Finding roommates

A question came up about finding roommates for the organized part of our trip.  If you're looking for a roommate and haven't yet found one, you can put your name on this document to try to find someone also in need.  You can also feel free to share your pre-trip travel plans there if you'd like.  If a document like this already exists, please share that link (apologies if one exists and I'm not yet aware of it).

Second, we all received an email on December 9 from Kristen Hammar about registering for the Israel trip.  That link is here.  Our trip ID is 75424.  That's where the roommate signup happens, if you haven't done so yet.  Remember that you can ask for a single room at an additional cost if you prefer.

Israel Online

According to this presentation from ComScore on current trends in social networks, Israel ranks as the top country in the world in terms of social networking engagement.  The document has all the details on methodology, implications, etc.

NYTimes article on

interesting NYTimes article today on one of two remaining independent Israeli TV stations soon to be shutting its doors

Bike sharing in Tel Aviv

If you're getting to Tel Aviv early and have time to kill, you might check out the city's seven-month-old bike sharing program which offers daily rentals for roughly $4 from installations around the city.  Here's an article on the program.  If anyone finds the official site for the program, feel free to post it!

Wildfires in Israel last year

Check out this site for a series of photos on a wildfire that happened last December in northern Israel.  It's not news, obviously, but it gives a sense of the terrain there.

Tech campus in NYC

There were headlines this week about a plan to build a big new campus in NYC to bring high tech know-how to New York for years to come.  Read more here about the leading bid, a joint effort from Cornell and Israel's Technion.

Apple's 1st Acquisition in Israel

TechCrunch reported today that "Apple Reportedly Finalizes Deal with Flash Memory Company Anobit". This is Apple's first acquisition of an Israeli company, causing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to post the following on Twitter: "Welcome to Israel, Apple Inc. on your 1st acquisition here. I'm certain that you'll benefit from the fruit of the Israeli knowledge."

Outbrain

"Outbrain, a company that focuses on recommending interesting content to readers, announced today that it has landed a massive $35 million in a fourth round of funding led by Index Ventures." While Outbrain has it's headquarters in NYC, it was founded by two Israeli's and has its RD facilities in Netanya, Israel. You can read the whole story on VentureBeat.

Trip planning

Many of us may be booking travel plans for March during the December break.  This includes what to do during the free time before the official International Experience (remember, you've got about 10 days between the end of Spring 1 and our first planned day together as a group).  Travel in Israel?  Travel nearby? Travel somewhere completely different?  Stay in New Haven or see a partner and catch up on life?

The December break is a great time to figure this out.  Check out this video from a founder of Lonely Planet for his take on Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.  Then ask your friends or pull up your preferred travel guide website to figure out whether you want to spend some extra days in Israel before our trip begins.

Teva Pharmaceutical

Teva Pharmaceutical, based in Petach Tikva (near Tel Aviv) was in the news recently as its stock rose on IP issues.  Article here.

The company was also in the news in the last couple weeks relating to US government action on morning after pills.  It's an interesting story, regardless of one's personal beliefs.

Another hot startup

As a followup to a recent post on this blog about Israeli startups which VCs are interested in, check out this recent article from TechCrunch.  It mentions another startup based in Tel Aviv which VCs are apparently "salivating" over because of the potential for introducing some new stuff to the Facebook-advertising-monetization equation.

Israel on Quora

For any of you who use Quora, there are a lot of informative and interesting questions (and answers) you might be interested in following under the topics "Israeli Tech". You can also follow all Israel topics.

Venture Capital Cafe

The Venture Capital Cafe blog is another good source of Israeli tech news. Their tag line is "Israel Tech News. Global Perspective."

Invest in Israel

Israel's Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labor maintains an interesting investment promotion center to inform prospective investors about opportunities in Israel. Among other things, the website contains a pretty comprehensive list of Israel VC news. Check it out here.

Start-up Nation Reviews

In addition to reading Star-up Nation, there are some very insightful reviews of the book available:

WSJ "Where Tech Keeps Booming"

Council on Foreign Relations Review

Freakonomics Blog "How Did Israel Become "Start-up Nation"?

The authors also maintain a Facebook page with current information related to the book: https://www.facebook.com/startupnationbook.

And finally, if you haven't bought the book yet, you can get it on Amazon.

Israel on Twitter

There are some great accounts to follow if you want to keep up with current events in Israel via Twitter:

State of Israel official twitter account @Israel

Official Israel Defense Forces twitter account @IDFSpokesperson

Official Twitter of the Embassy of Israel in the US @IsraelinUSA

Official Prime Minister's Office twitter account @IsraeliPM

Two Israeli startups to watch

TechCrunch recently had an interview with Saul Klein, a VC based in London.  He was asked to name a handful of companies outside the US that might soon be billion dollar companies.  His list included two dozen companies from Western Europe, Eastern Europe, and two from Tel Aviv.  Check out the article, the list, and the two Israeli companies here.

Israel as a high-tech hub

BBC News posted this article on the environment for tech companies in Israel.  It's interesting to note certain realities that are similar to what can be found in the US and Europe, and certain conditions that are quite different.