Hungarian Leadership Delegation Visits Ashdod to Study Kivunim Center and the Local Tech Community
Elected officials, government staff and entrepreneurs from eight Hungarian cities toured Kivunim, Ashdod's municipal young adults center, and Hub Ashdod. Their goal was to study Ashdod's model, which gives young adults one place for career development, resilience and reservist support, higher education, small business and tech.
Kivunim, the Ashdod Municipality's young adults center, together with the local tech community and the Hub Ashdod entrepreneurship space, hosted an official delegation of young leaders from eight cities across Hungary this week, including Budapest, Debrecen, Győr, Szombathely, Sopron, Szolnok, Eger and Veszprém.
The visit was part of the Conexion Israel leadership program. It introduced Hungarian government and business leaders to the way Kivunim, considered Israel's leading young adults center, operates. Delegates learned how the center serves young adults across several areas: body, mind and health; support for military reservists; higher education; civic engagement and community leadership; small business development; and entrepreneurship, innovation and tech.
From a local hub to global impact
The delegation toured Hub Ashdod, Kivunim's shared workspace for entrepreneurs. The space is home to more than 300 entrepreneurs, freelancers, startups and tech business owners, and over the past year the founders working there generated more than 2 million shekels in combined revenue.
Delegates met local founders and heard the stories that grew out of the hub. Among them: David Revivo, Elai Tawil and Dr. Shalom Reich of MediTactic, who work from the hub and develop life-saving tactical equipment that was selected to represent Israel at the international defense conference SOF Week. For MediTactic the visit continued an existing relationship: the company had previously held a professional meeting at the hub with Hungary's ambassador to Israel.
The delegation also saw other digital and tech ventures working from the space, including the ChiliBiz agency and Eviatar Attias's Taktik, and tech training programs such as Magshimim and Vibe Coding evenings that introduce young people to AI-based development.
Notable delegation members
- Adrienn Bokányi, Szombathely city council member responsible for economic development and lead of the Szombathely 2030 program
- Péter Pőcze of Győr, company CEO and lawyer specializing in AI and cybersecurity
- Péter Boncsarovszky, Győr city council member and president of the national student information association
- Ádám Lakatos, Office of the Deputy Mayors of Debrecen
- Additional representatives: technology park managers, public service designers and foreign relations staff
What they said
“The young leadership delegation from Hungary represents local authorities from across the country, and its members play a meaningful role in public life in their cities. Meeting the very successful model built in Ashdod is a rare chance for them to learn practical tools they can apply at home. In Hungary, the mindset around young people is still largely bureaucratic and change is slow. The Israeli model offers a new and inspiring perspective.”
“We are glad and proud to host young international leaders in Ashdod. The Ashdod Municipality, led by Mayor Dr. Yehiel Lasri, invests significant resources in a holistic city infrastructure for its young adults. Our goal is to keep growing leading services, from civic engagement, through reservist and academic support, to Hub Ashdod as a growth space for local and global entrepreneurs. The delegation's visit shows that Ashdod's municipal model is a source of inspiration and learning across Europe as well.”
“The strength of Kivunim is a multi-dimensional approach that puts the young person at the center. We work across a wide range of areas, from health and wellbeing, through dedicated support for reservists, to higher education, entrepreneurship and small business. When all of these work under one roof and feed each other, you get a strong community, a growing local economy and proven social resilience that works in routine times and in emergencies.”
“Ashdod and its surroundings hold excellent human capital: thousands of developers, engineers and founders. The close connection we built between the tech community, Kivunim and Hub Ashdod exists for exactly this reason: to create fertile ground, real networking and business opportunities right here at home. The meeting with the Hungarian delegation shows that the tech ecosystem we built in Ashdod draws international interest and opens the door to cross-border tech and business partnerships.”
“The direct connection between the hub's founders and the representatives of the Hungarian cities sparked a productive conversation about innovation, keeping young people in the city and advanced technology. We keep opening the door for more Ashdod entrepreneurs to join the hub, grow together and lead tech activity in the city.”
From the visit
About
Kivunim Center and Hub Ashdod: Kivunim, run by the Ashdod Municipality, is the main home for the city's young adults (ages 18 to 35), offering a wide range of services in employment, higher education, civic engagement, reservist support and resilience. Hub Ashdod operates as part of the center: the city's coworking and entrepreneurship space, offering shared workspace, subsidized mentoring programs, business workshops and connections to investors and customers for founders, startups and young business owners.
Ashdod's tech and entrepreneurship community: founded by tech professionals and entrepreneurs from the city to connect industry people, share professional knowledge, promote partnerships with international tech companies and growing companies, and establish Ashdod as a center of tech and innovation.
Founders in Ashdod can read the founder's guide to Ashdod.
Media inquiries: Itamar Assaf, Ashdod Tech and Entrepreneurship Community, itamar@itamarassaf.co