The program is a project of the university's Yazamut360 Entrepreneurship Center, and has the support of Bank Hapoalim and Mack Ness Fund of the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater MetroWest NJ (JCF), an organization that supports the economic and demographic development of the Negev.
Negev Prime will accept 48 applicants who will work on creating a private label store that will sell goods on Amazon. Private label products are developed by one company and sold under another company's brand.
Some 70% of brick-and-mortar businesses that sold products on Amazon used a private-label business model, according to an April 2020 article from junglescout.com.
"After a successful pilot program, during which we helped students build their business and paved an independent business path in a growing field, the time has come to fulfill the dream of this program," Or Santo, the program's entrepreneur and director of ecosystems relationship at Yazamut360 said. "[It's time] to build a successful and fruitful community of e-commerce entrepreneurs in the Negev. Negev Prime will provide a quality response to the growing demand for practical tools in online commerce entrepreneurship among students and residents of the Negev in general."
The participants will learn skills such as product development, supplier negotiation, international logistics, quality control, copyrighting, advertising and marketing, SEO and other e-commerce related skills. Students will take university courses and build their business simultaneously, according to the press release. They will also receive mentors who will guide them through the program.
One of the program's partners is the Negev 19 group, whose goal is to further economic development in rural areas of Israel.
"The past year has opened up a variety of interesting business opportunities for us, coming from the periphery, when the physical boundaries are blurring," according to Shai Meinert, VP of Negev 19. "We believe that this project will open up a job opportunity for residents of the Negev that they have not thought of before."
The program is not affiliated with Amazon. Registration is open for October 2021.