Israel’s Amazing World Rankings By Sherwin Pomerantz President, Atid EDI Ltd. and Authorized Trade Representative (ATR) for Pennsylvania for the Eastern Mediterranean Originally posted online at atid-edi.com It is nothing short of amazing that a small, young country with just over 8 million people in existence for only 69 years can rank so high on so many international comparative indices. Talk about punching above one’s weight, Israel is a prime example. For example, the World Economic Forum’s 2016-2017 Global Competitiveness Report ranked Israel as the 2nd best place for innovation in the world after Switzerland. A recent ranking of universities worldwide by MIT, found that Israel’s Technion-Israel Institute of Technology is #1 in the world among universities that support innovation. Last week, the New York-based data firm CB Insights, issued a report that shows that Israel has the second highest concentration of cyber-defense companies in the world after the United States. Cyber-defense companies in the report covered a range of subsectors including quantum, encryption, deception security, automobile security, Internet of Things security, cyber insurance, mobile security, autonomous systems, critical infrastructure security and predictive intelligence. The CB report identified the top 30 companies worldwide which included three Israeli firms, Argus (automobile security), Illusive Networks (cyber protection using deception technology) and Indegy (protection of critical infrastructure from cyber-attacks). Between them they have raised $78 million from investors, including Microsoft Ventures and Bessemer Ventures. Israel also holds a worldwide leadership position in the digital health sector. The sector in Israel grew significantly in 2016, both in terms of funding and the number of companies, with investments jumping almost 30% to $183 million in 2016 over 2015, according to a report released by the nonprofit organization Start-Up Nation Central. Cyber-defense companies in the report covered a range of subsectors including quantum, encryption, deception security, automobile security, Internet of Things security, cyber insurance, mobile security, autonomous systems, critical infrastructure security and predictive intelligence. The CB report identified the top 30 companies worldwide which included three Israeli firms, Argus (automobile security), Illusive Networks (cyber protection using deception technology) and Indegy (protection of critical infrastructure from cyber-attacks). Between them they have raised $78 million from investors, including Microsoft Ventures and Bessemer Ventures. Israel also holds a worldwide leadership position in the digital health sector. The sector in Israel grew significantly in 2016, both in terms of funding and the number of companies, with investments jumping almost 30% to $183 million in 2016 over 2015, according to a report released by the nonprofit organization Start-Up Nation Central. Personal health tools and health analytics accounted for over 70% of deal volume in 2015 and 2016 within the overall digital health sector. The health analytics subsector, focused on companies that collect and analyze data to solve medical problems for businesses and consumers, received the most funding in the past two years: $84 million in 2015, 59% of total investments, and $58 million in 2016, 32% of total investments. Considerable funding in 2016 also reached the clinical workflow subsector, which includes companies that enable hospitals, clinics, labs, and other healthcare stakeholders to work more efficiently. This sector received investments of $55 million, or 30% of total investments. The wearables & sensors subsector also received $46 million, or 25% of total investments, in 2016. The report went on to state: “Israel’s unique capabilities in information, communication, mobile, and cyber technologies, together with more than 25 years of expertise in implementing health IT, electronic medical records, and business analytics, offers Israel the opportunity to become a truly influential player in the global digital health arena.” Indeed, Israel has made great strides as a small, young country, not to mention the fact that it operates in one of the most politically volatile regions in the world with a host of nearby countries sworn to its destruction. Israel’s accomplishments to date prove that size, age, location and other classification criteria do not determine a country’s level of success or advancement. They also highlight the fact that Israel has developed innovative and entrepreneurial strengths with the capability of greatly impacting the global economy. For those companies who have not yet realized the business opportunities present in Israel, the time is now and our firm, Atid EDI Ltd., with 25 years of business development experience in the country, is uniquely positioned to assist. Sherwin Pomerantz is president of Atid-EDI Ltd., an economic development consulting firm with 24 years’ experience in assisting overseas companies and public entities in their export promotion and foreign direct investment attraction efforts.
“Now’s the time to go to Cuba!” Richard Roffman, Publisher, Cuba Trade Magazine told attendees at our Cuba Trade Seminar. According to Roffman, Cuba is bustling with new energy and welcome not only tourists, but also new US business opportunities.
