INSIGHTS FROM STARTUP NATION / ISRAEL

April 13, 2016

Jewish Community CenterSan Antonio

BACKGROUND

• Based in San Antonio - for 29 years

• Tech PR / Startup Communications Consultant - 35 years

• Part of Israel’s startup economy for 22 years

• 53 trips to Israel

BACKGROUND

• Worked on….

• VoIP

• WiFi

• IPTV

• Tablet PC

• Enterprise everything

OEMs & ODMs who shaped the plumbing of

the Internet

NOV 2014 - FEB 2016

• Rackspace Brand Ambassador to Israel (contractor)

• Brand Ambassador to Made in Jerusalem (July and August)

• Applying same skills sets and background… sponsored by Rackspace…

• Focus on Rackspace Startups program

WHY ISRAEL?

• Sell into - to sell out of.

• Startups built to scale globally

• English is the main language

• Best test bed in the world - in every language in the world

LANDSCAPE• 4,000 + “startups”

• 50 + accelerators, working spaces, programs

• 300 R&D centers

• 2nd largest startup ecosystem - geographical efficiency

• #3 in NASDAQ publicly traded companies

Source: Ernst & Young

source: Geektime

UNIQUE…

• Military service… can be a rough neighborhood :)

• Geographic contiguity & efficiency to get things done

• Everyone is degrees of separation

• Blending of cultures from all over the world

#BeHelpful

EVANGELISM

• Speaking

• Writing

• Mentoring

• Community events

• Networking everywhere. Everyone is networking….

Gaping Void…

Media Coverage

Content…

WHAT COULD BE NEXT

• A center for CyberSecurity and other related verticals

• The big OpenStack opportunity

• Aligning Israel and San Antonio - All things Cyber - beyond security….

ISRAEL NEXT:

• Solving problems of humanity - the API of humanity

• U.S. not always the place to grow

• Developing countries - especially Africa

OPPORTUNITIES FOR SAN ANTONIO

• Cybersecurity

• Health Care - especially Diabetes

• Energy

• Water

• Agriculture

• Texas A&M Campus

A DIFFERENT WAY TO EXPERIENCE ISRAEL

• 14 - 18 go work in a startup or attend a computer camp

• 18 - 22 go work in a startup

• “Grown ups” rent and AirBnB and work and live remotely for at least one month.

WHAT’S NEXT

• Live, work, travel from San Antonio and Tel Aviv

• Consulting / Advisory services in PR and now IoT

CREATING YOUR OWN REALITY

• Now, more than ever, we have an opportunity to see, view, and experience Israel in a totally different way that has nothing to do with religion or politics.

• A wonderful way to be part of, build and experience Israel.

thank you!

alan@weinkrantz.com