Author: OurCrowd

Google’s best Israeli apps, Forbes’ fav Israeli female founders and more [OurCrowd Newsletter]

Google’s best Israeli apps, Forbes’ fav Israeli female founders and more [OurCrowd Newsletter]

Dec 22, 2014 |

This week, we uncover Google’s best Android apps – made by Israels. Plus, Forbes’ favorite Israeli female founders, a year later. An Israeli-Singaporean company raises $15 million. And more… Start getting this weekly newsletter via email: Subscribe now. Trax raises $15M for in-store shelf monitoring, analysis and technology Israeli-Singaporean company Trax Image Recognition, which provides in-store shelf monitoring, analysis and technology powered by image recognition, has raised $15 million to expand its global operations with a focus on developing its market share in the US and Europe. In addition, the new funds will allow the company to launch new products and services enabling it to meet the growing requirements of its global manufacturing and retail customers. Learn more. OurCrowd in the News OurCrowd’s Danna Mann discusses investment opportunities in Jerusalem in Times of Israel OurCrowd’s portfolio company BillGuard featured in Forbes OurCrowd CEO Jon Medved discusses the growing Israeli tech sector with Fox News’ KT McFarland OurCrowd’s unique equity crowdfunding platform was featured in Ha’aretz OurCrowd’s portfolio company ReWalk featured in Montgomery News OurCrowd’s portfolio company enVerid featured in HPAC Engineering...

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8 Israeli Tech Trends, 8 Crazy Nights 2014: Wearable Tech (6/8)

8 Israeli Tech Trends, 8 Crazy Nights 2014: Wearable Tech (6/8)

Dec 22, 2014 | , ,

As Israel observes Hanukkah – a celebration of the light among the darkness – it’s time to highlight the tech trends creating sparks within the Startup Nation. Note, these trends are based on our deal flow – what our team sees on the ground. Trend 6/8: Wearable Tech How a trend is born:  You are what you eat, goes the saying. A more modern adaptation would be: you are what you wear. From “smart” watches that sync to your phone, to contact lenses that measure diabetics glucose levels, wearable technology is rapidly spreading to all facets of technology. The wearable technology industry goes back to a device as simple as the once-trendy calculator watch of the ’80s. Today, however, the next wave of wearable technology will far outpace a simple Casio watch. Recent success and traction experienced in the wearable technology industry, such as Facebook’s acquisition of virtual reality headset maker Oculus VR and the 2012 launch of Google Glass, has entrepreneurs and investors alike excited for what should be “the next big thing.” Who’s who:  Israel has also played its part in the recent global innovation occurring in the wearable device market. Here...

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[CrowdFund Beat] CrowdFund Beat 2014: Person of the Year – OurCrowd CEO Jon Medved

Dec 21, 2014 |

“we concluded that one individual has really emboldened the vision for crowdfunding […] our crowdfunding person of the year is  Jon Medved.” “Mr. Medved had been a long-standing venture capitalist based in Israel, and has invested globally for decades. With the view of where this financing concept may go, he founded OurCrowd, which has become one of the most active and successful sites in terms of deploying early stage capital to aspiring technology...

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8 Israeli Tech Trends, 8 Crazy Nights 2014: Sharing Economy (5/8)

8 Israeli Tech Trends, 8 Crazy Nights 2014: Sharing Economy (5/8)

Dec 21, 2014 | , ,

As Israel observes Hanukkah – a celebration of the light among the darkness – it’s time to highlight the tech trends creating sparks within the Startup Nation. Note, these trends are based on our deal flow – what our team sees on the ground. Trend 5/8: Sharing Economy How a trend is born:  You exit the airplane, get into a taxi, pick up the keys to your lodging and open the door… to someone else’s home. Airbnb has dramatically changed the way people find accommodations when they’re planning vacations. It’s just one member of a major startup trend: The sharing economy. This model, build on the sharing of human and tangible resources, is also referred to as peer-to-peer, mesh and collaborative consumption. Anything that can be created, produced or consumed is part of this socio-economic economy built for easy and cheaper acquisition of goods and services. ‘Sharing economy’ as a term began in the mid-2000s. Consider eBay, Craigslist and Krrb – these are all marketplaces that are built on a collaborative consumption model. Today, within the startup culture in both Israel and beyond, there...

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8 Israeli Tech Trends, 8 Crazy Nights 2014: Medical Marijuana Tech (4/8)

8 Israeli Tech Trends, 8 Crazy Nights 2014: Medical Marijuana Tech (4/8)

Dec 20, 2014 | , ,

As Israel observes Hanukkah – a celebration of the light among the darkness – it’s time to highlight the tech trends creating sparks within the Startup Nation. Note, these trends are based on our deal flow – what our team sees on the ground. Trend 4/8: Medical Marijuana Tech How a trend is born:  Medical & recreational marijuana is lighting up the market – by some estimates, total sales of ‘Mary Jane’ may reach as high as $100 billion in the US alone in the next few years. The legal cannabis industry is poised to grow faster than smartphones according to the Huffington Post. And tokers can exhale a sigh of relief knowing that this rapid growth is due largely to new groundbreaking laws enacted in recent years that enable the production and sale of marijuana. Who’s who:  Israel can be thought of as the perfect breeding ground for medical marijuana companies, as it’s the place many people call the medical marijuana research capital of the world. The three main business categories within the cannabis industry are growers, grow services, and technology companies. Studies...

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