Israel Active

Israeli and Brazilian entrepreneurs and investors joined up at a “Meet the Brazilian start up scene in Israel.

Israelis explain the secrets of Tel Aviv’s success.

Israeli-based start-up Get Taxi is branching out. It has re-branded itself as Gett and will soon allow customers to order a wide range of services and products, from pizza and sushi, to flowers and wine, massages and manicures, cleaners and even doctors – and all within 10 minutes, the company promises. Meanwhile, Gett has introduced guaranteed maximum (fair) fares for its black cab taxi service in New York City. And unlike most competitors, it keeps prices constant, even during busy times.

Asia’s richest man, Li Ka-shing, has made another big Israeli investment through his Horizons Ventures fund. This time, its Windward - the maritime data and analytics company. Horizons invested in Israel’s Waze, before Google bought it for $1 billion.

Two articles featuring new Israeli startups in New York City. ICONYC is a new accelerator for Israeli startups. And six startups pitched to investors at a “Series A Demo Night” event.

Mississippi governor Phil Bryant hosted Israeli Ambassador Ron Dermer and invited Israeli companies to “come to Mississippi”. Dermer listed agriculture, defense and cyber security as Israeli sectors likely to find a home and/or a partner in Mississippi.

Please watch Michael Matias (son of Google Israel Director Yossi Matias) as he explains the value of building a startup when you are still at High School. Michael, in his gap year, is organizing events around the world inspiring students to develop innovative apps and products.

The Israeli-developed Zooz platform allows shops, hotels etc. to get the lowest transaction fees when processing credit cards from customers. Zooz will find the cheapest financial institution to process the transaction, which ultimately could mean lower costs to the end customer.

Here is a detailed analysis of the economic and political factors behind the recent gains in Israel’s stock market. Note the statement that Israel “is the dominant leader in technological innovation, which is pulling solid capital into the country.”

An interview with Ben Rudin of Israel’s Intelescope. As reported in my newsletter, Intelescope uses drone and satellite imagery to provide critical data on the forests that cover 31% of the earth’s land mass. It can also predict and help fight forest fires and diseases.