Author: wp_archive_user

Hacking Google, Israeli security, and the future of startups

Hacking Google, Israeli security, and the future of startups

Oct 14, 2012 |

As more and more of our lives move to the cloud, web security becomes an increasingly important issue. Hey, even Google shells out good money to aspiring hackers to help it find its own vulnerabilities. In an article on ZDNet today, David Shamah profiles a couple of white-hat hackers finding holes in the massive search engine’s defenses. [bra_blockquote align=””]Israeli white-hat hackers have been among the more active in the Google programme; Hayak and hacker Shai Rod were rated among the top discoverers of security bugs for Google during 2012, and hacker Nir Goldshlager is number four on the list of all-time hackers on Google’s 0x0A list, based on the number of bugs discovered and the amount of money paid out by Google.[/bra_blockquote] All 3 hackers work for Israeli security firm, Avnet, which consults enterprises on security issues.  Israel is well-positioned to address web security as many of today’s leading entrepreneurs have experience locking down government and military networks. Here’s a list of 6 of the most interesting Israeli tech security firms: Zimperium: This company provides “extreme security” for mobile...

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Israel as “startup community”: an ecosystem for success

Israel as “startup community”: an ecosystem for success

Oct 11, 2012 |

Startups don’t typically appear out of thin air. Behind the scenes are always various levers that aid and abet entrepreneurs in the quest for success. Brad Feld talks about the ecosystem in which startups thrive in his new book Startup Communities: Building an Entrepreneurial Ecosystem in Your City. Using Boulder, Colorado as an example, Feld methodically dissects the inputs into what makes a successful community. The book’s a great read and worth a look — whether you’re an entrepreneur in an outlying city, an angel investor, small business leader, or politician interested in growing a startup community in your city. Another perspective on Israeli innovation Riffing off of Feld’s book, early stage investor, Mark Suster offers his own requirements for a successful startup community. I’ll let you read the whole article but I thought it was worth highlighting that Israel has been a paradigm for the ecosystem both VCs describe. Here are some of Suster’s attributes at which Israel particularly thrives Strong pool of tech founders: It’s said that every employee in Israel believes he or she should be...

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Joint Cornell-Technion campus gets super serious about its intellectual property

Joint Cornell-Technion campus gets super serious about its intellectual property

Oct 10, 2012 |

In a novel move, the Cornell NYC campus, a collaboration between the Ivy League school and Israel’s Technion, will get its own patent officer. The school, blessed by NYC Mayor Bloomberg with $100M in funding , is designed to bridge the gaps between technology study and entrepreneurship. Having an in-house patent officer could make the school and its attendees a force to reckon with in bringing new ideas to market. According to the Wall Street Journal: [bra_blockquote align=””]A U.S. Patent and Trademark Office staffer already is working at the Cornell NYC Tech applied sciences school’s temporary locale at Google’s Manhattan office, where the school is set to enroll its first class next year. The patent office has recently unveiled plans for satellite offices in places ranging from Detroit to California’s Silicon Valley. But the “innovation and outreach coordinator” at Cornell NYC Tech is a novel effort to help innovators on campus — and in the city at large — get advice on capitalizing on their ideas, Acting U.S. Commerce Secretary Rebecca Blank and patent office Director David Kappos said.[/bra_blockquote]...

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Control your TV with hand gestures

Control your TV with hand gestures

Sep 23, 2012 |

It’s an inside joke that Israelis couldn’t communicate with one another if we couldn’t use our hands. Playing to this strength, startup firm, eyeSight has developed technology to enable people to control their TV using hand gestures. In a recent article on Wired UK, an eyeSight executive said: [bra_blockquote align=””]We are working with Innodigital and other partners on natural gesture GUI libraries which will define a new standard in natural user interfaces. A wave can be used to signal bye-bye or hello, a flick of the wrist can signal the wish to go forward or back, global hand signs like OK or thumbs-up can be used within context.[/bra_blockquote] eyeSight’s speciality is developing cutting-edge touch-free user interfaces and will partner with a Korean set-top box OEM to bring this new product to market. Read more about eyeSight’s recent announcement on...

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Photo and video sharing startup, Mobil raises a big round of financing

Photo and video sharing startup, Mobil raises a big round of financing

Sep 23, 2012 |

[bra_dropcaps style=”dropcap1″]C[/bra_dropcaps]elebrities of all sorts wanted to invest in Mobil’s latest round. The video and photo sharing app raised $22 million in its second round of financing and can now count Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Lance Armstrong, and Serena Williams as investors. According to an article on Israel 21c, Mobil now has 5 million registered users and over 20 million unique monthly vistors. The company was founded by Moshe Hogeg, previously Nike’s social media...

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