ScaleUp House
Beyond the States: Where are Israeli founders looking to grow?
At the launch of Calcalist and Showcase IL's ScaleUp House, CTech asked the experts and entrepreneurs which markets outside the US offer the strongest growth potential for Israeli startups.
ScaleUp House
(Video: Oz Moalem)
"I think today we see more and more startups operate outside of the US and make a real impact," said Seffi Tsarfati, Head of Strategic Partnerships, VC and Startups at Google.
While the United States remains the conventional launchpad for Israeli startups looking to go global, what other nations are Israeli founders eyeing to build international reach?
Such was the question posed by CTech to the experts and entrepreneurs in attendance at the launch of Calcalist and Showcase IL’s latest initiative – ScaleUp House, the home of Israel’s most promising scale-ups at the Google Startup Campus in Tel Aviv.
The United Kingdom emerged as one of the leading alternatives. "Obviously, it's the UK. It's the biggest market," said David Sachs, Head of Commercial at NeuroKaire, who also mentioned "Germany and Japan, which are huge economies."
Others listed sector-specific ecosystems, such as foodtech entrepreneur Tal Govrin, Co-Founder and CEO of Kokomodo. "The UK is a big hub of both food and food tech and a lot of biotech companies," she explained.
For some, expansion plans stretch further afield. "Asia and Europe for us are the biggest focus right now," said Imri Marcus, Co-Founder and CEO of Brandlight, adding that because "There's a big cultural difference… it's really important to have the right people supporting these companies."
Even within the US, founders are discovering the advantages of landing pads outside of the usual suspects of New York and Silicon Valley, with Sela CMO Doron Aaronsohn noting that "one of the most vibrant technology hubs currently is Austin, Texas," alongside a growing Israeli presence in Florida.
Yam Regev, Strategic Growth Partner at ScaleUp House, advised that aligning localization efforts with existing language assets offers the most efficient starting point for startups ready to scale.
You can watch the full conversation in the video above.
