Israel’s Innovation Attaché
Strengthening Economic Connections Between Israel and the US
It’s no secret that Israel — widely recognized as a hotbed of startups — is home to a vibrant population of creative entrepreneurs who lead innovative companies across a wide variety of industries.
Israeli startups are often focused on cultivating business opportunities abroad to expand their market presence, and more importantly, their global impact. They are on a mission to change the world for the better. This can be a challenge at times — finding the right connections and inroads to forge meaningful collaborations isn’t always straightforward. Fortunately, there are people who can help. Israel’s Innovation Attachés are spread across different areas in the US and are part of Israel’s diplomacy service. Working with an Innovation Attaché, entrepreneurs can begin to make serious inroads in the US market.
Eli Levin, Israel’s Innovation Attaché of the Consulate General of Israel to New England, is one of those representatives of Israel abroad. As part of Israel’s foreign ministry, Eli is working to build partnerships and international collaborations between Israeli tech companies and the New England ecosystem in different industries such as healthcare, pharma, climate technology, artificial intelligence, insurtech, fintech and more.
Eli operates with a broad reach and is constantly expanding his business network, working closely together with various partners in venture capital, the academic community, corporate c-suites, government, and beyond who are interested in discovering opportunities for investment in and cooperation with Israeli companies.
He’s also always on the lookout for new Israel-born technologies that may offer a cutting edge to organizations in the Boston area. Here are some companies that Eli is working with to establish connections in the local ecosystem.
UBQ Materials — An Israeli cleantech company with a globally patented waste conversion technology, UBQ Materials converts residual household waste — including all the organics and mixed plastics that cannot be recycled — into a climate-positive material that can be used to replace resource-depleting raw materials in durable and semi-durable applications. The company has expanded to the Netherlands, opening an industrial-scale factory there, and is interested in exploring expansion into the US within the state of Massachusetts.
Tevel — An Israeli agtech company offering an innovative platform of fruit-picking flying autonomous robots, Tevel uses AI technology to pick fruit and optimize the harvesting process. This effectively provides cost-efficient solutions for farmers and enables them to monitor their crop supply and quantities, weight, and other data, making them more productive. The company is working in Italy and the US and is seeking more connections in the US Market.
GTI Medical — An Israeli medical device company, manufacturing a wide range of medical products including surgical tools, stents, robotic arms, implants & components, serving a diverse set of specialties such as cardiology, ENT, orthopedics, spine, robotics, implants, pediatrics, dental, brain-related specialties and more. GTI Medical works with leading biomedical and biotechnology engineering firms and sells its products to medical institutions.
Ice Cure Medical — An Israeli medical device company developing an innovative treatment for cancer tumors utilizing liquid nitrogen to generate ultra-cold temperatures quickly to create large, lethal zones for maximum efficacy in tumor destruction. This allows them to target different types of cancer like breast tumors, renal, lung, liver, and bone cancers. The company’s technology secured FDA approval and has been deployed in different global markets, collaborating with medical institutions, physicians, and radiologists and expanding its clinical trials in the US.
In Recent Times
Since the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, life has become slightly complicated for Eli as well as Israel’s innovation ecosystem. With hundreds of thousands called to service in defense of the country, and with minds and hearts focused on bringing home Israel’s hostages, innovation and business are taking a back seat — especially for earlier-stage companies in the process of funding.
Yet, Eli is working to get back to business, scheduling meetings and hosting events to encourage connections between companies and potential US partners and investors. Recently he held an event focused on the foodtech space — a booming sector in Israel. Israel has become known as a world leader in innovative food technology, with companies perfecting fermentation and cell-based alternative methods to producing foods — milk, meats, fish, honey, and more.
Prof. Shulamit Levenberg, co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Aleph Farms, one of the earliest movers in the cellular meat space, joined a discussion with Prof. David Kaplan, Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Tufts School of Engineering to discuss how cellular agriculture, tissue engineering and stem cell innovation advance sustainability and healthier food systems. The event, and others like it, according to Eli, “bring together stakeholders from industry and academia, both from Israel and Boston, for education and networking, enabling attendees to exchange ideas and form collaborations.”
The Israel — Boston Connection
Boston’s market is a great fit for Israeli companies, offering top research and academic institutions as well as acting as a global hub for life science and biotech innovation. Boston boasts world-class healthcare organizations and a diverse investment community, and as a bonus, Boston has nonstop flights to and from Israel, improving the mobility between both countries.
Innovation Attachés like Eli offer significant advantages to Israeli companies. Serving as boots on the ground, they know which stakeholders might be relevant for Israeli companies and entrepreneurs for potential partnerships, investments, and collaborations. They understand the US business culture that helps develop connections that bridge gaps between the Israeli and US ecosystems.
