Successful Israeli Startup Scene Is Gaining Worldwide Attraction

Tel Aviv, Israel, January 27, 2016 (Newswire.com) - After another successful year for Israeli startup companies in 2015, Israel is attracting more foreign governments, investors and international corporations from the global startup scene. The growing tendency of global communities seeking knowledge, advice and networking opportunities in “The Startup Nation” has encouraged StarTAU, Tel Aviv University Entrepreneurship Center to launch in partnership with IBM a new seminar focusing on “European Innovation & Ecosystem Managers”.

2015 was another spectacular year for the Israeli hi-tech startups with a 44% increase in M&As from $5bn in 2014 to $7.2bn in 2015 and in the first nine months of 2015, a total of 506 Israeli high-tech ventures raising a stunning $3.2 billion, reaching in three quarters, 95 percent of the entire 2014’s record capital raising. On the other side of the spectrum big international corporations are setting up base in Israel, and as of today more than 250 foreign R&D centers are active in Israel.

As a small country in the Middle East, people from all over the world are curious to learn how Israel has been able to reach the position as a global startup and innovation hub. Israel is far from a hidden gem and nor is it trying to hide its abilities, quite the contrary. StarTAU, Tel Aviv university entrepreneurship center, a leading actor in the startup community has seen increased enquiries from foreign players from the startup scene seeking exposure to the Israeli startup and innovation ecosystem. With a close link to local entrepreneurs, corporations, governments and academic institutions, StarTAU is aiming to bridge the local ecosystem to the global ecosystems by hosting more international delegations, seminars and conferences in 2016.

Besides from hosting delegations with various participation groups, StarTAU is organizing two major events in 2016, thus bringing together entrepreneurs, investors, innovation managers, academic leaders, and government representatives from all over the world for conferences and seminars in Tel Aviv – and seats are still available.

From April 3-7, the Innovation Seminar for European Startup Ecosystem Managersis taking place for its first time. The seminar is launching in partnership with IBM and will provide the participants with immersed insights into the Israeli startup scene by featuring more than 30 local Israeli partners. From June 6-8, this year’s largest event, TAU Innovation Conference, featuring a startup exhibition, startup challenge and several speaker events, is opening up for its fourth year with 4000+ participants, 750+ entrepreneurs, 250+ investors, 60+ Israeli startups from 30+ countries worldwide.

“These events are a direct effect of the increased enquiries into the Israeli startup and innovation ecosystem, and in the future, we will see more of these initiatives. Not only do the visitors gain knowledge and exposure from such events, the local entrepreneurs and investors are also getting a chance to expose themselves and create connections to the international environment, so it’s a win-win situation for all”, says Hila Glick, Director of International Affairs at StarTAU.

StarTAU, Tel Aviv University Entrepreneurship Center, is a nonprofit organization and a leading actor in the Israeli startup ecosystem. StarTau has been named one of the 3 best academy business incubators in the World, according to the 2013 UBI Index Report. During the last 8 years, StarTau has acted as an important intersection point between the academic, business and government sectors, while providing a bridge between the Israeli and global ecosystems.