Israel Innovation Authority

A Faster Path to Stability for Israeli Startups Kerem Nevo, VP & Head of the Growth Division at the Israel Innovation Authority, joined ILTV News to discuss our new NIS 1 billion #Fast_Track Program for startups and early-stage growth companies. In the interview, she explains why exchange-rate fluctuations can significantly shorten a company's runway, who is eligible, and how the program provides an additional six months of operational runway through grants, matching funding, and an accelerated application process. The goal is simple: help promising Israeli technology companies continue investing in R&D, reach key business and technological milestones, and approach their next funding round from a stronger position. 🎥 Watch the interview and learn how the Fast-Track Program can help your company. 🔗 Learn more: https://lnkd.in/djAQ-DVs

AI leadership isn't measured only by breakthrough models - it's measured by the institutions that develop the people behind them. The newly released AI Higher Education Index places the Technion among the world's Top 25 universities for AI, with Tel Aviv University also ranking in the global Top 30. For a country of fewer than 10 million people, having two universities among the world's leading AI talent producers is a remarkable achievement. The report highlights what has long been a defining strength of Israel's innovation ecosystem: exceptional AI talent, a strong culture of entrepreneurship, and close collaboration between academia and industry that consistently transforms cutting-edge research into global impact. At the same time, the findings provide a clear roadmap for the future. To strengthen Israel's position even further, continued investment in national AI compute infrastructure, world-class research facilities, international collaboration, and the global visibility of Israeli research will be essential. As AI increasingly becomes a strategic driver of economic growth and national competitiveness, world-leading academic institutions are more than centers of learning—they are engines of innovation, talent, and technological leadership. Over the past several years, the Israel Innovation Authority has played a central role in strengthening these foundations, advancing Israel's National AI Program, investing in AI R&D, supporting academia-industry collaboration, establishing national AI infrastructure and compute capabilities, and helping create the conditions for Israel to remain at the forefront of the global AI revolution. Today's recognition reflects not only academic excellence, but the strength of an innovation ecosystem built through sustained national investment and long-term vision. For the full report: https://lnkd.in/d3v7Y9c3 #ArtificialIntelligence #Technion #IsraeliInnovation #DeepTech #AIResearch #HigherEducation #InnovationEcosystem

When exchange-rate fluctuations threaten innovation, decisive action matters! Israel's innovation ecosystem continues to demonstrate remarkable resilience, but even high-potential technology companies can be affected by global macroeconomic developments. To help address the impact of the recent appreciation of the Israeli shekel on young technology companies, the Israel Innovation Authority, together with the Ministry of Finance, launched today a new NIS 1 billion Fast-Track Program. The program is designed for startups and early-stage growth companies with less than 12 months of operational runway whose funding or foreign-currency revenues have been materially affected by exchange-rate fluctuations. Through grants, matching funding, and an accelerated application process, the program will enable eligible companies to extend their operational runway, continue investing in research and development, achieve key technological and commercial milestones, and strengthen their position for future growth. This initiative reflects the Israel Innovation Authority's ongoing commitment to ensuring that temporary macroeconomic conditions do not impede the development of innovative Israeli companies. By helping promising startups maintain momentum during critical stages of growth, the program contributes to preserving Israel's technological leadership, strengthening the national innovation ecosystem, and supporting long-term economic growth. Learn more and apply: https://lnkd.in/d4y5EJfT

Quantum computing is set to redefine the future of computing, and Israel is investing now to help shape it! The Israel Innovation Authority has launched a NIS 100 million initiative to establish Israel's National Quantum Computing R&D Infrastructure, providing researchers, startups, industry, and academia with access to cutting-edge quantum technologies through a single national platform. By integrating multiple quantum computing technologies under one roof, the infrastructure will accelerate R&D, shorten development cycles, enable real-world testing, and help Israeli companies transform scientific breakthroughs into globally competitive innovations. As Israel's official agency responsible for advancing the nation's innovation ecosystem, the Israel Innovation Authority is building the strategic infrastructure needed to ensure Israel remains at the forefront of one of the world's most transformative technologies. By connecting academia, industry, and government, this initiative strengthens Israel's innovation ecosystem today while positioning the country as a global leader in the quantum era. Read more: https://lnkd.in/dya4v2Xv #QuantumComputing #DeepTech #Innovation #IsraelInnovation #RAndD

Israel is investing NIS 70 million to build a shared AI Model for biology and the partners behind it signal how seriously this is being taken. NVIDIA, Teva Pharmaceuticals., Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer Center, Startups and Universities are among the founding partners of the Israel BioToken Factory Initiative, a national R&D consortium developing a common technology platform for AI applications in drug discovery, personalized medicine, and computational biology. The infrastructure has two components. Bio Tokens will create standardized representations of different types of biological data. The Factory Model will provide a platform for developing, integrating, and deploying AI-based biological models at scale. Together, they give companies, researchers, and healthcare organizations a shared foundation to build on. Pre-competitive infrastructure investment at its most deliberate by building the shared layer that makes the entire ecosystem more capable. Read more: https://lnkd.in/dXGyBStR #BioConvergence #AIinHealthcare #IsraelInnovation #DrugDiscovery #PersonalizedMedicine #LifeSciences #DeepTech

