Israel: A Global Hub for Technological Innovation

Over the past two decades, social media posts and email chains have circulated touting Israeli ingenuity—highlighting companies like Waze, Mobileye, and the Israeli engineers behind the iPhone and Intel chips. While these headlines tell part of the story, they only scratch the surface of Israel’s impact on the global tech industry. The truth is, Israel has become one of the world’s most dynamic and influential technology hubs—home to innovations that are transforming nearly every area of modern life.

Those of us who care deeply about Israel—and understand how much this tiny nation contributes to humanity—should take enormous pride in the creativity, problem-solving, and game-changing advances coming out of the Jewish state.

From Start-Up Nation to Tech Powerhouse

Israel’s evolution into a high-tech powerhouse didn’t happen by chance. It’s the result of a uniquely fertile environment: a startup culture that rewards risk-taking, world-class academic institutions, robust government investment in R&D, and a defense industry that often births technologies later adapted for civilian use. In this innovation ecosystem, success is often built on earlier failures—and that’s not only accepted but encouraged.

Let’s take a closer look at just a few of the groundbreaking companies putting Israeli innovation on the map:

Mobileye: The Brains Behind Autonomous Driving

Based in Jerusalem, Mobileye is a global leader in autonomous vehicle technology. Their computer vision and AI-based driver assistance systems are found in millions of cars on the road today. The company has partnered with auto giants like BMW, Ford, and General Motors to help prevent collisions and make driving safer. When Intel acquired Mobileye in 2017 for $15 billion, it signaled just how essential this Israeli technology had become to the future of mobility. What started as an ambitious research project is now shaping the future of transportation worldwide.

Waze: Your Road Companion

Anyone who’s ever avoided a traffic jam or a speed trap thanks to a real-time alert knows the power of Waze. Developed in Israel and acquired by Google in 2013 for over $1 billion, Waze revolutionized navigation with its community-powered updates and intuitive routing. Integrated with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Waze has become a household name—showing how user collaboration and smart design can change the way we drive.

Israeli Startups Impress at CES 2015

In my recent Jews in the Digital Age column for the Detroit Jewish News I looked at just five of the many Israeli technology startups I encountered at CES 2015. While I only focused on ZUtA Labs, MediSafe, Umoove, Silentium and Sensibo, there truly is some amazing innovation coming out of StartUp Nation. Here's my article:

Israeli Tech Innovation at Vegas Electronics Show

It usually takes me a few weeks to recover from my annual trek to Las Vegas for the International Consumer Electronics Show (better known as “CES”).  The convention floor alone  is the equivalent of 35 football fields -- around two miles long.

This year was bigger and better than ever before, with the main focus on what’s known as IOT (the Internet of Things). IOT will become the biggest buzzword as we progress further into the 21st century and find new opportunities to connect everyday items like cars, home security systems and kitchen appliances to networked devices like our computers and smartphones. These new technologies will afford us greater control and management of our everyday lives.

While it’s unusual to find anything truly brand new at CES, there are always a half dozen products that are the big talk of the town. These products have been improved upon over the years and with these improvements come more applications for consumer use. From 3D printers and full body scanning technology to flying drones and high-tech health/fitness wearables, it was a dizzying experience trying to keep track of all of the impressive gadgets.

As in years past I find myself keeping my ears open for the sound of Hebrew being spoken at CES. I’m always interested in new technology coming out of Israel and where I hear Hebrew, I know that an Israeli startup usually isn’t too far away. Of the more than 200,000 attendees at CES, there is an unusually high percentage of Israelis. The same is true with the exhibitors as there are always a large number of Israeli companies, startups, entrepreneurs and venture capitalists.

Here is a rundown of five of the Israeli companies I encountered at CES this year:

ZUtA Labs:

One of my favorite new gadgets at CES is a little robot that is actually a printer. This mini robot has small wheels and is going to disrupt the printing industry. Rather than having paper feed through a printer, this robot runs on the paper and prints. It’s a mobile printer that you can keep in your car’s glove box and take anywhere. ZUtA claims they have created the smallest printer in the world and yet it can print on any size of paper no matter where you are. The company began with a successful Kickstarter campaign and it was no surprise to me that ZUtA Labs took home a Best of Innovation award at this year’s CES and they are a South By Southwest (SXSW) Accelerator finalist for this year. I promise you’ll be hearing more about this company in the years to come.

Is Your Donkey Equipped with Wi-Fi?

Back in December 2004, I wrote about my technology experience at the Mamshit Camel Ranch, a Bedouin village in Israel. I explained how funny it was to be at a Bedouin village that appeared to be authentically rustic to the Birthright Israel participants I was chaperoning, but behind-the-scenes the place was equipped with the latest technology.

It was odd to be sitting in a Bedouin tent and checking my email and posting to my blog as camels and donkeys walked around outside. I was reminded of that experience today after I read that Kfar Kedem in Israel will be equipping their donkeys with Wi-Fi.

In an article humorously titled "Internet for those who won’t get off their asses," The Times of Israel reports that "the northern town of Hoshaya [Israel] is planning on installing WiFi Internet access on the donkeys it uses as part of its Talmudic-era amusement village, Kfar Kedem." The amusement park, which is sort of like Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia or Greenfield Village outside of Detroit, offers visitors a reenactment of Judean life in the Galilee from the 1st and 2nd centuries. Apparently, Kfar Kedem's director, Menachem Goldberg, felt it was time to offer wireless Internet access on the donkeys so his visitors could post photos while they're still riding the donkeys.

I'm not certain if Facebook and Foursquare will be able to identify precisely which donkey one is sitting on with GPS tracking technology, but that capability probably isn't far behind. At least no tourist to Israel will have trouble checking their email while they're donkey riding anymore. Maybe it should be advertised as E-Mule Access.

Cross-posted to the Jewish Techs blog at The Jewish Week.