On a macro level, VC funding for the most part hasn’t really changed. We’ve seen some pretty good years recently, with VC funding in Israel reaching an all-time high in 2011 at a record $2.2 billion in VC investment. While overall this is quite impressive, only 24% of VC investment in Israel actually came from Israeli VCs.
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
The Israel Ministry of Finance and the the ministry of Industry, Trade and Labor have launched a new incentive program to attract institutional investment to funds who focus on Israel’s knowledge-intensive industries.
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.
Some of the week's top Israeli startups headlines: Boxee is looking to raise a massive round -Sources say Boxee is out trying to raise a significant funding round, likely in the $10 million to $15 million range.
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