Introducing Accelerant
By
Eyal Bino
It is no secret. Israel is ‘Startup Nation‘.
It has the highest density of tech startups in the world and a rich history of technology innovation. In recent years it has also answered the call and delivered on BIG EXITS. From Waze to Viber & Trusteer, Israeli entrepreneurs have proved they are ready to build big, massive global companies. They are not tempted to sell early. And they have reminded investors that Israel is a place to watch for game changing technologies.
Yet, the world has also caught up. New York has joined Silicon Valley and is now a prime ecosystem for entrepreneurs. Competition on investor money is stiff. Access is becoming a real problem, especially when you are thousands of miles away from your target market. In addition, obtaining traction early in the life cycle of a startup is a becoming key for success. For most Israeli startups to reach their potential, they need to gain traction in the U.S. market earlier than ever before. They need to be smarter, more innovative, and build relationships in the local tech community right off the bat. They need a partner they can trust, who will help them overcome the challenges of global expansion and give them more than just capital. Israeli startups need smart money.
Yesterday, we announced the formation of Accelerant Ventures, a NY-based micro-fund focused on the Israeli entrepreneur. We are not here just to provide financial support. We are here, and there, to correct the funding gap for Israeli entrepreneurs looking to move from seed to A, from Tel-Aviv to NYC, and from working with local customers in Israel to strategic customers, partners and providers here in the U.S.
We’ll provide Israeli startups with access to potential clients and partners in order to gain that early traction. We have assembled a network of top key advisers who have been there before, made their exits and know the industry as an insider, helping our companies minimize “first timer” mistakes. We’ve developed relationships with vetted local service providers to navigate through the time consuming tasks of sourcing the right talent, discovering the right PR firm, setting up payroll and dealing with work visas. We don’t want companies in our portfolio to waste time on anything other than building a successful, global company.
The formation of Accelerant could not have happened without the passion, wisdom and support of Sharon Mirsky, Principal at Accelerant, and my dearest advisers – Andrew Cleland, Kirill Sheynkman and David Aronoff. They have all been with us throughout this journey, and understand this market. And they will be there to support us along the way.
Eyal Bino is the Founder of the Worldwide Investor Network (WIN), a NY-based ecosystem focused on helping global early stage technology ventures shorten the path to their first round of funding from NY and US-based investors, and to acceleration in the US market. They foster global innovation by identifying, mentoring and engaging top technology startups from around the world with globally recognized US early stage venture capital funds, angel investors & family offices, and by providing additional value by connecting these companies with some of the top service providers and partners from NY and around the globe.
