Author: OurCrowd

The investor’s guide to the Israeli enterprise software market

The investor’s guide to the Israeli enterprise software market

Jan 14, 2014 | ,

Lost in some of the excitement around Israeli startups’ push into consumer technology is the country’s history in the software market. A key part of Israel’s success story — part of the economic fabric of the Startup Nation — is the enterprise software market. Established in the 1980s, Comverse, Amdocs, and Mercury Interactive were considered top-tier competition (especially in niche markets) to multinationals like SAP and Oracle. While their prominence may have faded somewhat, they did seed a whole ecosystem of enterprise-focused software startups that began in the 1990s and continues through today. That hasn’t been lost on companies like Oracle, which has purchased firms like Primavera, Demantra, and Convergin over the past decade. The following is a presentation given by OurCrowd‘s founder, Jon Medved, addressing the historical roots of the enterprise software industry in Israel, its enablers, and where the market may head in the near future.   The Investor’s Guide to the Israel Enterprise Software Industry from OurCrowd   Special thanks to OC’s Prescott Watson in the preparation of these materials!...

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The Jerusalem startup scene has never been better!

The Jerusalem startup scene has never been better!

Jan 5, 2014 | , , ,

Venture capital investors, angel funds, accelerator, these concepts are familiar today to every high-tech entrepreneur in Jerusalem, and there are quite a few of those. During the last week of December, Jerusalem’s Lander Institute hosted a gathering othat brought together around 100 Jerusalemite entrepreneurs and prominent investors operating in Israel. Among those present were Shahar Tzafrir of Magma Venture Partners (a primary investor in Waze), Evelyn Rubin of Jerusalem-based equity crowdfunding platform OurCrowd, Ben Wiener who recently launched a Jumpspeed, a micro-fund for early-stage startups in Jerusalem, Jerusalemite angel investor Reuven Ulmansky and Aviram Zolti, Israel’s Vice Chief Scientist. A last minute addition to this group was Zohar Levkovitz, an entrepreneur turned investor who recently sold his ads company Amobee to Singaporian SingTel for almost $350 million. This wasn’t the only event held in Jerusalem that week. One of the participants was complaining that the previous night there were 2 events appealing to the same target audience. This example illustrates the type of “difficulties” a Jerusalem entrepreneur faces these days. Over the past year and half something good and refreshing has been happening in...

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Meet the Israeli startups on TNW’s list of the best iOS apps launched in 2013

Meet the Israeli startups on TNW’s list of the best iOS apps launched in 2013

Dec 29, 2013 | , ,

Back in October during Apple’s media event in San Francisco, it was revealed that Apple’s iOS App Store lists more than one million apps and has generated $13 billion in revenue for developers since it was first introduced. The Next Web, a leading website for international tech news, put together a list of the more notable apps and services to launch for Apple’s mobile platform in 2013. Out of the 89 apps listed by TNW, 8 of them are Israeli products fresh out of the Startup Nation. Besides being very useful additions to anyone’s collection, these smart calendars, budgeting tools and funky cameras represent the crème de la crème of Israeli innovation. Here is the Made-in-Israel edition of the TNW’s list of the best iOS apps launched in 2013: Takes We were very excited to see OurCrowd’s portfolio company Takes on the list! Takes is a cool app that lets you capture video simply by taking photos. Every time you snap a picture, Takes is capturing video, too. It effectively provides a brand new way for you to share your experiences by simply doing what you already...

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It’s been quite a year in the Startup Nation! Need a reminder? Check out the top high-tech stories of 2013

It’s been quite a year in the Startup Nation! Need a reminder? Check out the top high-tech stories of 2013

Dec 24, 2013 | , , , ,

2013 has turned out to be a very successful year for Israeli high-tech with a lot of high profile mergers and acquisitions, venture capital investment and initial public offerings. Here are the top high-tech stories from Israel 2013! [View the story “Startup Nation 2013: Top high-tech stories out of Israel” on...

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The Startup Ecosystem: A Fishy Look at Predator vs. Prey [Infographic]

The Startup Ecosystem: A Fishy Look at Predator vs. Prey [Infographic]

Dec 22, 2013 |

There’s no denying that when it comes to startups, it’s a dog eat dog world… or is that a fish eat fish ocean? Whether you’re  a young startup hiring employees, raising venture capital or an angel investor looking to invest in the next Facebook, it’s tough navigating the murky and danger-filled waters of the startup world. This funny ocean themed infographic looks at the delicate balance between predators and prey in the startup ecosystem, and helps you figure out how to balance all of the key players in the industry. So without further ado, dive in and get your sea legs...

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