Kesher Talk

Good news from Israel: High-tech investment is booming: According to an annual survey conducted by the IVC Research Center, a division of Giza Venture Capital, investment in "seed-stage" companies tripled in 2003 from the year before. IVC polled 125 venture investors, of whom 66 are Israeli management companies and 59 are other, mostly foreign, investment entities.

Israeli high-tech companies raised $1.01 billion from domestic and foreign venture-capital firms in 2003, managing to stay above the $1 billion mark for the fifth straight year. Although the figure is 11 percent below the $1.138 billion raised in 2002, 20 more private Israeli companies — a total of 372 — raised money in 2003. Moreover, $529 million was invested in the second half of 2003 — the best second half for venture-capital flows to Israeli high-tech since 2000.

posted by William @ 2/24/2004 09:00:38 AM