Tag: israeli startup ecosystem

While American VC slowed in 2016, 4 reasons why Israel saw continued momentum

While American VC slowed in 2016, 4 reasons why Israel saw continued momentum

Jan 31, 2017 |

In early 2016, many pundits predicted a more tepid investment environment, characterized by a slowing venture capital market, a more rational valuation environment, and potential correction in the public markets.  There was a feeling that we were due for a bit of a “hangover” from the 2014-15 startup investing frenzy – which had been driven largely by walls of new capital from the likes of sovereign wealth funds, increased corporate venture money, and family offices. (For more on that, see our thoughts from early 2016 here.) And, indeed, the end-of-year data for 2016 has exposed what everyone pretty much knew: In 2016, venture capital funding in the US was down year-over-year, following five years of consistent growth in funding. According to data provided by Pitchbook, VC funding dropped roughly 14% – from the impressive $79.2 billion funneled into US-based startups in 2015, to a more modest sum of $68.3 billion in 2016. Perhaps even more telling is the decrease in the number of deals done in 2016 vs. 2015: 10,486 in 2015, compared to 7,966 in 2016. And exit activity...

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Meet the Israeli startups on Inc.’s list of 10 Tech Companies Helping Humanity

Meet the Israeli startups on Inc.’s list of 10 Tech Companies Helping Humanity

Jul 29, 2014 | , ,

Inc., a leading website and magazine focused on growing companies, put together a list of 10 tech companies, ranging from early stage startup to post IPO, that are affecting humanity with brilliant technology and execution. “Social entrepreneurship,” “benefit corporations,” “social enterprises,” and “impact investing” are just a few of the terms that have been invented to help describe and define the growing trend of businesses that are trying to do good at the same time they watch their bottom lines. Out of the 10 startups listed by Inc., 7 of them are Israeli companies fresh out of the Startup Nation. Besides being very useful technological innovations and business opportunities, these representatives of the crème de la crème of Israeli innovation are making the world a better place while generating a solid ROI along the way. Here is the Made-in-Israel edition of Inc.’s list of the 10 Tech Companies Helping Humanity: Telesofia Medical Founded by a team of medical doctors and Internet industry veterans, Telesofia Medical provides automatic health literacy solutions to empower patients and save health care costs. The company’s platform allows healthcare providers to automatically generate personalized...

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Women 2.0: Breaking the Glass Ceiling in the Startup Nation

Women 2.0: Breaking the Glass Ceiling in the Startup Nation

Jul 13, 2014 | , ,

Programs throughout the world are being aimed at girls from an early age to drive them to follow their hearts – and minds. These innovative programs consist of a large push for women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) and at the same time, female business entrepreneurs in Israel are also taking the stage. Israel is one of the leading nations in the world for tech and startups. It is a modern democratic country where those who work hard can better themselves, regardless of the gender divides that existed years ago. Women hold positions in government and the medical professions, education and clergy; and now, women in business and entrepreneurship are becoming prominent. Israel ranks as number 11 out of 59 developed countries in regards to participation of women in the workplace. It can also be seen that Israeli women are in fairly high executive positions, and are ranked 24th out of the 59 countries accounted for. Struggling with the gender gap Why is this a big deal? To understand this question, one must understand the years of...

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Making a mark in the Startup Nation: How social events will boost your startup profile

Making a mark in the Startup Nation: How social events will boost your startup profile

Jul 9, 2014 | ,

 This guest post was written by Daniel Abrahams, CEO of CurrencyTransfer.com, the world’s first online marketplace matching users with the most competitive international payment quotes. The platform offers instant booking ability in one live, transparent venue. As a tech entrepreneur, I’ve seen first hand the fantastic correlation between community management initiatives and startup success. Not only do organizing events create buzz and a ‘feel good factor’ with your local tech ecosystem, it can crucially draw interest from both prospective investors and end users. Today, I’ll share my story as CEO of CurrencyTransfer.com, and in particular the way we approached the arrival of our British fintech business in ‘The Startup Nation.’ Making our mark in ‘The Startup Nation’ Recently, we opened an office in Tel Aviv. As many of you know, Israel has become one of the leading startup capitals of the world, and R&D center to some of the world’s leading companies. With an already thriving fintech community surrounding us, we brainstormed on how we can make an instant name for ourselves in the Tel Aviv start up ecosystem. Our solution...

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When startups and financial hubs collide: FinTech developments in the Startup Nation

When startups and financial hubs collide: FinTech developments in the Startup Nation

Jun 30, 2014 | , , ,

Banks and startups, the two worlds could hardly be further apart. Banks: colossal institutions, conservative in nature, often centuries of history. Startups: minimal staff, innovative and fledgling businesses. So why are some of the world’s major financial institutions heading to Tel Aviv to set up start-up accelerators? The answer: Fintech (financial technology). In the most recent development of the Startup Nation, the Israeli fintech space has earned the attention of banking institutions both in Israel and abroad. While there have been some notable success stories (Fundtech, Nice Systems and now, Check), Israel isn’t entirely famous for its fintech startups. However this is beginning to change. So what is fintech all about? Fintech in broad terms refers to the technologies and software available that ensure the smooth operations of the banking and the financial services industry. The services and applications developed in this space include electronic payment platforms, international money transfers, personal finance and asset management and crowdfunding. While the fintech market currently stands at $470 billion annually it is expected to grow at 5.4% annually. According to a recent report...

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