Israel Active

Israel welcomed 949,000 tourists in the first 3 months of 2018 – up 29% on the same quarter of 2017. March’s year-on-year increase was 34%, with the biggest increases from Poland (136%), Sweden (90%), Spain (68%), Germany (55%) and France (49%).

I reported previously on Israel’s Innoviz and its LiDAR (Light detection and ranging) sensors for autonomous vehicles. Now BMW is to employ Innoviz sensors in its upcoming autonomous vehicle production platforms. BMW aims to launch self-driving cars by 2021.

Hainan Airlines is to begin a direct route to Tel Aviv from the Chinese city of Guangzhou. The airline already flies direct from Tel Aviv to both Beijing and Shanghai. In its first year of operation Hainan flew over 76,000 passengers between Tel Aviv and Beijing.

In 2012, electronic giant Cisco Systems bought Israeli video software company NDS for $5 billion. Cisco is now focusing on core business and has sold the NDS unit back to its original controlling shareholder Permira Holdings for $1 billion.  NDS’ original CEO Abe Peled will become its new Chairman.

Chinese business magnate and investor Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba arrived in Israel with a delegation of 35 people. He is to receive an honorary doctorate at Tel Aviv University and tour the country. Alibaba has invested in several Israeli companies and is opening offices in Tel Aviv.

I reported previously on Israel’s Hargol which aims to solve the world’s protein shortage with its farmed grasshoppers. Hargol already received $5 million worth of orders from customers in the U.S. and Europe and interest from Ikea, Whole Foods, Diego (Guinness) and Pepsico.

Israel’s Arko Holdings has completed a complex deal for the purchase and lease of 267 US fuel stations and convenience store sites, including E-Z Mart. Arko’s GPM subsidiary now controls 1,224 sites and fuels another 138 stations in 22 states – the US’s 5th largest operator.

A delegation of 300 international Kauffman Fellows to their Annual Summit is the largest contingent of global VCs ever to come to Israel as a group. The venture capitalists represent the likes of Microsoft, Intel, Google, BlackRock etc. and are invested in some 500 startups.

Ambassador Yoram Ettinger compares Israel’s situation now to that earlier in its history.  The statistics are quite staggering. Population, GDP, employment, national debt, exports, foreign investment, inflation, life expectancy, women in work and much more.

Promotion video for a new book “Israel - Island of Success” by Noga Kainan and Adam Reuter. It asks and answers questions such as, “Why is Israel a success?”, “Is this success sustainable?” and “What is Israel's probable future? “