Episode 89: ICL Group: Ziv Kohav on securing paid POCs and why marketing claims are noise to a $7B corporate

In this episode, I sit down with Ziv Kohav, Head of the Open Innovation Program (ICL Open) at ICL Group, a $7 billion specialty minerals giant headquartered in Israel. Ziv outlines exactly how early-stage (even TRL3) startups can secure paid Proof of Concept (POC) projects with ICL across their Plant Nutrition and Food Specialties divisions. We discuss why founders need to stop pitching the "market need" and focus strictly on scientific data and strategic fit. Ziv also breaks down the internal corporate timeline, revealing why startups operating on a 3-month runway are setting themselves up for failure when trying to close a corporate licensing deal that requires agricultural growing seasons to validate.

🎧 Listen to the full episode to hear Ziv’s advice on how to price your POC without triggering red flags in the corporate procurement department.

Key Facts ICL Group:

Ziv Kohav: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zivkohav/
Website: https://www.icl-group.com/
Headquarters: Israel
Goal: To scout, fund, and license external technologies (TRL3 and up) focusing on advanced plant nutrition, abiotic stress reduction, and clean-label functional food ingredients.
Milestone: Transitioned away from a standalone CVC structure to a highly integrated Open Innovation model where paid POCs directly lead to licensing agreements managed by core business units.

Blurb:

ICL is a global specialty minerals and chemicals company operating across four core segments — Growing Solutions, Phosphate Solutions, Potash, and Industrial Products. With innovation at the core of its strategy, ICL develops advanced agricultural inputs that strengthen food security worldwide, alongside next-generation energy storage systems designed to improve lives at scale. From feeding a growing planet to powering a cleaner future, ICL combines deep mineral expertise with forward-looking R&D to drive sustainable growth across the industries that matter most.