Israel remains as politically contentious as ever, but neither social unrest nor international controversy has stemmed the tide of entrepreneurial activity. The Start-up Nation remains true to its sobriquet. Per capita, it has by far the most number of new unicorns at 5.2 per one million residents, according to Israeli tech investment group Viola. That’s well ahead of Singapore (1.8), the US (1) and Canada (0.37).
Spotlight on autonomous driving
New mobility has been a hot topic, particularly technologies supporting autonomous vehicles (AVs). Numerous local start-ups have been acquired by overseas companies and effectively turned into R&D hubs. Mobileye is one of the better known local players to gain attention on the international stage with its computer vision for AVs. Intel acquired it 2017 for US$15.3bn, at the time marking the largest-ever acquisition of an Israeli tech company.
