ViVac Pharma has been named the winner of the 2026 Asper Prize for “The Hebrew University Rising Startup,” receiving the competition’s top honor and a NIS 100,000 award. Led by ASPER-HUJI Innovate in partnership with the Asper Foundation, the annual competition celebrates outstanding startups emerging from the Hebrew University community and highlights the University’s growing role in advancing entrepreneurship, innovation, and real-world impact.
[Hebrew University, October 18, 2026] ViVac Pharma claimed top honors in the 2026 “Hebrew University Rising Startup” competition, winning the esteemed Asper Prize and a NIS 100,000 award. Organized by ASPER-HUJI Innovate , Hebrew University’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, in partnership with The Asper Foundation, the competition reflects the University’s commitment to strengthening the bridge between academia and industry by supporting innovation among its students, faculty, and alumni.
The winning company: ViVac Pharma
ViVac Pharma develops RNA-based immunotherapies powered by synthetic biology and precision delivery, in order to reprogram the immune system to both recognize and eradicate cancer.
ViVac Pharma, is an innovative, early-stage biotechnology company that specializes in pioneering synthetic biology and lipid nanoparticle (LNP) engineering. Headquartered in Israel, founded by Prof. Chezy Barenholz of Hebrew University, co-inventor of the pioneering cancer treatment Doxil, and Dr. Lior Nissim, head of the university’s Synthetic Biology Laboratory at the Faculty of Medicine and led by CEO Keren Leshem, the company develops a universal, programmable RNA-LNP immunotherapy platform designed to target and destroy solid tumors. The company’s current programs target liver and ovarian cancers. By reengineering full-viral blueprints into safe, replication-limited synthetic RNA replicons, ViVac’s technology mimics the powerful immune-stimulating respon se of a natural viral infection inside a tumor without the associated risks of a live virus. Unlike traditional mRNA therapies that only deliver fragments of genetic instructions, ViVac’s proprietary platform encodes a complete, reengineered full-viral blueprint. This unique mode of action triggers a comprehensive cellular and antibody attack to eradicate cancer cells from within, creating a targeted destruction and lasting immune memory.
This is the vision that drives the ViVac team forward. Dr. Lior Nissim, co-founder of the company, captures it in one powerful sentence: "I believe that our grandchildren's grandchildren will look back on this era with sorrow and wonder how people once died from cancer."
The competition showcases startups from diverse sectors, with ventures aligned with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Following a rigorous review process six finalists presented their ventures to the global assembly of the University’s Board of Trustees.
The Asper Prize was established to encourage entrepreneurship within the Hebrew University ecosystem and help promising early-stage companies advance from breakthrough ideas to scalable ventures. Its NIS 100,000 award provides meaningful support to the winning startup as it continues to develop its work and pursue growth.
Prof. Tamir Sheafer, President of Hebrew University, said, “The six companies competing for this year’s Asper Prize reflect the extraordinary range and ambition of innovation emerging from the Hebrew University community. From new approaches to diagnosing Parkinson’s disease and treating cancer, to quantum-secure communications, AI-driven drug discovery, advanced robotics, and life-saving blood transfusion technologies, these ventures show how ideas developed through research can become solutions for some of the world’s most urgent challenges. This competition is not only about selecting one winner. It is about recognizing the creativity, scientific depth, and entrepreneurial spirit of our students, faculty, alumni, and partners, and the University’s responsibility to help bring that work into the world. I congratulate ViVac Pharma on this important achievement and look forward to seeing its continued growth and impact.”
Gail Asper, a Trustee of The Asper Foundation and President of The Gail Asper Foundation , added: “The six finalists of the 2026 Asper Prize represent Israeli innovation at its best: ambitious science and technology directed toward real and significant problems. Across medicine, cybersecurity, AI and robotics, these entrepreneurs are not simply developing impressive technologies - they are working to change what is possible. That combination of excellence, purpose and entrepreneurial determination is exactly what the Asper Prize was created to celebrate.”
Dr. Amnon Dekel, Executive Director of ASPER-HUJI Innovate praised the finalists: “The finalists of this year’s Asper Prize demonstrate what innovation is ultimately about: taking ambitious ideas, deep scientific knowledge and technological ingenuity and turning them into solutions to real problems. From health and medicine to cybersecurity, AI and robotics, these entrepreneurs are tackling challenges that affect millions of people and entire industries. They represent the very best of Israeli innovation - bold thinking combined with the determination to turn possibility into impact”.
Five Other Start-Ups that Qualified for Finals
ATED Therapeutics has developed a new, rapid, simple, transfer RNA fragment (tRF), non-invasive blood based diagnostic test for Parkinson’s Disease.
HEQA Security - HEQA delivers production-grade quantum-safe appliances integrating Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) with a NIST-aligned Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) overlay - providing layered security in depth for real-world networks.
Itay&Beyond provides a unique platform that integrates functional measurements from brain organoids with advanced AI analysis to estimate the efficacy of drugs for neurological and psychiatric disorders.
Pickommerce AI Robotics is revolutionizing warehouse logistics with cutting-edge autonomous pick and pack solutions. Their innovative approach combines advanced robotics, artificial intelligence, and packing optimization to solve global supply chain challenges.
Plas-Free is a clinical-stage HealthTech company developing and commercializing innovative blood transfusion technologies designed to improve the treatment of severe and life-threatening bleeding.