Insights & News /  High Tech

The Startup Open final event will take place on September 22, 2014, in Jerusalem. The competition has given early-stage startups the opportunity to develop their ideas and present them to entrepreneurs and judges.

The seminar, organized by ESOP-Excellence and starTAU, featured in-depth lectures on employee share option plans. Drawing on his many years of experience as general counsel to technology companies, Adv. Ezra Katzen discussed the practical challenges of administering these plans.

BreezoMeter, the winner of the Israeli competition, was developed to make air pollution visible. Using real-time big data analysis, it provides air quality information at street-level resolution. BreezoMeter competed against six other companies in the finals and will automatically join the GEW50, a list of the world’s 50 most promising startups. The final took place in Jerusalem and was attended by Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat, investors, entrepreneurs, startups, and high-tech executives. Adv. Michael Barnea, our managing partner said: “I am delighted that Barnea had the opportunity to take part in this special event. Our experience supporting entrepreneurs through incorporation, fundraising and the launch of technology and life sciences start-ups enabled us to contribute to the evaluation and selection of contestants. In doing so, we helped give the next generation of entrepreneurs an opportunity to present their ideas and gain international exposure.” Startup Open was launched in 2010 as a Kauffman Foundation initiative and is part of Global Entrepreneurship Week. It is one of the world’s largest competitions for startups, attracting participants from more than 30 countries.

UK-based Global Invacom Group Ltd. entered into an agreement to acquire OnePath Networks Ltd., based in Bet Shemesh, Israel. Barnea represented Global Invacom in the transaction.

Israel’s strengths have not gone unnoticed by multinational companies. A study by the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics shows that international technology companies operating in Israel account for 63% of all investment in the country’s RD centers. Foreign companies that have established research centers in Israel, including Facebook, Google, Apple, Microsoft, IBM, Intel, and HP, employ more than 67% of the country’s RD center workforce. Together, they employ 34,300 RD staff, a figure that grows by 2% annually. The presence of these corporate giants in Israel continues to grow as more companies recognize the advantages of establishing RD centers in a thriving hub of innovation and invention. Yet this growth has also raised concerns, particularly that foreign companies gain first access to breakthrough technologies developed in Israel. Science, Technology, and Space Minister Yaakov Peri expressed this concern, saying that “Israel’s economy relies heavily on funding from other countries for research and development…this is a fragile situation…in which the main beneficiaries of Israeli creativity are the multinational companies.” There is, however, another way to view their role. These centers nurture and train talented professionals, serving as incubators for budding entrepreneurs. Many employees leave multinational companies to launch their own startups, equipped with the skills, knowledge, and experience gained at these RD centers. The presence of foreign RD centers and multinational companies in Israel also helps create jobs, generate new businesses, and contribute to the country’s economic output.

Barnea and the MIT Enterprise Forum of Israel are delighted to invite you to a seminar titled "Time to Startup! Follow the Challenging Road." The event will take place on November 19, 2014, from 16:30 to 20:15, at Tel Aviv University.

Adv. Micky Barnea was invited to lead the high-tech panel at Israel’s second annual Foreign Law Firms Conference in recognition of his expertise in the technology sector. Titled "Startup Nation vs. Exit Nation," the panel will explore the impact of Israel’s startup ecosystem on its legal landscape, current trends in high-tech exit transactions and IPOs, and collaboration between Israeli and foreign law firms on high-tech legal matters.

The recent liberalization of Israel’s legal market could attract more foreign advisers and spur the expansion of leading domestic firms, driven by the prospect of increased deal activity.

Israel takes pride in its water industry, which has developed in response to limited water resources, growing domestic demand, and the global need for water solutions. Israeli water technology companies have earned an international reputation for their expertise. Israel is also known for its technology sector, built on proven capabilities in launching, financing, growing, and ultimately realizing the value of companies across technology and life sciences.

Barnea represented MobeeArt Ltd., a software startup developing innovative technology for creating mobile websites, in an investment round totaling approximately USD 1 million.

Following the successful launch of its MarginProbe System, which received FDA premarket approval (PMA) early last year, Dune Medical Devices Ltd. has completed the first stage of a two-stage USD 21 million equity financing.

Barnea represented Glasshouse Technologies Inc. in the sale of all outstanding shares of its Israeli subsidiary, Glasshouse Technologies Ltd., to Taldor Communications Ltd. for approximately USD 6.75 million.

Barnea represented Ivory Computers Ltd., a leading privately held Israeli retailer of computers, computer peripherals and consumer electronics, and its founders in a transaction with Premium (PIH) Holdings Ltd., a public company listed on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange. Premium acquired a 51% stake in Ivory from the founders and the company for a total consideration of ILS 15.5 million.