miLAB is a research and prototyping lab that explores the future of media, technology, and human-computer interaction. Launched in the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya (IDC), possibly the top Israeli college (and my alma mater), the lab's ambitious vision is to empower students to create and invent, by bridging media and technology as well as academia and industry.
June 2011 kicks off with the completion of HTIA, Israel's high tech association conference, where more than 90 (!) startups have exhibited. May has been a busy month for Israeli startups with great exposure in Techrunch disrupt in New York, funding rounds and debate about the future of the Israeli venture capital funds. Below are the headlines.
As every month, VC Cafe is re-posting the “Invest in Israel” Newsletter, published by the investment promotion center of Israel’s Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labor, which offers many helpful tools for prospecting investors. See the May 2011 edition after the jump. For previous editions, click here.
Zeev Holtzman, founding partner of Giza Venture Capital and founding member of the Israel Venture Association (IVA), cautioned that “Israel’s venture capital and startup industry is heading for collapse. The industry, which is the economy’s growth engine, is liable to be irreversibly damaged", in a recent interview to the Venture Capital Journal
NVIDIA, the graphics chip giant, has committed a $2.5 million strategic B Round in Israeli startup Rocketick. Rocketick has created GPU simulation accelerators, a technology that enables chip manufacturers cut their overall time to market of new chip designs by up to 30% and is advertised to reduce 50% of testing cost
Gil Rozenberg - co-founder and CEO of Ineze.com, an early-stage technology startup based in Israel, shares his lessons learned on starting a tech startup for first time entrepreneurs. In spite the fact that we've already made some nice achievements, and that the future looks promising, I know that our biggest challenges are still ahead.
The LinkedIn IPO this week may have opened the gates for an Israeli market thirsty for exits, but in the meanwhile, VC funding in Israel continues with business as usual. Below are three recent founding rounds in Israeli venture-backed companies. Onavo, Kaminario and VideoSurf are three recent examples of venture-backed Israeli startups that have raised funding.
Green Road raises $13 million from existing investors and appoints Jim Heeger, a silicon valley veteran as the new CEO.
According to the MoneyTree Report produced by PWC, Venture-backed companies raised $342 million in the first quarter of 2011, a dramatic 102% increase from the $170 million raised in the equivalent period in the previous year.
For a very limited time, we are offering the readers of VC Cafe a very special deal. Buy one ticket and get one for free. Simply purchase a ticket here http://www.theinspireconference.com/tickets.php and email events@launch48.com stating your ticket number and the VC Cafe deal and they will sort you out with the extra ticket.
For the third consecutive year, Israeli financial newspaper Calcalist put together a list of the top 50 startups in Israel (in Hebrew). VC Cafe took note to bring you the full list of top 50 Israeli startups in English: PowerMat, Broadlight, Conduit, PrimeSense, Objet, Kenshoo, Imperva, Anobit, DoubleVerify, Wix, SuperDerivatives, AeroScout, Siano, Waze, TaKaDu, ExLibris, SolarEdge, Adsmarket, (Matomy), dbMotion, RADWIN, cVidya, Boxee, N—trig, Cotendo, Varonis, Kontera, Outbrain, RedBend, Mobixell, Celeno, AMIMON, Pontis, Gigya, Clarizen, Mobileye, Celtro, Altair, Amobee, WhiteSmoke, Cyber—Ark, OpTier, Wanova, ConteXtream, eXelate, Peer39, Netformx, Tradonomi (eToro), Surf, Zend, Soluto
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