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In the News: What is Startup Nation’s next act?

November 18, 2019 by OurCrowd

As I like to say, Israel has a knack for turning “curses” into blessings, as Forbes mentions: “From challenging initial conditions–wilderness and desert, surrounded by hostile neighbors–Israelis have succeeded in developing a diversified and flourishing tech sector that is hardwired for entrepreneurial innovation.” Read up on Startup Nation’s Next Act: Becoming The World’s Open Innovation Valley as well as why Israel is set to become a 2020s tech powerhouse.

Startup Nation and beyond

Exciting news for Trusona, named one of the world’s 100 most promising start-ups to watch in 2019’s Upstart100 by CNBC. See who else made the list.

UK Israel Tech Hub Launches 2020 Program With a Focus on Healthcare – The U.K. could benefit from Israel’s medtech capabilities, British Ambassador to Israel, Neil Wigan, said at the program’s launch event in Tel Aviv.

Check out which Israeli companies are driving innovation in diabetes care and treatment, including OurCrowd portfolio company DreaMed Diabetes.

NanoLock Security joins forces with Mekorot to collaborate on device level cyber defense solutions to protect critical infrastructure from outsider, insider and supply chain cyberattacks.

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In the News: All of our magic – summed up in one article

November 11, 2019 by OurCrowd

Simply one of the best and most intelligent articles written about OurCrowd in the last six years…How To Let Ordinary Investors Invest In Startups? OurCrowd Has The Answer.

And for the fifth year, OurCrowd is proud to be listed in the Top 50 innovators on KPMG’s 2019 Fintech100 list.

Did you miss OurCrowd Sync: São Paulo? Watch the 1-minute highlights; this was our first in a series of major global events to bring a taste of the flagship OurCrowd Global Investor Summit to a key region. Apply for your ticket to join us in Jerusalem on February 13th. (OurCrowd investors, partners, and portfolio companies are guaranteed an in-person ticket.)

Startup Nation and beyond

Congrats to OurCrowd portfolio company Ubimo, acquired by Quotient Technology Inc.

Hailo was recognized as a CES 2020 Innovation Awards Honoree – we are proud to have this company as part of our portfolio.

While many flock to Israel for its renowned Mediterranean menu, it is less famous for its food technology. Yet the country — home to more than 350 agriculture and foodtech companies — punches above its weight. What’s fueling the boom in foodtech?

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Watch: How BioCatch used behavior analysis to protect Royal Bank of Scotland

November 7, 2019 by OurCrowd

Numbers can be stolen, signatures forged, and IDs hacked; but an individual’s behavioral biometric motion is unique, consistent and identifiable. The field of behavioral biometrics detects cyberattacks in real-time.

Financial institutions all over the world use BioCatch for behavioral biometrics to protect clients and their assets. In October 2019, Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) shared how they used BioCatch to detect a suspicious transaction in its corporate banking unit, as featured in the Wall Street Journal.

“BioCatch’s breakthrough technology has already become an integral part of our fraud and authentication strategy,” stated RBS Chief Administrative Officer, Simon McNamara.

McNamara recently sat with BioCatch’s CEO, Howard Edelstein, and Edelstein explains how his technology addresses current security needs and is working on preventing future threats. Watch the complete interview.

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In the News: Big news – Stifel and OurCrowd to provide broader access to VC in our biggest US partnership

October 28, 2019 by OurCrowd

These past few weeks have been filled with truly exciting events which we are pleased to share with you.

In a groundbreaking move to provide broader access to the Venture Capital asset class, OurCrowd and Stifel Financial Corp. signed a major strategic deal, including investment. We’re celebrating our biggest North American institutional partner with tremendous distribution capability to Stifel’s more than 1 million clients through 2,200 financial advisors. We look forward to great things in the coming years with Stifel as a partner!

By the way, Bloomberg’s recent Businessweek article – The Big Money in Startups Comes From Investing Before the IPO – supports our mission, exclaiming that “the new IPO is the FPO—the final private offering.”

We are also proud to be partnering with Toyota Tsusho Corp., the trading arm of the Toyota Group. Together we can help startups turn into “scaleups” by providing access to Toyota Tsusho’s unrivaled platform that can deploy new technologies and products quickly and effectively in over 120 markets around the world.

Startup Nation and beyond

BioCatch helps the Royal Bank of Scotland detect a suspicious transaction in its corporate banking unit: Banks Use AI to Detect if It’s Really You.

Kudos to OurCrowd portfolio company Morphisec for discovering this important bug – Apple Warning: ‘Alarming’ iTunes Bug Led To Attacks—Millions Told ‘Update Now’.

With autonomous vehicles estimated to reach the market later than originally anticipated, OurCrowd’s Eli Nir and Yakir Machluf share a strategy for where and how to invest in a more distant future.

Investors around the world are looking at Israeli stocks, but they really want to get into Israeli startups – Read my thoughts on Israel’s “investment tourism” boom in The Jerusalem Post.

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In the News: The sector that nearly tripled investments over 5 years 📈

October 7, 2019 by OurCrowd

Parabéns! We reached a new milestone in São Paulo, Brazil, this month at our first ever OurCrowd Sync Conference, our biggest event outside of the OurCrowd Global Investor Summit. The event was maxed out and saw major players from the Latam tech ecosystem interacting face-to-face with industry leaders and decision-makers from the region and beyond. We also announced the launch of OurCrowd’s office in São Paulo, which we believe to be a key region for innovation. Look out for additional Sync conferences coming to your region soon!

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Did you know? In Israel, foodtech investment nearly tripled over five years. What’s fueling the foreign appetite for Israeli foodtech? See it here, and check out some of the alternative protein tech shown at the FoodTechIL event. As I’ve said, I think foodtech is going to become one of the most active areas of innovation – it has to be, because the world’s food supply, and everyone’s health, depends on it.

Startup Nation and beyond

Congrats to Karim Toubba and the Kenna team on the important Series D funding round…OurCrowd is proud to be part of this incredible story – Cybersecurity startup Kenna Security secures $48M to help organizations predict and prevent future cyber attacks using risk-based vulnerability management.

A real sign of maturity and good sense among Israeli entrepreneurs and investors: Content discovery startups Outbrain, Taboola to merge into $2B company.

Great FOXTV feature on how Surgical Theater is saving lives – Medical Advances: O.C. hospital uses advanced technology in the operating room.

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In the News: 5 reasons to avoid FOMO & apply to 2020 OurCrowd Global Investor Summit

September 23, 2019 by OurCrowd

Remember that FOMO you felt last year? Don’t wait to apply for your ticket to the 2020 OurCrowd Global Investor Summit; OurCrowd investors, partners, and portfolio companies are guaranteed an in-person ticket. Watch this video for 5 reasons why you don’t want to miss this year’s Summit!

Congrats to two OurCrowd medtech companies on major FDA milestones: FDA cleared UPnRIDE’s robotic standing wheelchair for marketing and use in the US and DreaMed Diabetes’ AI insulin recommendation technology.

Startup Nation and beyond

See it in Forbes – NSLComm Plans Second Satellite Launch for The Internet of Things.

We welcome our new Qure portfolio company Igentify! Marius Nacht, OurCrowd Back Igentify in $10.5 Million Round.

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

September 16, 2019 by OurCrowd

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 dependency.

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