The Place to Be: Israel Industry 4.0

October 16^th marked the first annual II4 – Israel Industry 4.0 Conference, broadcasting the message that Israel is indeed a hotspot when it comes to productive activity in the Industry 4.0 sector, time and time again throughout the day.

One of the first to reference Israel in terms of the Industry 4.0 ecosystem was the keynote speaker – Mr. Grant Allen, Managing Director of the ABB Group and CEO, Head of Ventures at ABB Technology Ventures (ATV). Allen views Israel as a “fantastic match”, with many assets that drive value and intelligence for ABB’s customers and even compared Israel to the Valley, saying that in contrast, Israel demonstrates a far greater level of understanding in what customers need and is already proving to be a significant player in the field.

As the day continued, interesting panel discussions, case studies of top Israeli start-ups and B2B meetings between global corporates and start-ups entertained the participants and provided many insights into the current status of Israel Industry 4.0 ecosystem. Anton Papp, Investments and Corporate Development of Rockwell Automation, echoed the sentiment that Israel has all the right ingredients for Rockwell to be a part of, in particular the ecosystem and the business models.

Perhaps the biggest compliment of the day came from Andrew Bolwell, VP, Chief Disrupter and Global Head of HP Tech Ventures, stating that his experience of working in Israel is that everyone seems entrepreneurial and has a can-do spirit – with the approach of “if we can’t get in through the door, we’ll find a way in through the window.”

Even without affirmation from external thought leaders, the numbers speak for themselves, Israel’s Industry 4.0 sector is growing. Despite Industry 4.0 being a relatively new and young sector, 40% of companies are mid-to-late stage companies, many of which have also pivoted into the Industry 4.0 space. In the first half of 2018, Israeli Industry 4.0 companies have already raised an incredible $193 million.

To read more about II4, the first and biggest Israel Industry 4.0 conference, check out the full blog over on the official II4 community page. (If you’re not yet a member of the II4 community, you can easily become one and for free!)

Read more information about the Industry 4.0 ecosystem and its growth in our latest report.