Israel is still the Startup Nation, even amid the war, particularly in the cybersecurity sector.
According to a report by Startup Nation Central, Israeli startups performed strongly in the first half of 2024.
Investment in Israeli startups grew 31% between the second half of 2023 and the first half of 2024. Fundraising included 14 rounds of over $100 million.
This is in addition to the proposed deal for Google to purchase Wiz for $23 billion, which, if it goes through, will be Google’s most expensive acquisition and also Israel’s largest.
“While we have seen investors becoming more hesitant to invest in Israel, and some even pulling out of Israel, we’ve seen an equal amount, if not more, of investors taking advantage of the opportunity and increasing their activities, both on the ground or through investment in Israeli startups,” said startup Nation Central CEO Avi Hassoun.
Israel is surpassing the US in cybersecurity fundraising. In 2018, 20% of both countries’ startup fundraising was in the cybersecurity sector, but in 2024, the US’s dropped to 13%, and Israel’s rose to 25%.
