On a narrow strip of land in the Middle East, the Israeli surpassed the harshness of nature by their own creativity and hard work. They planted the seeds of hope on this land.
Israel is now the world's leading innovation country with the highest number of startups in the world.
Israeli brand name is built from their human resources and active support from the government.
Human resources are the first to talk about Israel. Israel owns a highly qualified and well-trained workforce as 24% of the labor force has a university degree. Every 10,000 people you meet, there are probably 135 engineers with university degree or above. But most importantly, these people are trained in prestigious schools such as Technion, Weizmann Institute, Tel Aviv University, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Ben Gurion University.
The migration of 1 million people, mainly high-level engineers and scientists from the former Soviet Union to Israel in the 1990s also significantly added to the workforce.
Entrepreneurial spirit is deeply ingrained in everyone, like survival skills. It is easy to access information and networks, enabling each individual to contribute his or her smallest ideas.
Meanwhile, Israeli government plays a decisive role in bringing Israel forward with its technological strength. A number of business supporting programs have been developed by the Israeli government. The Government established the Office of Chief Scientists under the Ministry of Industry to support R&D activities and SMEs.
Science Department has launched many programs targeting different subjects. It's a $300 million R&D fund for all companies in the country, with up to 50% of R&D costs.
On a smaller scale, there is a $30 million Technology Incubator program targeting companies looking for venture capital. If approved, businesses can cover upto 85% of R&D costs.
"Tnufa" and "Heznek" are for seed and pre-seed stage. In addition, The Office of Chief Scientists also offers programs granting up to 66% of R&D costs and does not require a refund.
That is not all. Yoznet program aiming venture capital, EUREKA- a cooperation between Israel and EU and BIRD - a cooperation with the US are examples of funds assisting startups.
It is not surprising that Israel is the nation with the highest literacy and publications per capita. Ideas are nurtured into companies until IPOs. They are provided with financial assistance, strategic advice and favorable conditions from the government. Incentives have strongly promoted the Israeli technology.
All of these efforts have made Israel a startup nation.