Moving to Jerusalem – A Guide for Startups and Entrepreneurs

startups-moving-to-jerusalem

Startups and entrepreneurs moving to Jerusalem get a chance to a part of a thriving startup hub in the making and be an important stepping stone for the ecosystem. There are more than 350 startups in the city with most of them belonging to the tech niche.

Globally touted as a startup nation, Israel has rightly earned the name, thanks to the growing startup ecosystems in the country. Jerusalem is one of these ecosystems that is rapidly growing and attracting startups and entrepreneurs from across the world to the city.If you are an entrepreneur or a professional planning to set foot in the ecosystem, here is a guide about its strengths? that you can benefit from when you move to Jerusalem.

Home to a growing population of 1.2 million people, the city of Jerusalem has a thriving startup ecosystem that is mainly driven by the tech sector. Technology, mining and manufacturing, tourism, and transportation are four of the prominent industries that contribute to the city?s GDP of $26 billion.

Startups and entrepreneurs moving to Jerusalem get a chance to a part of a thriving startup hub in the making and be an important stepping stone for the ecosystem. There are more than 350 startups in the city with most of them belonging to the tech niche.

Why is Jerusalem a Good Place for Startups?

Startups moving to Jerusalem have a lot of advantages to gain. The city is gaining international attention for its growing startup ecosystem and is opening up new avenues for foreign investors and entrepreneurs. According to a report by Startup Genome, 34% of the founders in the city are immigrants.

Jerusalem?s Vibrant and Dynamic Startup Ecosystem is Still Young

For a city with a lesser number of startups than other global startup ecosystems, Jerusalem has companies that have received laurels that are at par with the ones in the more prominent ecosystems. 2015 was a monumental year for many startups in Israel as the city saw exit deals worth over $9 million with some of them holding a base in Jerusalem. Entrepreneurs moving to Jerusalem have a? good chance of exploring startup friendly resources that are untapped. The city was placed as one of the top 30 ecosystems by a global startup ranking agency and was ranked in one of the top 5 emerging tech startups in the world by Times Magazine. The ecosystem is especially thriving owing to the political, social, and cultural diversity in the region.

Startups in Jerusalem Do Not Have Much Competition Yet

One of the most significant advantages of moving to Jerusalem or any other small startup ecosystem is that startups do not have to worry about stiff competition. While the lack of competition makes it easier for businesses to get noticed, it also offers better opportunities for gaining access to the various resources especially funding. Startups in Jerusalem stand a better chance of getting noticed by investors in the city and outside as well.

Move to Jerusalem for a Rich Pool of Diverse Talent

Jerusalem has a good concentration of colleges offering courses in tech, business, and arts. These colleges and universities are primarily responsible for creating human resource capital for startups in Jerusalem. The relationship between the innovation community and the city’s educational institutions is one of the strong pillars upholding the startup ecosystem in Jerusalem.

Jerusalem has the Right Resources for Startups

The city has an active community of ecosystem partners and other organizations that are nurturing the startup culture in Jerusalem. Some of the critical ecosystem partners in Jerusalem are:

VLX

BioJerusalem

Ourcrowd

Startup Nation Central

Made in JLM

Jumpspeed

HUstart

Masschallenge

AtoBe

Siftech

Bizmax

JVP

JNext, an ecosystem partner, is also a Startup Genome member that is promoting technological innovations and offering the right platform for entrepreneurs and startups to move to Jerusalem. The city?s development as a startup ecosystem has also led to the establishment of several accelerator programs, co-working space brands, and incubators in the region.

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Jerusalem?s Tech Startups: the Real Stars of the Ecosystem

The success of the tech sector in the city is not surprising considering the efforts the various players of the tech segment and the technological readiness of the city. The workforce in the city and other places in the country show higher levels of education as compared to its counterparts in the rest of the world. The tech sector in Jerusalem is one its way to become the next tech capital in the country at par with Tel Aviv, the current tech startup capital in Israel. Two sub-sectors that hold paramount importance in the tech niche are:

Health and Life Sciences Startups In Jerusalem

Jerusalem is an important startup ecosystem for the biotech and health and life sciences sector in Jerusalem. The maximum number of innovations in the field in Israel have originated from Jerusalem. There are more than 150 life sciences companies in the city, and these have been responsible for bringing in 29% of the total regional venture capital investments since 2012. Gamida Cell is one of the startups in the regional health and life sciences sector that has made a desirable place for itself among the startups in Jerusalem. The company is a groundbreaking stem cell therapy technologies and products company that has got a funding of $ 98 million till date.

