Israel Active

China's Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical Group has bought Alma Lasers, which are developed in Caesarea. Alma Lasers’ light-based, radio frequency and ultrasound products for aesthetic and medical applications command a 15% share of the global market for high-end aesthetic devices.

(Thanks to Herb) This article reviews Israel’s massive oil deposits, the plans for extracting it and the potential benefits for both Israel and its neighbors.

Seven years after mega-businessman Warren Buffet paid $4 billion for 80% of Israeli precision toolmaker Iscar, he has exercised the option to buy the rest for another $2.05 billion. The deal will generate $1 billion of tax revenue to Israel and may remove the need for some planned budget cuts.

Fitch Ratings reaffirmed Israel's long-term foreign currency Issuer Default Rating (IDR) at 'A' and local currency IDR at 'A+, both with a "Stable" outlook, citing the country's diverse and advanced economy. It also predicted that natural gas would boost Israel's growth rate to 3.7% in 2013.

24 Israeli companies including Mekorot, Amiad and BlueI presented their products at Wasser Berlin last week. The trade fair focused on water and wastewater technologies and management.

(Thanks to Uri) Gil Shwed runs Check Point – Israel’s leading IT security company. He never gained a university degree, although at 16 he was running the computers at the Hebrew University. He is now on the board of trustees at both Tel Aviv University and its Youth University.

Miami-based Opko Health has just taken over Israel’s Prolor Biotech. Prolor develops long-lasting medicines including a human growth hormone, a clotting factor for hemophilia and treatments for diabetes and obesity. The CEO of Opko is also the Chairman of Israel’s Teva.

Microsoft celebrated the graduation of its second Israeli class of Microsoft Accelerator for Windows Azure after a four-month intensive program in Herzliya. 12 of the start-ups are launching products on May 7th and eight have already received over $4 million of funding.

Meir Nissensohn, former general manager of IBM in Israel, explains why IBM came to Israel, what investment opportunities Israel offers to large, multinational companies and what these companies can give to Israel in return. (Interview on Doug Goldstein’s radio program).

Israel has 4,800 start-ups. Only the USA has more. Almost every U.S. Venture Capital fund has at least one Israeli startup in its portfolio. Israel is a nation of people who can create hardware, gadgets and apps and who have the confidence to leave good jobs and launch companies.