In collaboration with the Ministry of Health Israel, we just launched the first regulatory sandbox for AI in healthcare, making it one of the first countries in the world to establish a dedicated framework for testing and regulating highly autonomous AI-powered medical systems. Most medical AI today supports clinical decisions. The three companies selected for the first cohort are developing systems designed to perform elements of clinical care independently. Pulsenmore is developing at-home pregnancy ultrasound analysis. Cordio Medical combines voice analysis, smartphone data, smartwatch data, and electronic medical records to detect early signs of heart failure deterioration, piloted at Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center. Simahook is developing AI-guided fetal weight assessment during ultrasound examinations, across two Hadassah Medical Centers. This regulatory framework answers unresolved questions around clinical accountability, patient safety, and the division of responsibility between healthcare professionals and AI systems. Israel is working alongside industry and leading medical centers to develop those answers in real-world clinical environments rather than waiting for incidents to drive regulation. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/d4c6hH-Z #HealthTech #AIinHealthcare #IsraelInnovation #MedTech #DigitalHealth #RegulatoryInnovation

The FIFA World Cup brings the world together every four years. It's something to be proud of that Israeli innovation gets to be part of that. Across the FIFA World Cup 2026™ - Canada, Mexico and the United States, a handful of Israeli companies are contributing to the infrastructure that makes an event of this scale possible. AI-powered highlight clips reaching fans within seconds of a goal. Automated camera systems bringing professional-grade video and performance data to grassroots football across 80 countries. Real-time data powering media and broadcast experiences for billions of viewers. All happening behind the scenes of the billions of people expected to watch. For a small country, having technology embedded in the operational backbone of the world's most-watched sporting event is a reflection of how far Israel's innovation ecosystem has come. Not through dominance, but through building things that work at scale, that solve real problems, and that earn their place in global infrastructure. Read more: https://lnkd.in/dh7cMrAr #IsraelTech #FIFAWorldCup2026 #Innovation #IsraelInnovation #SportsTech #AI

The world's fastest path to a $1 billion valuation used to take seven years. For AI-native startups today, it takes three and a half. One in three Israeli startups founded in the last five years was built around AI from day one. That's the highest share of any country in the world, according to a new global study by Strand Partners for Amazon Web Services (AWS) across 20 markets. Israeli AI-native startups are growing revenue at 185% annually. More than double the rate of traditional Israeli startups and above the global average for AI-native companies. 86% have developed proprietary AI models, compared to 72% globally. Nearly half generate most of their revenue outside Israel, almost double the global average. We are at a point in time where a generation of founders who started building with AI as the foundation, not an add-on, and are now outperforming peers in almost every measurable way. Read more: https://lnkd.in/d_imbzC8 #IsraelTech #AI #StartupNation #AINative #Innovation #IsraelInnovation

The companies driving Israel's largest exits in 2026 look different from any previous cycle. Deep-tech companies developing robotics, semiconductors, photonics, medical devices, drones, and defense technologies led many of Israel's largest exits, reflecting growing global demand for breakthrough technologies built on advanced engineering and scientific research. We've long viewed deep tech as a strategic priority. Through initiatives such as the YOZMA Deep Tech Program, which is designed to catalyze investment in sectors including semiconductors, quantum, climate, and health technologies, we're helping build the long-term capital and infrastructure these companies need to scale. These exits are another indication that sustained investment in deep tech is translating into global impact. Read more: https://lnkd.in/dZqC-52q #DeepTech #IsraelInnovation #Semiconductors #QuantumTech #HealthTech #Robotics #StartupNation

Israeli startups raised $8.4 billion across 129 funding rounds in the first half of 2026, one of the strongest half-year performances in the country's tech history. AI infrastructure was the dominant theme. Companies building the operational layer beneath AI systems, managing compute costs, cooling data centers, and controlling runaway infrastructure spending, attracted consistent capital throughout the period. Cybersecurity produced the highest volume of rounds, with identity security emerging as a distinct subcategory. The common argument across these companies is that AI agents, which can outnumber human users inside large enterprises, require a fundamentally different approach to access management. Outside the AI and cybersecurity mainstream, quantum computing, defense technology, and healthcare all saw significant rounds. Israeli technology companies are deeply embedded in global supply chains and investor portfolios. The local situation registers as a risk factor in deal documents. It has not materially slowed the flow of capital. Read more on the companies that contributed to this performance: https://lnkd.in/dfwEdQ5j  #IsraelTech #VentureCapital #AI #Cybersecurity #StartupNation #Innovation #DeepTech