Israel Active

Israel’s State of Mind Ventures (SOM) has used some of the $75 million it raised for investing in hi-tech startups.  They are SpacePharma , Twiggle , Perception Point and Cabara (both cyber-security startups).

AffiliaTech is holding a day conference of lectures, seminars and a job fair, in Performance Marketing, Sales & Advertising Solutions on July 5 at the Cinemateque in Tel Aviv.

US technology and printing giant HP is launching HP Tech Ventures in Israel and the US. This corporate investment arm will focus on areas such as 3D printing, virtual reality, hypermobility, the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence, and smart machines.

In the first week of June alone, 13 Israeli startups raised an impressive $237 million.  They include WalkMe ($50 million), Trax ($40 million) ($32 million), SundaySky ($30 million), Zimperium ($25 million) and EarlySense ($25 million).

38 Israeli captains of industry went to Egypt for the first time in 10 years.  They were warmly welcomed by their Egyptian counterparts, who were enthusiastic about the prospect of increasing trade between the two countries. An Egyptian trade visit to Israel is planned during 2016.

Foreign capital flow to Israeli assets hit a record $285.12 billion last year, nearly triple that in 2005 when the failed BDS campaign began.  In 2015, Ford, IBM, GE, Tyco, GM, Singtel, PayPal, Yahoo, ProSieben, and Kimberly-Clark bought or invested in Israeli startups.

47 Israeli entrepreneurs and startups won through to the finals of MassChallenge Israel.  They will benefit from the accelerator’s work space, training, and access to experts worldwide. At a ceremony on Oct 27 prizes of up to NIS 1 million will be awarded.

Due to strong demand, just two months after launching thrice-weekly direct flights between Tel Aviv and San Francisco , United Airlines said it will increase the frequency of the route.  Daily flights will begin on Oct 8, 2016 on Boeing 787 Dreamliners.

Israeli-born economist Ilan Goldfajn may help resolve Brazil’s economic crisis. 50-year-old Goldfajn, originally from Haifa, has been confirmed as president of Brazil’s Central Bank.  Fluent in Hebrew, English, Portuguese and Spanish, Goldfajn has a doctorate from MIT.

Israel’s OurCrowd released its new social investor app at FinovateSpring 2016 in San Jose.  The app gives investors the ability to make informed investment decisions right from their mobile phone.  It supports diligence analysis, deal rooms, expert opinion and real time updates.