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 October 2010 edition after the jump. For previous editions, click here.
Ephraim Katzir was the 4th president of Israel. His paper, titled "My Contributions to Science and Society" tells Katzir' story as an autobiography intricately enlaced in the story of the state of Israel. The paper not only inspired me, but also gave me context and a sense of proportion. While I recommend printing and reading the entire doc, below I've quoted some of the sections I found particularly inspiring.
Israeli startup Waze, developer of the free social GPS app for smart phones, has announced a $25 million venture round to scale operations, continue building its platform for real-time location data and move its headquarters from Israel to Palo Alto, California according to the company blog, By The Waze.
The latest VentureDeal quarterly report is out (see pdf) and it suggests that VC activity in tech has slowed down in the third quarter. Overall, 343 US companies raised $1.8 billion in venture capital funding in Q3 2010, representing a 14% decline in total funding amount compared to the previous quarter. The number of companies funded has also declined by 6%.
All the above points of view emphasize how important it is for Israeli startups to establish their presence in foreign markets. But, with the rise in the importance of Asian markets, particularly the mammoth market of China, the question becomes: what ticket do startups need to buy first - New York or Shanghai?
Bitesize Monday: Qlik, Persay, Clickfox - the Israeli startup headlines of Dec 4th 2010
Hanukkah, the Jewish festival of lights, is upon us tomorrow but did you actually know what we are celebrating? Here's the infographic that will answer all your questions - Happy holidays, wherever you are!
Bitesize Cyber Monday: Anobit, Oberon, Sightic-Vista, MyThings, Celeno and Startup Tools
Israeli Private Equity is experiencing some serious growth, according to the IVC-GKH Quarterly Private Equity (PE) Survey conducted by IVC Research Center. Private Equity is relatively less developed than VC in Israel but with deep pockets. There are 27 active private equity funds operate in Israel, with total managed capital standing at $6 billion in 2010.
Israeli startup Any.Do has announced this morning a $1 million round led by Genesis Partners, Blumberg Capital and Innovation Endeavors, Eric Schmidt's investment fund, as well as private investors including Joe Londsdale (founder of Palantir).
Israeli startup Mominis has announced a second investment round of $3 million, led by Mitsui Ventures, BRM and existing private investors headed by Baruch Lebanon.
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