Bar-Ilan Researchers Win Israel’s 2025 EdTech Startups Awards
When three Bar-Ilan researchers set out to understand how children find their voice in more than one language, they ended up creating a global EdTech success story.
It began with a question that transcended disciplines and borders: How can we truly understand the language abilities of children who grow up speaking more than one language, and ensure that every one of those voices is heard?
For three Bar-Ilan University researchers, Prof. Carmit Altman, Prof. Sharon Armon-Lotem, and Dr. Hadar Abutbul-Oz, this wasn’t just an academic curiosity. It was a calling.
Their answer became Multi for All, an AI-powered interactive game that helps educators and clinicians map language abilities in bilingual and multilingual children. What began as a research project is now a thriving social-impact startup, changing how children’s language development is understood and supported in classrooms across Israel, and soon, the world.
And now, this homegrown innovation has reached the global stage: At EdTech Prime Time, Israel’s leading educational innovation event held at the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, the team won the 2025 Global EdTech Startups Awards (GESAwards) Israel, earning the honor of representing Israel in the international finals in London this January.
Building a Bridge Between Research and Real Life
While most academic breakthroughs remain confined to journals and conferences, Multi broke the mold.
Born in the labs of Bar-Ilan University and nurtured by its UnBox Entrepreneurship Hub, the startup was created in response to an urgent, real-world challenge:
Following more than a year of conflict, children across Israel and particularly in areas near the conflict zone, faced disrupted learning routines, trauma, and developmental gaps. Traditional language assessments could no longer keep up.
The three researchers decided to turn their research into a solution that could make a difference, especially for children most at risk of falling behind.
“Language is a basic skill that cannot be ignored,” says Dr. Abutbul-Oz. “Our goal is to give every child an equal opportunity to succeed and to ensure no one gets left behind.”
How “Multi” Works
Multi uses an interactive, game-based interface powered by advanced AI to map language skills in young children. Through play, it builds detailed individual language profiles, enabling kindergarten teachers and speech therapists to create personalized learning plans for every child.
The platform also offers tools for educators and parents — including training modules, goal-setting guidance, and support programs — helping teachers and families collaborate around each child’s unique linguistic and emotional needs.
The results speak for themselves. In kindergartens and schools that have adopted Multi, researchers have reported over 30% improvement in children’s language abilities, proving that play, data, and empathy can indeed transform learning.
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Behind Multi stands a team that blends deep research expertise with entrepreneurial spirit:
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Prof. Sharon Armon-Lotem, Department of English Linguistics and Literature and the Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center.
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Prof. Carmit Altman, Head of the Child Development Program at the Faculty of Education and Society, and member of the Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center.
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Dr. Hadar Abutbul-Oz, speech-language pathologist and PhD graduate of Bar-Ilan’s Department of English Linguistics and Literature.
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Chen Bareket, social-impact entrepreneur specializing in the intersection of technology and education.
Supported by UnBox, Bar-Ilan University’s incubator for entrepreneurial innovation, the team transformed their academic research into a startup with measurable social impact — winning not only an Innovation Authority grant, but also global recognition.
From Israel to the World
Founded in 2014, the Global EdTech Startups Awards (GESAwards) is the world’s largest EdTech competition, with more than 6,000 startups from 130 countries. It celebrates groundbreaking technologies that redefine how education is delivered and experienced.
By winning Israel’s 2025 competition, Multi joins a global network of innovators shaping the future of education. The team will represent Israel at the GESAwards Global Finals in London this January, standing alongside pioneers from over 60 nations.
“This achievement shows what can happen when research, technology, and compassion come together,” says Prof. Altman. “Our vision has always been to create tools that help every child find their voice in any language.”