Wednesday May 25, 9:13 am ET
TEL-AVIV, Israel, May 25 /PRNewswire/ -- North American businesses interested in trading with or investing in Israeli companies now have a resource that can help them navigate what is, outside of California's Silicon Valley, the largest concentration of technology firms in the world. IsraelWise (www.israelwise.com), a startup based in Tel-Aviv, serves as an intermediary between the burgeoning Israeli high-tech sector and international companies searching for cutting-edge technology, innovative products, business partners and sales opportunities. Conversely, the company also helps Israeli companies seeking opportunities on the international market by providing them with contacts, research and other assistance.
"In order to uncover opportunities for clients, our market research and business intelligence assets closely follow Israeli companies involved in manufacturing, telecommunications, medical devices, biotechnology, software and other fields," said Maoz Tenenbaum, senior partner at IsraelWise. "This information is then used to develop targeted shortlists, backed by facts and figures about company structure and management and the marketability of specific products and technologies."
IsraelWise's clients already include BullGuard, a Danish developer of security software for home users and small businesses that wants to expand its operations into Israel; HiTechPR, an award-winning U.S.-based technology public relations agency; Saltman Studios, an Israeli startup that produces online games and is seeking capital from U.S. investors, and a leading U.S. investment house for which IsraelWise is obtaining critical information on Israeli stocks traded on the NASDAQ.
To complement its array of professional services, IsraelWise recently launched a new Web site featuring a sophisticated matching engine that enables companies anywhere in the world to perform vertical searches to find their Israeli counterparts. In turn, they can add themselves to the database, ensuring wide exposure in Israel. "This feature of our Web site has been designed to increase the interaction between the international business community and Israel, said Tenenbaum. "Companies interested in exploring the Israeli market will find the database a valuable tool---and by adding their name to it, they'll be similarly available to companies in Israel."
In spite of its tiny size and population of under seven million, the State of Israel has more companies listed on the NASDAQ than any country outside of North America and its technological impact has been far reaching. For example, the technology used regularly by 250 million people to send, according to IDC, an estimated 7 billion instant messages each day was developed in 1996 by Mirablis, an Israeli company. After Mirablis and its ICQ software were acquired for over $350 million by America Online, world interest in Israeli technology companies skyrocketed.
Israel's universities emphasize the sciences and medicine, producing 135 engineers per 1,000 citizens (compared with 85 in the United States). In addition to ICQ, Israeli researchers have developed wireless computing chips for Intel; miniature video camera capsules to examine internal organs; medical implants that help to prevent heart attacks and strokes; security software, and new cancer treatments.
"Companies that work with IsraelWise find that they have a partner right here in Israel possessing a vast network of contacts and an extensive knowledge and understanding of an array of technology fields," said Tenenbaum. "We are authorized by the Israel Export Institute to support Israeli companies in their dealings on the world market. This means that we can provide clients with a local Israeli presence and act on their behalf to perform a variety of business and administrative functions. What's more, we maintain a proprietary database that covers the full spectrum of Israeli high-tech industries, affording our clients access to a rich directory of companies seeking partners, customers and investors."
In 2000 high-tech exports from Israel amounted to $26 billion, 57 percent of the total. Risk capital available to new companies is the highest in the world: 5 percent of the country's gross domestic product is devoted to research and development.
For more information about IsraelWise, high-tech development in Israel or to arrange an interview with an IsraelWise executive, please contact Mark Bruce at HiTechPR: 914-967-6932 Ext: 200 or cell: 203-912-4828.
