Archives for September 2017

September 29, 2017

Israeli startups have raised nearly $600 million during September, according to press releases issued by companies that have completed financing rounds. The figure may be more as some companies prefer not to publicize the investments they have received.

The high figure for September, well above the monthly average of $300-$400 million, was due to a whopping $250 million financing round closed by ridesharing company Via, which was led by Daimler. Innoviz, another auto-tech startup, which develops laser sensors, raised $65 million including investments from Tier 1 car suppliers Delphi and Magna. Also in the automotive sector, StoreDot, which is developing a quick-charging car battery, raised $60 million, also with an investment from Daimler.

Israeli startups raised nearly $1.2 billion in the third quarter, again according to press releases about completed financing rounds. According to IVC-Research Israeli startups raised $1 billion in the first quarter and $1.3 billion in the second quarter, for a total of $3.5 billion so far this year. This leaves the startup sector slightly off the record pace of 2016 when the country’s startups raised $4.8 billion, according to IVC-Research.

Read More: http://www.globes.co.il/en/article-israeli-startups-raise-nearly-600m-in-september-1001206663

September 26, 2017

Figures published today by the IVC Research Center show increasing use of crowdfunding in high tech. IVC reports that 145 startups have raised a total of $197 million through crowdfunding over the past five years. The figures also show that 17 of the companies that utilized crowdfunding, 12%, have had successful exits. Israel currently has nine different platforms accommodating investments in technology companies through crowdfunding, two of which are foreign. The largest player in this market is the OurCrowd fund.

OurCrowd accounted for 58% of the number of crowdfunding investments and 81% of the total amount raised through this instrument. IVC notes that 2015 was the best year for crowdfunding, with 50 startups raising an aggregate of $57 million through crowdfunding out of $298 million in total capital raised by those companies, meaning that crowdfunding accounted for 19% of all the capital raised by those companies.

Ametrine Technologies of Israel was awarded a MOVE grant by the Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC) to set up US operations. Ametrine develops next generation camouflage for the military. MIDC Director Barry Bogage and Maryland Commerce Secretary Mike Gill met with the company during Gov. Larry Hogan’s trade mission to Israel last year.

Christy Blake from the MCEDC and representatives from the MIDC and Maryland Department of Commerce recently visited Ametrine’s new facility to congratulate them on the grant award. During the meeting, Gil Limonchik, Co-Founder of Ametrine Technologies, described the company’s cutting-edge technology to better protect American and Israeli soldiers.

The MOVE program seeks to attract new companies to Montgomery County while lowering office vacancies in the area.  Businesses that are new to Montgomery County’s office market can receive a one-time grant of $8 per square foot for up to 10,000 square feet of Class A or B office/lab space.

featured in photo from left: Adam Lipert and Barry Bogage, MIDC, Gil Limonchik, Ametrine, Christy Blake, MCEDC and Will Fenske, Ametrine

Click on each article to read more news from our Israeli companies in Maryland

• ELTA North America opens Cyber Innovation Center in Howard County, Maryland.
• Mantaro Networks of Germantown and Beeper Communications of Israel awarded BIRD Foundation R&D grant to develop unmanned search and rescue system.
• Ametrine of Israel receives Montgomery County MOVE grant to set up US operations.
• Jedvice of Baltimore and Israel rolls out security visualization system to prevent active shooter situations.

September 5, 2017

Tel Aviv has doubled the number of International R&D centers in the city over the past 5 years from 35 R&D centers in 2012, to 73 centers today or 20% of all R&D centers in Israel, according to a recent report by Tel Aviv Global based on data from an IVC Research conducted in preparation for the DLD Tel Aviv Innovation Festival (Sept 3-7, 2017). These 73 international R&D centers provide over 6,200 jobs, introduce new capital and knowledge to the city’s well developed tech ecosystem and further boost Tel Aviv’s global standing.

The International credit card giant, Visa just recently decided to establish a fintech R&D center in Tel Aviv, joining Renault, Bosch, MasterCard, Google, Facebook, Amazon, Coca Cola, Microsoft, AOL, Samsung, Siemens, Paypal, Deutsche Telekom, Citibank, Intel, Yahoo, Barclays, IBM, Apple and other multinational companies. The Tel Aviv ecosystem is considered a leader in the nurturing of entrepreneurial spirit and is home to numerous startups, collaborative workspaces and accelerator programs creating an attractive environment for international venture capital firms and R&D centers.

The report also surveyed the growth of the city’s high-tech sector. Tel Aviv is home to 2,000 high-tech companies comprising about 25% of the high tech companies in Israel. These tech companies influence the local workforce, as 10% of jobs in the city are in the high-tech sector.

The report also identified a shift in the Tel Aviv startup ecosystem. The rate of seed-stage companies has fallen and the rate of R&D-stage companies has risen, in line with the overall trend in Israel. This shift in the composition of startups reflects a maturation of startups in the city and their progression from idea stage to a process of R&D.

Read More: http://www.globes.co.il/en/article-tel-aviv-enhances-status-as-intl-rd-center-1001203837