Israel: Inspiring people across the globe

The start up nation , Israel continues to inspire and influence people across the world

Last year, Abhinav Kukreja, Anish Prabhu and Aryaman Dalmia, all students at  UC Berkeley students launched  “Moonshot”, a company dedicated to connecting startups in India with resources in Silicon Valley.

The accelerator program was designed to help connect startups in India with interns, mentors and investors.

Aryaman Dalmia, in the student newspaper at UC Berkeley, the Daily Cal mentioned

...that he was inspired by Israel’s connections with U.S. companies. He said Israel does not have many domestic investors, but because of outside investment from the United States, Israeli companies have funding. He said if Israel can do this successfully, India should be able to do it as well.

Read all about it here

US Israel Technology event in San Francisco

Check out what the start up nation has to offer, and see the hottest examples of Israeli innovation close to home.

The 23th 'US – ISRAEL Technology event' will be held on February 2, 2017, at the San Francisco offices of Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman 4 Embarcadero Center 22nd Floor San Francisco

The announcement follows:

When six of the ten companies on Forbes’ “Top 10 Health Tech Changing the World” are Israeli, it’s fair to say that Israel is not only the Startup Nation, but the Health Tech Nation as well. Israeli technologies overwhelmed the list not only with the variety of life-saving applications, but their ingenious and innovative way of doing so as well

According to the PwC Israel 2015 Hi-Tech Exit Report, mergers and acquisitions accounted for $7.2 billion in 2015, 44 per cent more than the preceding year. Total initial public offerings in the life science sector went up from $1.3 billion in 2013 to $3.6 billion last year

Israel boasts the world’s highest concentration of high-tech startups per head and almost 1,000 new companies are launched there every year*. Venture investments in Israel-based companies have not only increased in the number of deals – with a near 40% rise quarter on quarter, but they have more than tripled the total amount invested in Q1 of 2015.

This dramatic rise in investment has fueled an Israeli startups and has firmly established the region as one of the world's hottest centers for online and internet technology innovation and development.

Selected delegates will present the latest in Israeli MedTech technology : We expect the upcoming event to provide a great opportunity to identify breakthrough solutions.

1# Session
09:00 – 09:15 Registration & Networking
09:15 – 09:30 Welcome remarks
Mr. Michael J. Torosian, Partner - Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP
Mr. David Hava, CEO - MIW
09:30 – 10:00 Israeli companies presentations
10:00 – 12:00 One-to-one meetings

2# Session
12:00 – 12:15 Registration & Networking
12:15 – 12:30 Welcome remarks
Mr. Michael J. Torosian, Partner - Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP
Mr. David Hava, CEO - MIW
12:15 – 12:30 Israeli companies presentations
12:30 – 15:00 One-to-one meetings
15:00 End

Registration information is available here

Israel Develops a Black Tomato. The world asks "Why?"

I'm fond of Israel. Its a fondness that runs deep- like a Jungian archetype, an ancestral memory that I can't escape from. I know its history. I see its flaws. I remember my last visit- was it really 5 years ago? I was moved to tears at the sight of a homeless encampment lighting Shabbat candles. A Jewish state has all the issues of any other state. The same, yet different. A state with a Yidishe Tam.

This tiny nation has few natural resources other than the creativity and the tenacity of its people, yet has managed to win 10 Noble prizes. Israel, at war with its neighbors for 63 years has managed to beat the odds and has become a major player in the global economy. Israel is one of the world's hubs of entrepreneurship . This ingenuity and creativity promises a cancer vaccine by 2017 and a non-invasive test for detecting lung cancer.

The talent and energy that fuels Israeli innovation extends beyond the world of high tech and medicine. Drip irrigation was perfected in Israel.

The latest astonishing development from Israel has me shaking my head in astonishment, with a side of nausea thrown in.
Israeli farmers have developed a black tomato.

Why, Israel, why?

I envision a lasagna, smothered in bubbly mozzarella cheese and covered with a black tomato sauce. Fail.

I envision a Bloody Mary, viscous and black, festooned with a branch of celery. Fail.

I envision a bowl of creamy tomato bisque- the consummate comfort food. And no, it just doesn't work in black.

From YNET

"The new tomato, which sports the name "Black Galaxy," was developed by Technological Seeds DM. The company says that the color is the produce of a special pigment, which was derived from blueberries and introduced into the new species."

The black tomato will make its debut at the Arava Agricultural R&D Exhibition next month. Over 250 companies from Israel and the world over will participate.

I may just sit this one out