What We Do

The UK Israel Tech Hub is a not-for-profit venture operating out of the British Embassy Israel since 2011. The Hub was founded by the UK government as a means to drive economic growth by helping British companies partner with cutting-edge technology from Israel. The Hub has earned a strong reputation as the finest “resident experts” in Israel, one of the world’s leading clusters of technology and innovation. Our unique position within the UK Government, and based at the British Embassy enables us to open doors in both markets that might otherwise be closed, and we do so quickly and efficiently. We pride ourselves on non-bias, comprehensive, highly targeted, innovation advisory work. As such, the Hub has become an ideal partner for UK corporations in understanding their technological needs, and facilitating bespoke connectivity to innovative solutions that can drive their business forward.

sectors

InsurTech

Fierce competition lies in the UK in the fintech sphere, and most interest revolves around personalisation and customer experience (digital only, seamless). UK Fintech is currently energised by the cumulative effect of digital connectivity, customers demands and the banks’ drive to enhance their brand. Therefore the UK remains an extremely attractive destination for startups serving classic fintech solutions. On the same note, insurance companies and their digital competitors also create a fast-moving digital landscape in the UK, with appetite growing rapidly towards 2019. The insurance industry is in the midst of unprecedented change. Changing customer dynamics, rapidly evolving technologies, and the growing ability to distinguish customers at granular levels are shifting the foundation of how insurance services are developed, priced, and offered. Israeli Fintech/Insurtech continually attracts funding, and receives local support as Israeli banks and insurers get involved in the the local ecosystem, running dedicated Fintech accelerators, innovation labs, and investment funds. Israeli Insurtech continued to develop in 2017, comprising 7.5% of global private industry-related investments, as it leverages its big data capabilities, acquired from the military defense systems, to develop complex algorithms, innovative authentication technologies and fraud prevention solutions.

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Cyber Security

The accelerated pace of digital transformation brings new challenges for UK businesses but also a great opportunity to promote the UK’s cybersecurity expertise to international markets and to utilise that expertise in international collaborations. The UK is eager to learn and to develop its cyber ecosystem by acquiring solutions that will make it more agile and resilient. A primary goal of the UK Government is to develop a local ecosystem of service providers and startups that will make the UK the safest place to live and do business online. Israel is a major force in cybersecurity innovation and development internationally, and Israeli cybersecurity companies are at the forefront of technology, rubbing shoulders with global industry giants. In fact, according to CyberDB data-bank, Israel has the second largest amount of cybersecurity companies in the world, second only to the US. Israel’s leadership in this field stems from a myriad of things, including its geopolitical situation. Israel has been fighting foreign armies and domestic terror throughout its existence and has increasingly invested resources in bolstering its intelligence capabilities. The Hub has been connecting Israeli companies to the UK in order to offer best practice sharing on cutting edge technology and innovative global mindset. Through cyber immersion programmes in Israel and a cyber secondment scheme for UK professionals, the Hub is on a mission to supercharge the UK’s cyber ecosystem.

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Health Tech

With a patient base of 60 M patients, the NHS is the world’s largest healthcare provider, and has repeatedly declared its intentions to find the best and the brightest healthtech solutions from around the world. Private healthcare providers and insurance companies are working relentlessly to compliment the NHS’s offering and make the UK’s healthcare system patient-centric and fortified for an ageing population and a diverse demographic base. Israel’s genuine abundance of healthtech companies offers fantastic partnership opportunities in three specific expertise areas: Firstly, Israel has 100% electronic medical records and more than 25 years of experience in implementing healthcare IT solutions. Secondly, matching the global demand, Israel has a supply of technologies in areas such as AI/ML, diagnostics, and computer vision in medical imaging (e.g. digital pathology, radiology), etc. Combining these areas of excellence means that new insights can be drawn from healthcare big data, moving us closer and closer to the reality of a future of personalised medicine. Lastly, Israel is a global leader for cyber security. Wherever it is that personalised medicine may take us, strong tools are needed to protect this most sensitive of data.

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Future Retail

The UK has one of the strongest and most advanced retail sectors in the world and the largest internet economy in the G20 group – with the highest proportion of commerce now taking place online. Due to this phenomenal migration to digital commerce, the Israeli ecosystem has been responding to this increasing demand for artificial intelligence (AI) business solutions, machine learning and virtual/augmented reality tools and currently there are close to a thousand startups operate in the future retail space. Some of the top trends driving investment this year are development of voice and image recognition, further leveraging the Israeli experience in AI and big data. The worlds largest Fortune 500 Retail companies have acknowledged Israel’s play in this space and have set up R&D facilities in the country, such as Kimberly Clark, Coca-Cola, Walmart and NCR.

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Clean Growth

The UK is at the global forefront of prioritising Climate Change at the heart of it’s national strategy, and transitioning towards a future of Green Economy. The British industry is already in the midst of adjusting to carbon reduced emissions and sustainable manufacturing using renewable energy sources, advanced process management tools and sensors, smart transport and circular economy. Israel’s strong technological capabilities in Artificial Intelligence, Computer Vision and Big Data are paving the way for leading innovation that can transform the UK’s future Clean Growth goals.
The Tech Hub’s Clean Growth activities are aligned closely with the UK’s Industrial Strategy and include a focus on four core sectors that represent the Elements of Matter for a sustainable economy: Energy, Agrifood, Transport and Industry 4.0. Coupling Israel’s strong technological attributes with the UK’s global leadership in these core sectors (via companies such as Centrica, Tesco and BT) offers an outstanding opportunity for both Israeli and UK innovators and entrepreneurs.

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ArabTech

The UK is a hub of digital content and services and of Arabic-language media. It is an ideal gateway for entrepreneurs wishing to access the global market of over 300 million Arabic-speaking internet users, who lack advanced online content and services. Israel is home to many Arab entrepreneurs who enjoy the unique infrastructure of the Start Up Nation, not available in most of the MENA region. Many offer Arabic-language apps and solutions for content,entertainment, e-commerce, gaming, streaming portals, and e-Publishing. There is a huge business opportunity for partnerships between Israeli companies focusing on Arabic, and leading British content and media companies. The Hub also aims to support Arab entrepreneurs in Israel across verticals, and help them develop global businesses in partnership with the UK and has focused these efforts on a comprehensive platform with abundant content ARABTECH PORT providing support and content for Arab entrepreneurs looking to expand their businesses globally. 

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EdTech

EdTech solutions provide the opportunity to give teachers more resources and improve the learning experience for students. Understanding the immense need for innovation in the field of education was at the core of the UK Israel EdTech Task Force and Investment Table, a top-down initiative, aimed at finding ways to incentivize entrepreneurs and teachers and investors to actively pursue this market opportunity. The Hu has partnered with Israel’s MindCET and UK’s BESA and Arie Capital, a UK fund specializing in Israeli technological investment, to bring together over 30 members of the taskforce, representing stakeholders of both markets. As part of the cooperation in the Task Force, Israeli startups will be able to test their products in the large market of the UK educational system, while UK startups will be able to test their products on diverse and special populations such as those existing in Israel.

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