The contribution of the local educational institutions, research centers, and other ecosystem partners in the health and life sectors cannot go unnoticed. A majority of the biotech and medical research in the country happens at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Hadassah Medical Center. A lot of disruptive startups have arisen as a result of the various researches conducted in these institutions. Oramed Pharmaceuticals is one of them. The company’s product is based on 30-year long research conducted at Hadassah Medical Center.? Other growing startup partners whose services are especially directed for life sciences companies include accelerators and co-working spaces like BioGiv, Allynnovation, BioJerusalem, and BioHouse. These platforms are enabling entrepreneurs, investors, hospitals, academia, and other relevant parties in the sector to network and share resources.

AI, Big Data & Analytics Startups In Jerusalem

This sector got 20% of the total regional venture capital funds in the years between 2012 and 2017, according to a Startup Genome Report. The recent advancement in the areas of Computer Vision and Image Processing has helped giving rise to major startups in Jerusalem that are gaining popularity globally. A notable company in this sector is Mobileye, an autonomous driving company, that Intel acquired for $15.3 billion in 2017. This is one of the most significant exits in Israel’s startup sector. Another feather in Jerusalem’s cap is OrCam that is valued at $1 billion. The startup is developing wearable aid for visually impaired people. Both the companies share Amnon Shashua as the co-founder. Shashua is a computer science professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Jerusalem?s startup ecosystem is on the lookout for high impact businesses to be a part of its economy. While the consumer market may be too segmented in the region and may pose a challenge for startups to grow, the city provides a number of other favorable features for startups to grow.? Move to Jerusalem and learn and grow with a number of globally recognized institutions.

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Top Jerusalem Startups to Watch out for in 2019

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Let us look at some of the top Jerusalem startups for 2019 from the pool of startups that received funding in 2018. These companies are expected to raise the bar in several areas in their respective industries with the help of the monetary capital secured this year.

Jerusalem’s growth and potential as a startup hub have gained international recognition in the recent years especially with the city being featured as one of the top 50 startup ecosystems globally in Startup Genome’s Global Startup Ecosystem Report 2018. Israel’s status as a top startup nation combined with the city’s technological readiness has given rise to some of the best tech-based companies in the region.

Top Jerusalem Startups to Watch out for in 2019

Lightricks

Jerusalem based startup Lightricks is a leading creator of photo and editing apps known for its products Facetune and Enlight. The trailblazing tech company raised $60 million in venture capital from ClalTech and Insight Venture Partners( lead investor) in 2018, capping the total investments raised till date to $70 million. A top startup in Jerusalem, Lightricks boasts of over a million customers and has seen unprecedented growth in revenue. Founded by Amit Goldstein, Itai Tsiddon, Nir Pochter, Yaron Inger, and Zeev Farbman in 2013, the company finds itself as one of the top Jerusalem startups for 2019 that grabbed the attention of tech giants like Facebook and Apple. One of the apps Facetune is a popularly used photo editing app whose users include prominent Hollywood celebrities.

Know more about this top startup from Jerusalem

Website: www.lightricks.com

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/lightricks/about

Twitter: www.twitter.com/lightricks

OrCam Technologies

Founded in 2010 by Mobileye founders Amnon Shashua and Ziv Aviram, OrCam Technologies is one of the top Jerusalem startups for 2019 in the health tech segment. A cutting-edge device platform that offers wearable visual aid has been the ticket to success for this top startup in Jerusalem. The company is leveraging artificial vision technologies to help people with various kinds of visual disabilities. OrCam Technologies secured $30.4 million from Meitav Investment House and Clal Insurance Enterprise Holdings earlier this year. The Jerusalem based startup joins the unicorn club with a valuation of $1 billion with this round. The total funds that Orcam Technologies has raised till now amount to $86.4 million.

Know more about this top startup in Jerusalem

Website: www.orcam.com

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/orcam

Twitter: www.twitter.com/OrCam

BrainQ Technologies

Jerusalem based startup BrainQ Technologies’ is developing AI-based therapeutic approaches and technologies for treating neuro-disorders more effectively. The company was established in 2011 by co-founders Yaron Segal, Yotam Drechsler, and Esther Shohami who are also an integral part of the leadership team. This top startup in Jerusalem has $8.8 million in its kitty from the one funding round it participated till date. The round was completed in 2018 with investments from Qure Ventures, OurCrowd, Norma Investment, IT-Farm, and Amir Gross. BrainQ Technologies is one of the Jerusalem startups for 2019 that is projected to achieve new milestones in its ongoing clinical trials that hold the potential to revolutionize the healthcare system with the use of Artificial Intelligence.

