Jinni, an Israeli startup offering a taste-and-mood based guide for movies and TV shows, announced yesterday the closing of its $5 million series B funding. The round was led by Belgacom and an undisclosed connected-TV manufacturer. Previous backer DFJ Tamir Fishman Ventures (led the previous $1.6 million round a year ago) also participated.
Doing business in India is about breaking the code. Ben Gilad gives practical advice on what to expect when dealing with Indian companies, how to behave and what are the key tips for negotiating with Indian businesses in the 21st century.
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.
I’ll be in Incredible India next week. I’d love to hear from Israeli entrepreneurs doing business in India in one way or another – please contact me at eze [at] vccafe dot com. ALSO If you’re an Israeli tech startup…
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!
