If your neighbor invented something that could help people, would you assist them in sharing it with the neighborhood?
That is exactly what Israel does in the global market. Many of the world’s most innovative technologies begin in Israel, and then—with the help of investors—they end up spreading all across the globe!
These 5 Israeli tech companies give us a sneak peek at what the future could hold as the United States continues to invest in Israel and the promise of a better future.
Cutting Back on Pollution with Bioplastics…
Most plastics that make up the bottles and bins we use in our everyday lives are made from petroleum oil. It is taxing on the environment to produce regular plastic for many reasons.
Processing the oil to create the plastic releases harmful emissions, and the product itself is one of the most prevalent pollutants on the planet.
Plastics in the ocean are known to kill wildlife or end up on our dinner plates from the fish we eat!
But bioplastics changes the game. The process of making them contributes far fewer greenhouse gasses than the processing of petroleum oil. Plus, whether the bioplastics end up in a landfill or the ocean, they can decompose in a matter of months rather than centuries.
Creating bioplastics is a complicated process that essentially involves bacteria and other microorganisms.
- First, the bacteria is given a “feedstock,” which typically comes from sugars extracted from corn.
- Then, after feeding on the sugar, the bacteria release chemical compounds that can be harvested and used to create bioplastic material.
Sounds simple enough in America, where we have plenty of land and plenty of corn, but in countries such as Israel, where space is limited, the farmland needs to be used for crops that feed people! And importing the feedstock from other countries can get quite expensive.
Remarkably, an Israeli start-up called 3PLW has developed microorganisms that can use organic waste as a feedstock!
Instead of dumping waste into landfills, using it to create bioplastics reduces waste, pollution, and land usage—because farmland that was previously used to grow feedstock can be used instead to grow food for people!
Read more about why pollution reduction is important, click here.
Parking with Pango…
GPS navigation has changed the way we drive cars, and now apps such as Pango could change the way we park them. One of the most daunting things about driving in a big city—or living in one—is finding parking.
Pango can tell you where to find parking spaces and garages and how much they cost; it even reminds you when to pay the meter again!
Pango uses a cell phone’s sensors to navigate, and cooperates with other apps such as Waze (now one of the most widely used navigation apps, which also traces its origins to Israel) to deliver accurate information in real time.
Currently, Pango is available in Israel, and its services each cost less than $5 per month! Pango is actively looking to expand internationally, and it will be great when they do.
The more time people can save finding parking in large cities, the more we will also reduce carbon emissions and traffic!
Find out more about how Israel is reducing traffic by clicking here.
Leading the Pack in Water Recycling…
Israel’s dedication to and mastery of water recycling have played a huge role in transforming the humble desert country it started as, into the thriving powerhouse that we admire today.
Irrigation and desalination are among Israel’s most well-known practices, but water recycling is becoming an ever-more important factor as Israel expands into the uninhabited desert.
Israel leads the world in the practice of water recycling, and now with companies such as Fluence, they are helping other countries develop and improve their own systems!
The company can already boast central operations in North and South America as well as Europe and the Middle East. In the future, they hope to expand into densely populated Asia where there is a growing demand for water recycling solutions.
Recycling water is especially healthy for the environment because it reduces the strain of sourcing water from wildlife and drastically reduces pollution.
Read more about Israel’s water recycling here.
Trapping Computer Viruses…
A lot of companies have restrictions for browsing the internet—not just to keep employees off social media, but also to protect against viruses and malware scams that can come from anywhere.
These restrictions can slow down internet speed and prevent employees from finding needed information or visiting a client’s website, for example. It can also inhibit the sharing of files from computers outside the office network.
BufferZone Security is an award-winning company that developed an innovative, revolutionary security system that enables safe browsing and file sharing while also blocking access to dangerous sites.
BufferZone lets users visit “greylisted” sites (sites that are temporarily blocked for being unrecognized) safely by creating a trap for viruses. If there is a virus or malware, it will be trapped in a special BufferZone container that it can’t escape from, while the rest of the files can be accessed or downloaded safely.
Cultivating the Start-up Nation…
Israel is known for having a relatively small network that fosters healthy collaboration between entrepreneurs naturally. Also, there are companies in Israel specifically dedicated to cultivating start-up growth!
The Junction is a company that specializes in partnering with local start-ups at their earliest stages. If they see a dedicated team and a useful product, they help with the start-up cost as well as finding even larger investors to seal the deal.
They also provide assistance to Israeli entrepreneurs who are hoping to find investment abroad, especially in the United States.
The Junction has helped a variety of tech companies to grow—since they were established in March of 2011, they’ve raised more than $500 million!
Companies that invest in seed-stage start-ups are vital to a thriving and innovative economy. Whereas American investors tend to invest in the person or the team, Israelis are known to invest in the product itself.
This means that while notable inventors such as Elon Musk may dominate the start-up scene, there will always be opportunities for young and hungry challengers to prove themselves and rise to the top.
How Will You Invest in Israel?
Israel is our spiritual, economic, and political neighbor. It is time to join the movement to help them help the world.
Those who have chosen to invest in Israel have seen their businesses transform and flourish, just as we have seen Israel transform its deserts. It is all part of God’s plan in motion—a plan that we as a nation and as Believers have a vital role to play.