Approximately two-thirds of the human population lives within 40 miles of the coast. It is expected to grow in the coming decades.

Climate change such as sea-level rise and increased storm intensity combined with rapid human expansion of coastal development have a major negative impact on the resilience of coastal ecosystems.

These habitats provide services, such as protecting coastlines from erosion and storm surge, supporting fisheries, and providing habitat for numerous marine species. The destruction of these habitats can lead to a loss of biodiversity and a decline in the resilience of coastal ecosystems.

Developing new solutions for the rebuilding and retrofitting coastal infrastructure to make it more resilient and sustainable is crucial to ensure the survival of both human communities and coastal ecosystems in the face of climate change and rapid coastal development.

You are cordially invited to learn about such solutions that were developed and implemented by ECOncrete, an Israeli startup, and were funded by BIRD Foundation

A ZOOM LINK WILL BE SENT TO YOU CLOSER TO THE DATE OF THE EVENT

Panelists:

Andrea Yonah
Director of Business Development, East Coast/Midwest, U.S.-Israel Binational Industrial R&D (BIRD) Foundation

Andrea is responsible for BIRD’s East Coast and Midwest activities and works to increase the Foundation’s profile among U.S. companies by engaging in business development, strategic growth initiatives, relationship management, and matchmaking between Israeli and U.S. companies. Prior to her position with BIRD, Andrea served for eight years as the Executive Director of the New Jersey-Israel Commission. Andrea has held positions in marketing, interactive media and Internet application development in companies located both in Israel and the U.S. She began her career at EduSoft in Tel-Aviv as part of a BIRD funded project with Berlitz International. Andrea continued her career at Berlitz as part of the Worldwide Marketing Division at their headquarters in Princeton, NJ. Andrea went on to work in product development and marketing at Princeton eCom, a New Jersey financial IT company. Andrea holds a B.A. in Urban Affairs and Political Science from Barnard College, Colombia University and a Masters degree in Foreign Language Education/ESL from Tel-Aviv University.

Dr. Andrew Rella
Technical Director of Business Development @ ECOncrete Inc.

Dr. Andrew Rella is a Coastal and Environmental Engineer specializing in nature-inclusive design. He has a decade of experience in facilitating and successfully managing the design, permitting and construction of nature-inclusive marine infrastructure. Andrew earned his Ph.D at Stevens Institute of Technology and joined ECOncrete in 2014.

ECOncrete, an Israeli based company, developed solutions for marine construction that enhance biodiversity and comply with industry standards. The solution was scientifically proven to benefit both the ecosystem and the infrastructure.

Dan Trajman
CEO, New England Israel Business Council (NEIBC)

Dan Trajman is the CEO of New England Israel Business Council (NEIBC) a not-for–profit organization that helps New England and Israeli businesses to succeed together.
Dan started his business career as an architect, with prominent projects both in Israel and Boston after earning his undergraduate degree (B. Arch) in architecture and town planning from the Technion (Israel Institute of Technology) and his master degree (MAUD) in urban design from Harvard University Graduate School of Design. He subsequently moved into the high tech entrepreneurial world as an executive of high tech companies such as Scitex America Inc. and L&H N.V. (NASDAQ IPO), then as CEO/President of iKnowledge Inc. (Sold to Avid Technologies Inc.), Sapience America Inc. and Ex Libris Inc. (sold to Francisco Partners LLC). Dan co-founded LTMI, a boutique venture capital fund and served as Managing Partner investing primarily in Israeli start-ups. In parallel to his business career, he also has focused on his passions as conceptual artist and educator with a mission of stimulating conversations and debate about important issues in society and while exploring art as education tool. He has had several solo shows and participated in group shows in the US, Europe and Israel.

BIRD Funding Helps Make Our Coasts More Resilient to Climate Change

The panel is part of a week long conference The Business of Climate Change 2023 organized by Brandeis International Business School.

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