The Israeli Start-ups and Tech Entrepreneurs Making Their Mark in London

The UK Israel Tech Hub that was launched in 2011 has now secured over £85 million worth of deals since it began.

By LEO GIOSUÈ
A woman walks near high-rise buildings in the hi-tech business area of Tel Aviv (photo credit: REUTERS/AMIR COHEN)
A woman walks near high-rise buildings in the hi-tech business area of Tel Aviv
(photo credit: REUTERS/AMIR COHEN)
The start-up nation has continued to make a name for itself over the last decade, with some of most exciting start- up and tech businesses and entrepreneurs making a significant impact to London’s start-up scene.
For many Israeli tech companies, investors and entrepreneurs, the UK and London specifically is seen as a good place to do business. The time difference makes it only 2 hours of Israel and a 6 hour flight time. Timewise, it is in the middle of the world, makes business accessible across Europe, America and Asia. The UK market has a strong consumer, financial and business market, as well as being English speaking and open to new ideas and investments.
The UK Israel Tech Hub that was launched in 2011 has now secured over £85 million worth of deals since it began. The Hub has generated over 100 tech partnerships and is currently being spearheaded by Dona Haj, who grew up in a Northern Arab-Israeli town.
The most high profile start-ups to penetrate the UK and London market include Waze, Kaltura, eToro, Taboola, Gett and Payoneer, each with their own office space in London – something that Israelis continue to snap up, despite the turbulent Brexit economy.
In gambling, Playtech, provides the software used for casino games and continues to be at the centre of the industry worth £4.6 billion per year in the UK. In HR, hibob has grown to become one of the most aspiring HR platforms and software in the country. Other new entries in the online finance and technology include start-up Proper Finance and MySupermarket.
In content and media, Israeli technology has penetrated some of the largest news sites in the country through Taboola and Outbrain, showing advertising options on The Daily Mail and other news publications. Asaf Peled is the founder of 90min and Minute Media which has been dubbed the Buzzfeed of sports journalism.
In terms of noticeable investors for London startups, there is David Fogel of Digital Ventures, who is also head of Acceleration at Wayra Telefonica. There is Ami Ben-David who is behind the fund Spice-VC which is pioneering the blockchain movement and ICOs and Eze Vidra who is known by many as the ‘godfather of the London tech scene’ with multiple angel investments and interest in not-for-profit companies.
On a business level, Vidra was heavily involved in the birth of the Google London Campus in 2012 in Tottenham Court Road. Elsewhere, Yoav Arnstein is the Director of Product Marketing at Facebook in London Bridge and Asaf Anolik is the head of innovation at Amazon Web Services UK.