Jonathan Medved is the founder of Israel Seed , a Jerusalem based VC , and also serves as the CEO of Vringo, an Israeli startup developing video ringtones. Jon, a California native, talked to the Washington Post about Israel’s unique tech industry and drew similarities between Israel and Silicon Valley.
Israel is a small country with seven million people, mostly unfriendly neighbors, and relatively high taxes. So why does it have the second-largest concentration of startups per capita after Silicon Valley? Jon says the two places are more similar than one would think.
- Both Sillicon Valley and Israel share energized entrepreneurial spirit, informal work atmosphere, pioneering risk-taking ethos and a large number of high-quality immigrants.
- 400 Israeli start ups emerge annually, more than any European country.
- The number of funded startups has doubled since 2000.
- Next to the US, Israel has more stocks traded on NASDAQ than any other country. High tech (which is minimally vulnerable to terrorism and political instability) accounts to 50% of Israel’s exports – about $15BN annually.
- Israeli companies have easier access to Asian markets, since they are not perceived as a commercial threat.
Jon Meved of Vringo speaks to the Washington Post:
Co Founder and Managing Partner at Remagine Ventures
Eze Vidra is the founder of VC Cafe and the co-founder and managing partner of Remagine Ventures, a pre-seed fund investing in ambitious founders at the intersection of AI, technology, entertainment, gaming, and commerce with a spotlight on Israel.
He is a former General Partner at Google Ventures (GV) in Europe, former head of Google for Entrepreneurs in Europe, and founding head of Campus London, Google's first startup hub. Eze writes on Israeli tech, venture capital, artificial intelligence, and founder strategy.
He is also the founder of Techbikers, a nonprofit that brings together the startup ecosystem on cycling challenges in support of Room to Read.
He is a former General Partner at Google Ventures (GV) in Europe, former head of Google for Entrepreneurs in Europe, and founding head of Campus London, Google's first startup hub. Eze writes on Israeli tech, venture capital, artificial intelligence, and founder strategy.
He is also the founder of Techbikers, a nonprofit that brings together the startup ecosystem on cycling challenges in support of Room to Read.
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