Mapping out the Startup Nation: The 12 most popular Tech Hubs in Israel
Mapping out the Startup Nation: The 12 most popular Tech Hubs in Israel
Israel has been recognized globally for some time now as a leading hub for innovation and technology, with many ranking the startup nation second only to Silicon Valley. Indeed, the startup scene is spread across the whole country! Here’s a quick overview of the 12 most popular tech hubs in Israel:
Israel has been recognized globally for some time now as a leading hub for innovation and technology, with many ranking the startup nation second only to Silicon Valley. Indeed, the startup scene is spread across the whole country! Here’s a quick overview of the 12 most popular tech hubs in Israel:
Tel Aviv: Rothschild Boulevard
The mother of all that’s cool, the area in and around Rothschild Boulevard is now THE place to be, and is especially popular with consumer companies and young entrepreneurs. A little bit like SOMA in San Francisco, Rothschild is attracting startups, VC funds, and even larger companies like eBay and Facebook.
Tel Aviv: Train Station/Ramat Gan/”Bursa” area
If Ramat Hachayal is the older brother of Rothschild, then the train station (right next to a tech hub surrounding Israel's Diamond Exchange, also known in Hebrew as the "Bursa") - is the step brother. It’s closer to the center of Tel Aviv than Ramat Hachayal, so it’s a lot more relevant to people coming from the north & south. In some ways, it makes sense that Facebook is in Rothschild, but Google is near the train station.
Herzliya
The grandmother of Israel's high-tech scene, Herzliya was already a high-tech park back in the late 80s and is still very relevant. It’s home to many of Israel's VCs, including veteran VCs like us (wiser thanks to our many years of experience but still young at heart!). As expected, it’s also home to some of the bigger, more established tech companies like Microsoft, Apple, and EMC.
Netanya
Combined with Yakum, this hub is attractive to those who live in the Sharon area of Israel (situated between the center and the north of the country) and there are many startups here. Unfortunately despite being convenient, the Netanya hub has very little style. After all, how much style can you expect at a city that’s also home to IKEA? Still, what the area lacks in style, some of the startups make up for with awesomeness, including our own Outbrain.
Haifa
Haifa is a real high-tech mystery. On one hand, it has it all: A great tech university (the Technion), a nice tech park (Matam), big tech corporations (Qualcomm, Intel, Microsoft and even Google), plus it’s a truly beautiful area, yet very few companies sit in Haifa. Someone needs to think of how to put Haifa on the startup map. Definitely a missed opportunity.
Be'er Sheva (a.k.a. Beersheba)
The new kid on the block, Beer Sheva is a great example of how government can incentivize and build a high-tech scene. A few years ago, Beer Sheva had very few companies, but it’s now considered the cyber security capital of Israel. Amazing how it has become a must-stop for any Startup Nation tour.
Jerusalem
Last but not least, Jerusalem is always the up-and-coming tech hub of... next year. There has always been technology in Jersualem, but not enough great startups have emerged from there. Maybe the new MassChallenge opening will make a difference, or maybe our own portfolio company Lightricks will do the trick ;)