Know more about this top startup in Jerusalem

Website:? www.brainqtech.com

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/brainq-technologies-ltd

Air Doctor

Air Doctor is making it easier for international travelers to find doctors and avail their services with their online platform. The Jerusalem based startup has been in the market for two years now and has attracted investments worth $3.1 million. This amount was raised from Kamet in the startup’s only funding round till date. The new funds have directed the spotlight on this innovative company making it one of the top Jerusalem startups for 2019. The Air Doctor app has seen monthly downloads of as many as 352 times this year.? The startup was founded by Jenny Cohen Derfler in 2016 and leads the company as the CEO of the company.

Know more about this top startup in Jerusalem

Website: www.air-dr.com

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/airdoctor

Future Meat Technologies

The Jerusalem based startup Future Meat Technologies is at the forefront as a leading organization contributing to widespread animal-free meat production. The company uses cutting-edge cellular agtech methods for non-GMO manufacturing of muscle and fat cells. This top startup in Jerusalem is shaking up the startup ecosystem with its radical idea and the growing interest of investors in the company. Till date, Future Meat Technologies has raised $2.2 million from Tyson New Ventures and six other investors in its first year itself. One of the top Jerusalem startups for 2019, the company is the brainchild of bioengineering expert Yaakov Nahmias.

Know more about this top startup in Jerusalem

Website: www.future-meat.com

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/future-meat-technologies

ASANA Technology

ASANA Technology is an emerging automotive software company that is also one of the top Jerusalem startups for 2019.? The company is one of many new startups that have come up in the city this year and was established by Barbara Siverts, Dr Gilad Zlotkin, Marc Girardot, and Pr. Burkhard G?schel. This top startup in Jerusalem is a provider for operating systems for smart cars. The SmartCarOS is the first step to make cars more adaptable to any tech advancements in the future and to make it more software-centric. The Jerusalem based startup has raised ?1 million within the first year of its incorporation from a seed round that was completed earlier this year.

Know more about this top startup in Jerusalem

Website: www.asanatechnology.com

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/?s?na-technology

TuneFork

Jerusalem based startup TuneFork is a revolutionary audio personalization technology company. The startup has an audio personalization app in the pipeline that can help individuals with hearing impairment or related issues get an optimal hearing experience. The company has grown to become one of the top Jerusalem startups for 2019 especially after participating in fruitful funding activities this year. TuneFork raised $370,000 in a seed round in July 2018; the company has also won a Healthcare Startup Competition by Sanara Ventures. The organization is also slated to invest seed money of up to $1 million in the company as a part of the prize. The Jerusalem based startup holds the potential to change the way people with hearing loss or issues live their lives by offering a better audio experience wherever they are once the app is developed. The company was co-founded by Tomer Shor and Yoav Blau.

Know more about this top startup in Jerusalem

Website: www.tunefork.co.il

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/tunefork

NewStem

NewStem is another one of the few top Jerusalem startups for 2019 from the biotech segment. The company is a spin-off from Yissum, the technology transfer company of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. NewStem boasts of having developed a cutting-edge technology that is capable of predicting any resistance that may be faced by patients’ bodies during chemotherapy sessions. The Jerusalem based startup is developing a diagnostic kit leveraging the groundbreaking research in the area of human haploid pluripotent stem cells (HHPSCs). The novel startup has raised $4 million in a seed funding round from Hollywood Media Corp. and has joined the club of top Jerusalem startups for 2019 with the potential to bring about a phenomenal way cancer is diagnosed and treated.

Know more about this top startup in Jerusalem

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/newstem-ltd

Yarok Microbio

Yarok Microbio has given the food industry an advanced testing technology that allows faster testing of food and its raw materials. The Jerusalem based startup has won many awards and accolades for this new age testing platform. The company was co-founded by Vladimir Glukhman and Jonathan Sierra in 2017 and has secured $261,800 in funding to date. One of the top Jerusalem based startups for 2019, Yarok Microbio?s test claims to reduce production time while making it more efficient with its novel and affordable food testing technology.

Know more about this top startup in Jerusalem

Website: www.yaroktt.com

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/yarok-technology-transfer

Twitter: www.twitter.com/yaroktt

Rebiotic RX

Rebiotic RX secures itself a place among the top Jerusalem startups for 2019 with its steady growth in funding in the recent years. The company is a biotech startup that creates liposomal antibiotics for bacterial infections that have become resistant to antibiotics. The Jerusalem based startup was set up this year and has raised seed money from Integra Holdings. The amount invested in the company is yet to be disclosed but is substantial enough for Rebiotic RX to be counted among the top Jerusalem startups of 2019.

2018 saw a lot of companies raising funding with biotech companies making up for a majority in this list. Many of these startups are less than two years old and have piqued the interest of various startup players who are keenly watching them for any development in the coming year.

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