovation happens in the classroom, on the beach, over hummus, and between classmates from opposite ends of the globe. The 3rd annual Sofaer Startup Competition was proof of that, awarding first place and the Arlette Sofaer Prize to LalaScript, a groundbreaking AI music platform created by Ohad Gev (USA), Liu Liu (China), and Ilya Kolin (Belarus).

Beyond the prize, there’s a deeper story: the story of how an MBA in Tel Aviv brought together a classical pianist, a fashion marketer, and a seasoned entrepreneur to build something they never expected.

Join the Sofaer Global MBA infosession on July 27 at 5 pm

No Business Background? No Problem

“I came to Israel for personal reasons. I left my job, brought my dog, and promised my family I’d finish my degree,” says Liu Liu, who previously worked in Shanghai’s fashion and trade show scene.

“I didn’t come to Israel to build a startup. I just wanted to enjoy life for a while.”—Liu Liu

Her expectations shifted fast. The Sofaer MBA’s hands-on approach pushed Liu to explore ideas beyond her comfort zone. “I’d done a startup before in street dance. But this was different. We had to pitch, research markets, and work in teams. I was so confused at first. My English wasn’t strong. I have hearing difficulties. And everyone around me looked so... professional.”

Then came Ohad.

Ohad Gev presenting LalaScript's pitch

“He didn’t seem like a typical business student either,” she laughs. “We clicked right away.” A classical pianist from New York who had arrived several weeks late to the program, he was equally uncomfortable with the business school environment.

"I remember when I got to the program, it was my first non-music school. What am I doing? There's a lot of collaborating. There's a lot of presenting. I hate presenting," Gev recalls.

Nine months later, this unlikely duo along with their teammate Ilya Kolin would win the $10,000 Arlette Sofaer Prize for LalaScript, an AI-powered platform that transforms any audio into tailored, playable sheet music.

Homework That Turned Into a Startup

LalaScript was born in Dr. Leslie Broudo-Mitts's New Venture Creation class, where homework assignments included building actual startups. Choosing the concept to develop was not easy.

"It was really funny how it started when Liu Liu couldn't do the idea she wanted,” Gev recalls. But once she looked through his list, one idea jumped out: the music transcription concept that eventually became LalaScript.

Ohad Gev, Liu Liu, and Ilya Kolin: The winning team

Their initial market research revealed surprising opportunities. "We found that our product pitch is very unique in terms of the solution we’re offering," says Gev. “But there's a lot of existing music creation apps, which we consider competition."

“We’re Really Building Something Human.”

The human aspect is what got Liu Liu really excited about the idea. “Everyone back home talked about finance, AI, robotics, medicine. I didn’t care about that,” she says. “I just wanted to build something for real people. And that’s what this is.”

“Our project isn’t just about music. It’s about making creativity more accessible. You hear a song, you want to play it, so LalaScript helps you do that, even if you're not a pro.”—Liu Liu

What began as a class project turned into something much more after the team won the startup competition. “Suddenly, professors took us seriously. They told us, ‘Now you have something real. Let’s go.’ And that changed how I saw myself too,” says Liu.

Since then, the team has been meeting with investors, planning next steps, and even getting scouted by The Sharks of Israel (Israel’s version of Shark Tank).

“We didn’t expect any of this,” Liu says. “But here we are now.”

From Missed Deadlines to Center Stage

The path to victory at the Sofaer Startup Competition was nearly derailed by the team almost missing the first deadline. But when the deadline was extended, they had no more excuses.

The jury of the 3rd Sofaer Pitch Competition included Nimrod Cohen (on the right), the Managing Partner of TAU Ventures; Lisya Bahar Manoah (second from the right), Managing Partner at Arieli Group; Fiona Darmon, Founder & Managing Partner at Sunset Ventures, and Oren Kaplan, Fintech entrepreneur, investor, mentor

Their professors recognized the team's potential and provided crucial support in preparing the pitch. There was also Gev's anxiety about public speaking to contend with: “I'm not a public speaker. I like to perform when I'm behind the piano," he says.

So, the competition itself was a transformative experience. Team members trained to speak loudly and clearly, citing numbers to make their pitch more impactful. And the hard work paid off.

"The jury saw how serious we were about the pitch competition. And they believed in us."—Liu Liu

“We’re So Different, and That’s What Works.”

Reflecting on their team, Liu Liu says it best: “Ohad’s a pianist. I’m from fashion. Ilya’s data-driven. We don’t think the same, we don’t even speak the same first language, but we trust each other. That’s what the program gave us.”

The Sofaer Global MBA is truly a bridge between worlds, and a launchpad for innovation, creativity, and surprising transformations.

Sofaer Global MBA Class of 2025

As Liu Liu puts it, “I didn’t come here to be a founder. But that’s exactly what happened.”

“It’s such a unique space. You’re thrown into a startup ecosystem that’s fast, scrappy, supportive. And you’re learning with people from everywhere, Europe, Asia, North America, South America. You learn just as much from each other as from the professors.”—Ohad Gev

Investor calls, pitch competitions, maybe even prime time, LalaScript is heading places. But for its founders, the real turning point was the Sofaer MBA: a fast-paced mix of challenging coursework, practical startup experience, and faculty who had their back from day one.