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OurCrowd’s Labs/02 to Invest in up to 100 Early Stage Companies Over the Next 10 Years with Israel Innovation Authority Support
*Commitment of critical investments come as incubator seed deals dropped 49% in 2017
*Initial investments to be made in Keepers and C2A Security
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Jerusalem, Jan. 31, 2018 – OurCrowd, a leading global equity crowdfunding platform, today announced that its Labs/02 seed stage incubator will invest in up to 100 early stage companies over the next ten years. The incubator, which focuses on cutting-edge frontier technologies like AI, deep learning, autonomous transportation and smart cities, plans to make initial investments in Keepers, which provides non-invasive tools to help parents cope with social media addiction and cyberbullying, and C2A Security, a revolutionary chip level security and safety platform for the next generation of automobiles.
Labs/02, located in Jerusalem, is a partnership among OurCrowd, Motorola Solutions (NYSE: MSI), Reliance Industries (NSE: Reliance) and Yissum (the Technology Transfer Company of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.) The incubator will be part of the world famous Israeli incubator program administered by the Israel Innovation Authority (formerly the office of the Chief Scientist.)
Moshe Raines will head all of the incubators activities. His strong entrepreneurial experience includes senior leadership roles at both global Fortune 500 companies and venture capital backed startups.
“LABS/02 is the commando unit of early stage funds,” said Moshe Raines, Labs/02 General partner. “Our work is fast, professional and backed by top tier partners that are focusing on creating added value for the companies. At Labs/02 we believe that it’s all about the people. A winning startup team is comprised of people who have tasted success and are craving more.”
Keepers CEO Hanan Lipskin said, “At Keepers, we are focused on keeping our kids safe online, and the Labs/02 team of professional leaders can help us execute fast in this very timely market.”
C2A Security CEO Michael Dick said, “The tech world has been rocked recently by vulnerabilities at the chip level, and C2A provides a solution to this growing problem for the hundreds of chips in today’s cars. The investment from Labs/02 is helping us leapfrog into the market, which needs our solution now.”
OurCrowd founder and CEO Jon Medved, commented, “Just when recent data shows a 49% decline in early stage seed investments in Israel for 2017, OurCrowd is proud to be pouring more resources and investment into the critical seed investing arena. My personal roots were always in seed investment, and Moshe and his Labs/02 team are just what the market needs to revitalize the seed scene in Israel.”
Notes to Editors
About Labs/02: Labs/02 is Jerusalem’s pre-seed incubator, centered at the heart of the city’s innovation scene. The incubator’s core mission is to advance cutting-edge technology that will shape the future in innovative areas including AI, deep learning, autonomic transportation and smart cities. Labs/02 seeks to invest in outstanding and motivated founders and lead them towards success, with a hands-on, mentorship-driven approach. The incubator’s program is designed with a boot camp feel to help founders jumpstart their companies. Labs/02 is backed by leading VC crowdfunding hybrid OurCrowd, Motorola Solutions, India’s Reliance Industries, The Hebrew University’s Yissum technology transfer, and the Israel Innovation Authority. For more information: http://www.labs02.com.
About OurCrowd: OurCrowd is the leading global equity crowdfunding platform for accredited investors. Managed by a team of seasoned investment professionals and led by serial entrepreneur Jon Medved, OurCrowd vets and selects opportunities, invests its own capital, and brings companies to its accredited membership of global investors. OurCrowd provides post-investment support to its portfolio companies, assigns industry experts as mentors, and takes board seats. The OurCrowd community consists of almost 20,000 accredited investors from over 112 countries. OurCrowd has raised over $500M and invested in 130 portfolio companies and funds. To join OurCrowd as an accredited investor visit www.ourcrowd.com and click “Join.”
The 2018 OurCrowd Global Investor Summit, Feb. 1, 2018, in Jerusalem, Israel, is the largest equity crowdfunding event in the world, and the largest investor event in the entire Middle East. The event will bring together Corporate partners like GE, Honda, DuPont, Samsung, and more, along with entrepreneurs, global delegations from over 90 countries, industry leaders and members of the press from all over the world. 10,000 are registered to attend. Learn more at summit.ourcrowd.com
For Press Materials: https://blog.ourcrowd.net/labs02
Press contact: Leah Stern, OurCrowd, Dir. Of Communications / Europe: +44 747 0196826 / US: +1 703 626 4310 / Israel: +972 54 3414861 /E: leah@ourcrowd.com
Estee Yaari / Israel: +972 50 200 7073 / E: estee.yaari@ourcrowd.com
