Jonathan Medved is the founder of Israel Seed , a Jerusalem based VC , and also serves as the CEO of Vringo, an Israeli startup developing video ringtones. Jon, a California native, talked to the Washington Post about Israel’s unique tech industry and drew similarities between Israel and Silicon Valley.
Israel is a small country with seven million people, mostly unfriendly neighbors, and relatively high taxes. So why does it have the second-largest concentration of startups per capita after Silicon Valley? Jon says the two places are more similar than one would think.
- Both Sillicon Valley and Israel share energized entrepreneurial spirit, informal work atmosphere, pioneering risk-taking ethos and a large number of high-quality immigrants.
- 400 Israeli start ups emerge annually, more than any European country.
- The number of funded startups has doubled since 2000.
- Next to the US, Israel has more stocks traded on NASDAQ than any other country. High tech (which is minimally vulnerable to terrorism and political instability) accounts to 50% of Israel’s exports – about $15BN annually.
- Israeli companies have easier access to Asian markets, since they are not perceived as a commercial threat.
Jon Meved of Vringo speaks to the Washington Post:
Co Founder and Managing Partner at Remagine Ventures
Eze is managing partner of Remagine Ventures, a seed fund investing in ambitious founders at the intersection of tech, entertainment, gaming and commerce with a spotlight on Israel.
I'm a former general partner at google ventures, head of Google for Entrepreneurs in Europe and founding head of Campus London, Google's first physical hub for startups.
I'm also the founder of Techbikers, a non-profit bringing together the startup ecosystem on cycling challenges in support of Room to Read. Since inception in 2012 we've built 11 schools and 50 libraries in the developing world.
I'm a former general partner at google ventures, head of Google for Entrepreneurs in Europe and founding head of Campus London, Google's first physical hub for startups.
I'm also the founder of Techbikers, a non-profit bringing together the startup ecosystem on cycling challenges in support of Room to Read. Since inception in 2012 we've built 11 schools and 50 libraries in the developing world.
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