From Israel, with Innovation

February 16, 2018

Israel is known as the startup nation, and for good reason. Despite having a population of fewer than 9 million people, the country boasts more than 3,500 startups. Its level of venture capital investment is second only to the United States. More proof: The Israeli tech sector employs some 25% of the nation’s entire workforce, and according to Rachel Marks Feinman, executive director of the Tampa-based Florida-Israel Business Accelerator, Israel is the worldwide leader in patents per capita. The startup sector in the Tampa Bay area has also grown significantly in recent years. Those growth factors, taken together, led to the creation of FIBA, which identifies Israeli companies that have the potential to make an impact in the United States. Then it brings those companies’ leaders to Tampa for a comprehensive, sometimes months-long program designed to help attract investors and bring products to market.