On April 10th, the WTCGP partnered with the City of Philadelphia Commerce Department to present a seminar focusing on trade possibilities with Cuba. Over 40 attendees packed the Innovation Lab at the Municipal Services Building to get first-hand information on what’s currently happening in Cuba since President Obama lifted sanctions. Additional speakers included Ruben Ramos Arrieta, Minister Counselor, Economic and Trade Office, Embassy of Cuba and via teleconference, Matthew S. Borman, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Export Administration Bureau of Industry and Security, U.S. Department of Commerce.
Atlantic City Digs Out after Lost Decade, Says Stockton's South Jersey Economic Review More Diversified Jobs Needed to Attract Millennials to Live, Work in City Galloway, N.J. - The South Jersey Economic Review, a biannual report released today in conjunction with the William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy at Stockton University, reports that after a lost decade with a housing crisis, a major recession and the closing of five casinos, Atlantic City's redevelopment appears to be gathering momentum.
Oliver Cooke, associate professor of Economics at Stockton, cites the decision of Hard Rock International to buy and reopen the closed Taj Mahal property, as well as the recent state-brokered settlement of a tax dispute between Borgata and the City of Atlantic City, as positive developments. Other high-profile projects are underway, including Bart Blatstein's reopening of the Showboat, Boraie Development's plans for a 250-unit apartment project, and the $220 million Atlantic City Gateway Project, a public-private partnership with a new residential campus for Stockton University, retail, parking and an office tower for South Jersey Gas. The report's optimism is tempered, due to the size of the hole in which the city finds itself. "The fact remains that Atlantic City's redevelopment will take many years," Cooke said. The Atlantic City metropolitan area lost 25,300 jobs, or 16.5 percent, in what he termed "the lost decade." The area's real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) declined by 21.4 percent - the largest such loss among the nation's 382 metropolitan areas tracked by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis for the period 2006-2015. (Figures for 2016 will be released in September.) "The impact of the local area economy's lost decade on its residents' welfare has been stark," Cooke said. "The metropolitan area's poverty rate climbed from 9.2 percent in 2006 to 14.3 percent in 2015, while the poverty rate for those younger than 18 years old rose to 22.3 percent from 13.2 percent." However, Cooke sees ways in which the city could leverage redevelopment to diversify jobs and attract more millennials (those in their mid- to late-teens to mid- to late-30s) to live and work in the city, which would yield potentially the greatest economic results. Based on national trends, more jobs in the sectors of education and health services, and professional and business services would attract millennials, in addition to jobs they would hold in the city's traditional hospitality and leisure sector. It is critical that they live and work in the city, Cooke said, as opposed to just visiting for entertainment. If availability of the right jobs turns millennials into residents, "their spending power will in turn boost economic, population, labor force, and income growth over the long run," he said. The educational services sector is positioned to grow with Stockton's 530-residence Atlantic City campus, the report noted, and the university's designation as an Anchor institution will encourage small business development to serve over 1,300 students, faculty and staff of Stockton and from South Jersey Gas. "Anchor-based redevelopment projects like the Gateway Project can yield significant long-term positive multiplier effects for local communities," Cooke said. View the South Jersey Economic Review here. About the Hughes Center: The William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy (www.stockton.edu/hughescenter) at Stockton University serves as a catalyst for research, analysis and innovative policy solutions on the economic, social and cultural issues facing New Jersey, and promotes the civic life of New Jersey through engagement, education and research. The Center is named for William J. Hughes, whose distinguished career includes service in the U.S. House of Representatives, Ambassador to Panama and as a Distinguished Visiting Professor at Stockton. The Hughes Center can be found at www.facebook.com/StocktonHughesCenter and can be followed on Twitter at @hughescenter. Member News: Kreischer Miller, Analytical Graphics, Inc. (AGI), Pennoni Ranked Top Workplaces 20173/27/2017
Philadelphia Inquirer Top Workplaces 2017 - Midsize Companies
Philadelphia Inquirer Top Workplaces 2017 - Large Companies
World Trade Center of Greater Philadelphia COO Dino Ramos will be a panelist for the free Entrepreneurial Impact event on March 21. Dino will discuss how entrepreneurship is a mindset and how thinking like an entrepreneur benefits businesses and individuals in any career.
Partner News: Philly Port is poised to get new cranes, bigger ships, more cargo, and more jobs3/17/2017
Philly port is poised to get new cranes, bigger ships, more cargo, and more jobs Breakdown of the Improvements Graduate programs surge in ‘U.S. News’ rankings Penn, Temple Climb in U.S. News 2018 Grad Program Rankings Pennoni President, ASCE Grand Challenge Pioneer a Worthy OPAL Honoree |
Categories
All
Archives
July 2023
|