Some 300 Global VCs In Israel For Tech Ecosystem Tour

April 23, 2018 | Some 300 venture capitalists from around the world are in Israel this week for an annual summit that includes a tour of Israel’s world-renown tech ecosystem, hosted by Start-Up Nation Central and the Jerusalem Development Authority. The delegation is part of the Kauffman Fellows Annual Summit, taking place for the first time in Israel this year, which the program describes as a “hotbed of technology and entrepreneurial spirit unlike any other.” The group includes new fellows, Class 22 announced last June, made up of 51 executives, CEOs, and partners from 5 continents, including several Israelis, representing top firms such as Intel Capital, Merck Ventures, 500 Startups, and Microsoft Ventures. The delegation arrived in Israel on Sunday for a 6-day trip that includes speaking sessions with top Israeli industry leaders in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, an “Innovation Crawl” on Rothschild Boulevard and a personalized tour of the Israeli capital as well as a meeting with Israeli Minister of Education Naftali Bennett. “We are hoping to learn what has made Israel such a special ecosystem, what the role of the VCs and the government have been, and how to take it to the next level,” Kauffman VP John McIntyre told the Times of Israel. The new fellows join a network of some 500 graduates of the program “from more than 200 venture capital firms representing funds investing billions into startups in 40+ countries,” the Kauffman Fellows Program says. The Kauffman fellows include 13 Israelis.