Tag: team

Immigration Innovation: Why Israel has world-class startups

Immigration Innovation: Why Israel has world-class startups

Jul 25, 2013 | , ,

According to a report conducted by the National Foundation for American Policy, 46% of top companies in America backed by venture capital had at least one immigrant founder. In Israeli society, the implication of this statistic resurfaces when looking at the influences of immigration in the startup world. Immigration policy in Israel reflects the positive sentiments towards newcomers and their role in the “Start-Up Nation,” in which players welcome the innovative ideas and talent brought by scientists, engineers, and business professionals. Since Israel’s re-establishment in 1948, Israelis and their descendants immigrated to the Jewish state after facing a long history of displacement, making Israel a nation of immigrants. There are over 70 represented nationalities in the state of Israel. This country’s story of its people’s migration explains part of the innovative culture and the illustrious chutzpah that is the “Startup Nation.” Perceptions of Immigration in Israeli Society Israel has had to focus on more than simply maintaining the strength and progression of its citizens within its surrounding borders; rather, its people were scattered around the world and consequently immigrants are...

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Want to identify successful startup founders? Check Linkedin.

Want to identify successful startup founders? Check Linkedin.

Feb 19, 2013 | , ,

Over the past few weeks on the blog, we’ve been exploring how to identify successful startup founders (obviously, this matters A LOT to investors in early stage companies). Are entrepreneurs born or made? I remember a few years back, there were some (credible) studies that seemed to point to the existence of the entrepreneurship gene. In the book, Born Entrepreneur, Born Leaders: How Your Genes Affect Your Work Life, author Scott Shane looked at identical and fraternal twins and their inclinations to be entrepreneurs. The siblings who shared 100% of their genes demonstrated higher rates of entrepreneurship — leading Shane to estimate that 30-40% of successful startup skills are innate. Successful entrepreneurs are more tribal This startup gene theory is being challenged by some more recent work at MIT’s Sloan School of Management (admittedly, the existence of the startup gene would be b-a-d for the MBA program business). In The Power of Alumni Networks — Success of Startup Companies Correlates with Online Social Network Structure of Its Founders, researchers found that university networks whose alumni have a stronger “old-boys-network” (larger...

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Reverse Aliyah: Time is right for Israeli CEOs

Reverse Aliyah: Time is right for Israeli CEOs

Nov 21, 2012 | ,

Huge companies have development and research centers in Israel. These centers are very strategic and have Israeli leadership running them . Microsoft has an R&D center in Hertziliya Intel has and R&D center in Haifa Apple is planning on opening a center in Israel Google has R&D centers in Tel Aviv and Haifa. Although these R&D centers have Israeli leadership and have a huge impact on the performance of the company, we have yet to see anyone from these companies take a CEO position. [<a href=”//storify.com/OurCrowdIsrael/reverse-aliyah-time-is-right-for-israeli-ceos” target=”_blank”>View the story “Reverse Aliyah: Time is right for Israeli CEOs” on Storify</a>]<br /> <h1>Reverse Aliyah: Time is right for Israeli CEOs</h1> <h2>Will an Israeli replace Intel’s Paul Otellini as the chip firm’s new CEO?</h2> <p>Storified by OurCrowd Israel &middot; Wed, Nov 21 2012 03:59:10</p> <div> <p>Huge companies have development and research centers in Israel. These centers are very strategic and have Israeli leadership running them</p> <p>.&nbsp;</p> <p>Microsoft has an <a href=”http://www.microsoft.com/israel/rnd/” class=””>R&amp;D center in Hertziliya</a>Intel has and <a href=”https://blog.ourcrowd.com/index.php/2012/11/19/does-conflict-halt-israels-growth/” class=””>R&amp;D center in Haifa</a>Apple is planning on opening a <a href=”http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/150728″ class=””>center in...

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