J
enna Beltser has always been inspired
by the idea of innovation.
As the director for the Orthodox
Union’s Impact Accelerator, a program that
identifies and helps grow new Jewish non-
profit organizations, Beltser, 31,
of Southfield, seeks out startups
that address critical issues in the
Jewish community through inno-
vative ways.
“What I really love about the
program is that it inspires inno-
vation,
” says Beltser, who helped
launch OU Impact Accelerator
in 2018 after a year of developing it alongside
leadership and coworkers. “It allows people
who are passionate about different causes to
step up to the plate.
”
FINDING A NATIONAL REACH
Through the accelerator, OU receives some
50-80 applications a year from nonprofits
nationwide interested in joining the program.
This year, they received 72 applications that
spanned numerous industries and causes
related to the Jewish community.
Out of the dozens of applications, four to six
are selected each year to participate in a cohort
experience that includes a nonprofit curricu-
lum, coaching mentorship and an initial grant
to help grow the business.
“We’ve received applications from all across
the country and from different issue areas,
”
says Beltser, who recently moved back to
Michigan with her husband, Lev, and their
two children, “like Holocaust education,
seniors and technologies that address certain
issues.
”
So, what does OU look for in the perfect
applicant? Beltser says it’s all about scale.
“We look for organizations that have either
a national reach or potential for national
reach,
” she explains. “Things that could be
replicated in different communities.
”
The startups themselves, of course, must
be innovative as well, offering something
new that hasn’t been done before — a key
contingent of the OU Impact Accelerator.
In the future, Beltser hopes to expand the
program’s reach to also help Jewish nonprofit
startups with more local angles succeed, such
as through facilitating connections to the right
parties.
“They are still in our fight pool, so to speak,
”
Beltser says of localized nonprofit startups.
‘START WHERE YOU ARE’
Working with Jewish nonprofits, Beltser says,
has always been an interest for her. She began
her career working at two financial technol-
ogy startups, Visible Alpha and Novus. She
graduated from the University of Pennsylvania
with a bachelor’s in international relations and
economics.
“
At first, I was just volunteering with a
project at the OU,
” she recalls of first connect-
ing with Orthodox Union, one of the largest
Orthodox Jewish organizations in the United
States. “Then, OU wanted to do something
working with Jewish startups, new Jewish
organizations.
”
The need prompted Beltser to officially
join OU, shifting from working in financial
technology to working on building an accel-
erator that could help Jewish nonprofit start-
ups succeed. At OU, she was able to use her
knowledge of the startup world to develop a
successful program that numerous businesses
have now benefitted from.
“It was a collaboration of everyone at OU at
the time,
” she says of bringing the accelerator
program to life. “We have a poster hanging
on our wall that says ‘start where you are, use
what you have, do what you can.
’ It was really
thinking through what models exist right now
and what do we have available?”
FILLING A NEED IN THE COMMUNITY
Launched during a time in which startup accel-
erators were booming in popularity, OU Impact
Accelerator quickly filled a need for business
support in the larger Jewish community. As the
program’s founding director, Beltser designed
the cohort experience, along with the curricu-
lum and format of the program. She also works
with each startup one-on-one.
Throughout OU Impact Accelerator’s non-
profit curriculum, Jewish startups learn about
fundraising, marketing, operations, leadership
and anything else necessary to run a successful
nonprofit organization. In return, OU gets a
unique view into the larger needs of the Jewish
community nationwide, one that Beltser
doesn’t take for granted.
“Every year, we learn about what’s going on,
”
says Beltser, who is also involved in her local
synagogue and Jewish community. “We have
so much data about what people are doing in
the community and also where we need help.
”
For example, she continues, “Can we con-
nect all five organizations that are working all
over the country that deal with mental health?
Through our program, we’ve developed a
bird’s eye view.
”
Jenna Beltser is the
founding director
of a Jewish startup
accelerator.
Innovation
Expert
Jenna
Beltser
ASHLEY ZLATOPOLSKY
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
26 | APRIL 7 • 2022
NEXT DOR
VOICE OF THE NEW
JEWISH GENERATION
Beltser works with members of the 2018 OU Impact Accelerator cohort.