September 27, 2016
Israeli start-ups attracted total investments of $2.8bn in the first half of 2016. This is 35% more than in the first six months of 2015. One might not be impressed by the total investment amount when compared to those in countries like the US. However, as the Sydney Morning Herald emphasises – Israel, the global leader in research and development, has more than 3,000 start-ups employing almost 20,000 people, with the entire high-tech industry employing 300,000 people.
It is more than impressing for a country with a population of just 8.4 million. By comparison, a PricewaterhouseCoopers report found that Australia, with the population of nearly three times that of Israel, had only 1,500 start-ups. While for some industry specialists this Israeli start-up success’ phenomenon might not be a surprise – the most recent growth of cyber security industry in this country is worth noting.