It’s no secret that in recent times Israel has been a cornerstone of many of the worlds technological innovations and advancements. In fact, at only 72 years old, it has the most tech start-ups per capita - that’s right, more than anywhere else in the world.
An area where Israel has excelled is medical innovation. One example of an israeli med-tech company is Pillcam - a swallowable medical camera that has had a global impact. Through swallowing a digestible, disposable camera that transmits data to a receiver outside the body, patients are able to recive more accurate diagnosis and analysis of their condition, without even going to the hospital. The camera, which takes around 60,000 photos of the intestinal tract as it travels through the body, is used as an alternative to more invasive endoscopic procedures. Its innovation is so widely respected that its inventor Gavriel Iddan received the European Inventor Award in 2011.
Or how about technological advancements in agriculture? You guessed it - Israel is a pioneer in that too. In 1965, Simcha Bass discovered that tiny droplets of water over time would have a significant impact on plant growth. This eureka moment was the birth of micro-irrigation. Netafim, the company founded by Simcha Bass, is a prime example of an Israeli agricultural company whose technology has not only benefited Israels, but the entire world - including a great impact on developing countries who needed it the most. One recent case included an $85 million deal providing advanced irrigation systems to 35 thousand farmers. According to the Netafim, “The new deal includes three large projects in India, involving the construction of irrigation systems that follow the Community Irrigation model. They are a testament to the successful collaboration between local farmers, the Government of Karnataka state in India and Netafim to improve the livelihood and quality of life of local communities, by employing advanced precision irrigation technologies and digital farming solutions… The three projects cover 66 villages and 35,000 farmers on 50,000 hectares area (123,500 acres) in the state of Karnataka”. This is just one example of many, and today, Netafim is present in 110 countries, and has revitalised over 10 million hectares of land.
Ever hear all the talk about driverless cars being the future? Israel is behind that too. Mobileye is a prime example of an sraeli success story whose technology has already changed the automotive industry, and will continue to do some evermore drastically. With it’s headquarters in Jerusalem, Mobileye was acquired by intel for $15 billion, the largest acquisition of any Israeli company. It is a leading supplier of software that enables Advanced Driver Assist Systems (ADAS), the technology that allows cars to detect its surroundings and whereabouts which will ultimately pave the way for a society where driverless cars become the norm. The greatest cause of road-traffic accidents is human error. Therefore, a driverless society will help to eradicate the thousands of traffic accidents that happen daily.
Israeli Tech vs Covid-19
As the world came to grips with living through a global pandemic, Israeli tech companies were swift to respond. In fact, according to the Times of Israel - interviewing Oded Eliashiv, the CEO of Investnation - 80 companies with the purpose of tacking Covid-19 related issues have launched in Israel - “That’s the largest cluster of COVID-19-relevant companies from any one country in the world”.
An example of a company set to impact the world post-covid is Enerjoy. Now that much of the business world is operating from the homes of its workers, the shift to work from home, which has had many benefits to both employers and employees, is expected to stay. But despite the many benefits of working from home such as reduced overheads for employers, or the hours and money saved avoiding the daily commute, there are several challenges to be overcome if the work from home revolution is to stay for the long-run. Employee motivation has been a huge challenge for businesses during Covid. To combat this, israeli company Enerjoy developed a smart AI sales incentives platform (SAAS) which focuses on identifying each employee’s unique motivation style as well as creative incentive programs geared to each employee. The software can help to improve performance rates by an impressive 13-32%.
Another company looking to deal with the emerging challenges of Covid, as well as life beyond the pandemic is Mental Health and wellbeing app provider GGTUDE. Based in Israel, and led by Prof. Guy Doron, a clinical psychologist and researcher - GGTUDE has 7 apps aimed to provide mental health support via your mobile phone and has more apps in the works. In light of Covid 19, GGTUDE created GG Self Care which provides research-backed, personalized digital intervention for COVID-19-related psychological difficulties as well as other mental-health challenges.
As the world undergoes a period of great transformation, one thing that we can be confident of is the drive for innovation and advancement that continues to come from Israel. According to Investnation - an Israeli venture capital firm, 2021 is anticipated to be a record-breaking year for Israeli innovation and we can expect more of the world’s leading corporations integrating Israeli technology on a massive scale. The start-up nation doesn’t seem to show any signs of slowing down as it seeks to solve the issues of present to create a better future.
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