Author: OurCrowd

Medical Marijuana: Clearing the smoke on a miracle drug

Medical Marijuana: Clearing the smoke on a miracle drug

May 18, 2015 | , ,

This is a guest post by OurCrowd Venture Partner and medtech investment advisor Dr. Morris Laster.  If ever there was a ‘miracle drug’, the top candidate would be cannabis. The range of clinical conditions that have had the potential for treatment with marijuana is extensive ranging from approved conditions with cannabis derivatives such as Sativex for MS induced neuropathic pain and spasticity, or Marinol for cancer treatment induced nausea and vomiting, and AIDS cachexia. Other conditions include Type 2 diabetes, obesity, various neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s, or Huntingdon’s disease, glaucoma and the list goes on and on. The biggest challenges with medical marijuana are: Marijuana is best administered by smoking due to the combination of active ingredients and first pass kinetics Dosing variability due to individual smoking differences and plant material There is the potential for recreational drug abuse For the first time, there is a solution for the issue of dosing medical marijuana. Israel-based Syqe Medical has developed an inhaler that “druggifies” marijuana by providing clinically-proven standardized dosing, utilizing a cartridge based dose, uniform heating element and...

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Dripping with innovation: 5 Israeli water tech companies changing the world

Dripping with innovation: 5 Israeli water tech companies changing the world

Nov 19, 2014 | , ,

Plato said, “necessity is the mother of invention.” That saying couldn’t be more true in the case of the Startup Nation. A desert country with an utter lack of natural water resources, Israel has literally made the desert bloom. In the decades since its founding, Israel has become a worldwide leader in turning water scarcity into water abundance. The tiny country has been making waves in water technology since its inception, and its innovations of drip irrigation, desalination, wastewater treatment, and water reuse, among others, have been globally recognized and awarded. These days, the country’s water know-how is in high demand. Over the past year, Israeli water gurus have been sought out to provide expertise on numerous humanitarian and financial projects across different sectors worldwide — bailing California out of its worst drought in history, bringing self-cleaning water filters to Africa, cleaning up holy rivers in India—to name a few. In light of global warming and continued decrease of water resources, now more than ever countries in both the developed and developing world are seeking the help of Israeli water tech...

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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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Taking Stock of the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange: What investors need to know to get involved

Taking Stock of the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange: What investors need to know to get involved

May 15, 2014 | , ,

Stock exchanges have multiple roles in any economy, such as raising capital for businesses, profit sharing, and facilitating company growth, to name just a few. The Tel-Aviv Stock Exchange is no different in its efforts to grow an economy that is emerging on to the world’s center stage. History of the Exchange Securities trading in Israel dates back to 1935. However, it wasn’t until 1953 that the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE) officially began its operations. A decade after the exchange was founded, the TASE Clearing House was created to carry out payments on behalf of companies and clear all securities transactions conducted on and off of the exchange. In the early ’90s, the TASE introduced a derivatives market where investors could now be a part of stock market indicies, options, and currency trading. Later that decade, in 1997, the exchange introduced the Tel Aviv Continuous Trading (TACT) system. This automated system allowed for the continuous and simultaneous trading that was transparent for all investors, bringing Tel Aviv’s exchange on to the technological forefront. The TASE Today As the only...

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You are what you wear: Wearable Tech from the Startup Nation

You are what you wear: Wearable Tech from the Startup Nation

May 12, 2014 |

“You are what you eat,” goes the age old saying. “You are what you wear,” would be the modern adaption of this well known proverb. From “smart” watches that sync to your phone, to contact lenses that measure diabetics glucose levels, wearable technology is rapidly spreading to all facets of technology. Today, May 12th, 2014 marks Israel’s first wearable technology conference in Tel Aviv. Israeli technology leaders and wearable tech pioneers such as Robert Scoble, Steven Manna and Jonathan Medved will be present for what should be a memorable event. Here is an outline of the recent success and traction experienced in the wearable technology industry that has entrepreneurs and investors alike excited for what should be “the next big thing.” Headlines and Exits Major media outlets announced on Wednesday, March 26th that Facebook had reached a $2 billion agreement to acquire Oculus VR, the maker of a virtual reality headset. The purchase indicated that Facebook intends to enter the arena of competitors trying to give users a live 3-D experience through wearable technology: “Imagine enjoying court side seats at a game, studying...

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