Tag: IPO

In the News: Hollywood Happy Ending to Coronavirus Horror?

Movie theaters are closed, but the spirit of Hollywood lives on in our over-optimistic approach to the coronavirus. This is not a movie, and COVID-19 was not made in Hollywood. It will not be defeated in 100 minutes by a raven-haired heroine and a gruff old scientist pulled out of retirement. This disease will be with us for the foreseeable future and, as Bill Gates and others have warned, the next pandemic is out there, waiting to pounce. Check out my thoughts on how the VC community can pull together, back the startups on the frontlines, and drive us to a ‘Hollywood happy ending’ together, in my latest Investors on the Frontlines LinkedIn Newsletter, which you can subscribe to receive regularly here. As I recently told Crowdfund Insider, the massive dislocation of work, home, and leisure created by the pandemic is ushering in a changed world. This new era needs a fresh generation of technological solutions and presents a major opportunity for venture investors to help innovators move fast and fix things. Read the full interview.  As an example...

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In the News: An alternative way to go public is heating up beyond recognition

Beyond Meat and Lemonade were the best performing IPO debuts of 2019 and 2020 thus far – both companies in which OurCrowd had the privilege to offer our investors before they went public. We are proud to be counted among those who have supported these impactful companies, and look forward to taking part in the journeys of more promising companies in the future. Speaking of going public – I predict that the special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) market will roughly double this year and become an accepted alternative way for growth companies to go public by merging into the SPACs. As we see from Bill Ackman’s $4 billion SPAC, the market for these kind of structures has heated up beyond recognition. As stated in CNBC, “…SPACs are growing in popularity. So far this year they’ve have raised more than $12 billion, according to Dealogic, putting the dealflow on track to surpass 2019′s record total of $13.5 billion.” Watch more on the SPAC boom, on CNBC. Top Tech News Congrats to two OurCrowd portfolio companies on their raises which we...

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In the News: What’s our role in helping the SEC?

Can you imagine playing a role in helping the Security Exchange Commission? Actually, we do have a role to play. SEC Chairman Jay Clayton has proposed allowing more people to invest in early-stage companies – which would herald a long-overdue democratization of the market. Simplifying, harmonizing and improving the exempt offering framework, as the SEC proposed in March, will promote capital formation in unlisted companies while preserving and even enhancing important investor protections. Together, these steps will unleash huge untapped reserves, enabling tomorrow’s technologies to grow faster, for the benefit of all. Read more from my latest article in Investors on the Frontlines, and subscribe for upcoming editions. Will the Startup Nation bounce back from the coronavirus pandemic? I was happy to be among other voices across the Israeli VC landscape giving our perspectives in the recent issue of Newsweek.   Top Tech News With a 139% rise on its first day of trading, our inspiring portfolio company Lemonade became 2020’s best IPO debut after the mobile-based insurance startup’s stock soared from its offer price on the New York...

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In the News: Watch – how Israeli tech stays on top despite politics

Turn up your volume – this week we are sharing videos exploring different themes in Startup Nation success. First, in the Economist, I join other major Israeli players to examine the Israeli ‘entrepreneurial ethos’ and reasons for Israel’s startup drive and scale. Second, in my live CNN interview, I discuss how Israeli tech remains impervious to political instability, plus a look at the tech IPO market and why some go nowhere while the likes of Beyond Meat are rewarded for real growth with sensible business models.  In other news, the “Fresh Start” Northern FoodTech incubator was officially launched by Finistere Ventures, OurCrowd, Tnuva and Tempo. We look forward to advancing tech along the entire chain of the food and beverage industry. Startup Nation and beyond In its third tech deal this year, McDonald’s Buys Israeli-Founded Startup Apprente Inc. to Add Automated Drive-Thru Ordering.  Assuta Ashdod hospital deploys MedAware’s patient safety platform – MedAware’s artificial intelligence-driven solution utilizes big data analytics and machine learning algorithms to identify and prevent medication errors, reducing the risk of adverse drug events, contraindications, and opioid...

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In the News: Who are Israel’s frontrunners for a major exit or IPO, according to Globes?

Very excited to open this week with two OurCrowd portfolio companies being headlined as the next big thing: “Despite the slower progress towards self-driving cars, Hailo and Cortica (Cartica) are Israel’s frontrunners for a major exit or IPO, or to become unicorns.” With regard to Hailo, “the term ‘breakthrough’ is not a cliché, but a fact.” Read why here. Additional kudos to automotive visual intelligence platform Cartica AI on the completion of its Series B investment round, which OurCrowd was proud to take part in alongside Continental, Toyota AI Ventures and BMW i Ventures. Further congrats to mobile app analytics startup and portfolio company Neura on its $16 million Series B raise. This Wednesday our team is excited to go up to Israel’s north and celebrate the establishment of the Northern FoodTech Incubator, along with Tnuva, Tempo and Finistere Ventures, as we hold a ribbon cutting ceremony! Join us.  Startup Nation and beyond Norway, we are ready! Norway’s $1 Trillion Fund Looking To Tap Tech Future Through Unlisted Investments. BYND inks deals with Dunkin’ Donuts, Subway, Tim Hortons, Del...

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