9002483 Israel's Technology, Media, & Telecom Industry
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Israel’s technology, media, and telecom industry An overview for businesses considering innovation investments Jonathan Ohm, Managing Director, Deloitte Corporate Finance LLC Tomer Eblagon, Senior Associate, Deloitte Corporate Finance LLC Business sustainability within the technology industry in Israel’s technology industry: A snapshot Israel has depended on innovation since the industry's birth As a testament to its innovative spirit, Israel has the highest in the 1950s. Only by continually coming up with new concentration of technology companies outside of Silicon offerings do technology companies withstand competition Valley, and the most NASDAQ-listed technology companies and retain loyal customers. of any country except China and the U.S.4 For that, Israel has earned the nickname "Silicon Wadi," wadi being the For decades, the U.S. was recognized as a global leader in Hebrew word for small valley. technology development, with innovation after innovation coming out of places like Silicon Valley, Boston, and Austin. The strength of Israel’s technology industry can be Yet increasingly over the past decade, other innovation illustrated by the number of companies sold and other hotspots have emerged around the world in places like economic measures: Stockholm, Bangalore, London, Tel Aviv, Vancouver, and • Since 2004, more than 900 exits5 of Israeli technology Moscow.1 companies were announced (see Figure 1), totaling more than US$50 billion6 in value. Among these, Israel in general and Tel Aviv in particular • The majority of deals had multiples that were last seen appear to be among the faster growing hotspots. In recent during the days of the 2000 tech bubble (see Figure 2). years, the Israeli technology industry has turned into an • Israel's technology industry accounts for 15.7 percent economic success story by both local and international of the business sector’s7 gross domestic product (GDP). standards.2 To accomplish this, Israel has had to overcome • Israel's technology industry provides jobs for 6.8 obstacles such as lack of natural resources, the country’s percent of the employment market.8 small population (8.2 million citizens in a territory smaller • The country's technology industry accounts for 27 than New Jersey), geographic isolation, and the fact that percent of Israel’s total exports, of which 38 percent are Israeli entrepreneurs must both compete and collaborate to the U.S., 17 percent are to the European Union, and with each other. 30 percent are to Asia.9 Figure 1: All Israel technology exits 2004–201310 At the World Economic Forum in January 2014, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attributed the country’s technology success to five things: 36 25 Israel’s need to develop defensive innovations 131 248 Its world-class research institutions The country’s small size 910 Exits 93 A culture of learning A history that demanded innovation for survival3 194 For businesses around the world that might want to tap 182 Israel's technology innovation environment, this report offers a snapshot of the current technology industry in that country, focusing specifically on the Israeli technology, IT enterprise and software Semiconductors media, and telecom (TMT) sectors. The report reviews the Communications Other volume — and high valuations — of Israeli TMT companies Life Sciences Cleantech being acquired by multinationals, as well as a number of major companies that are establishing innovation and Internet research and development (R&D) centers in Israel. We Israel's technology focus also has encouraged more than also look at some of the reasons behind Israel's success 250 multinational businesses to establish innovation as an innovation hub, and we offer thoughts on what and R&D centers in the country. Of these companies, companies can expect if investing in the Israeli TMT 66 percent are U.S. based. More than 80 Fortune 500 industry sectors. companies have established technology accelerators, incubators, corporate venture capital offices, and R&D centers there as well.11 Among those companies are Cisco, Broadcom, EMC2, Google, Oracle, Microsoft, eBay, Facebook, IBM, Apple, Amazon12, and Intel.13 2 Israel’s TMT sectors: Going strong and growing Figure 3: Select Israeli startup acquisition stories stronger Transaction Target description The story Rationale A focus on the TMT segments of Israel's technology May 2012 Three years from The problem: Enterprise 'The XtremIO team industry reveals where much of the country's innovative EMC2 » inception, $25 storage increasingly and technology strengths are derived. Israel was ranked No. 2 after the XtremIO for million in venture demands virtualization for will help customers U.S. in investor confidence for those sectors in a 2013 $430 Million capital (VC) high-quality performance, take advantage of global Venture Capital confidence survey.14 In the last funding, Beta rapid response time, all-Flash storage decade, more than 690 TMT Israeli exits — accounting for stage product with scalability, flexibility, and across many 75 percent of all technology exits — had a total value of no revenue, 50 administrator agility. applications.'17 almost US$35 billion15 (see Figure 2). employees The solution: Leverage Figure 2: Number of Israeli exits and valuations, flash and enable the data 2004–2013 centers of the future. Year No. of exits USD value of exits The result: Disruption 2004 44 US$1.4 billion to the enterprise storage space with flash memory 2005 75 US$2.4 billion capabilities. 106 US$9.9 billion 2006 January 2013 Three years from The problem: Mobile 'This acquisition 2007 95 US$3.5 billion Cisco » Intucell inception, $6 usage is changing radically will help to $475 Million million in VC with more data and optimize the 2008 53 US$1.6 billion funding, ~$10 elements at a lower cost mobile experience 2009 50 US$1.2 billion million in revenue, per bit. and is aligned with 80 employees Cisco’s goals to 2010 67 US$1.9 billion The solution: Automatic create innovative algorithmic adjustments to 2011 81 US$4.1 billion technologies.'18 tweak the network without 2012 69 US$8.1 billion involving engineers — self-organization, 2013 52 US$4.3 billion self-optimization, and self- healing for all the network Within the Israeli TMT sector, the most attractive segments elements. appear to be information technology (IT) and enterprise software, with 248 exits valued at $14.76 billion; The result: Accessibility communications, with 185 exits valued at $12.9 billion; during Hurricane “Sandy” and Internet, with 94 exits valued at $4.49 billion.16 (Philadelphia). June 2013 Seven years from The problem: Real-time 'Through real-time The majority of these startups were acquired by Fortune Google » inception, $67 traffic data is challenging traffic updates, the 500 corporations, primarily U.S. companies. Since the Waze $966 million VC funding, to retrieve. acquisition of Wave startups had minimal revenues at the time they were Million 100 employees, a should improve acquired, the buyers appear to have been motivated by the The solution: Use of the few million dollars user experience.'19 potential of the innovative technologies and the staff they crowd for map creation in revenue, 50 possessed (see Figure 3). and traffic data. million users The result: Zero cost to build maps and collect real-time data, allowing a no-subscription model. A social data aspect was added to Google’s mapping business. Israel’s technology, media, and telecom industry 3 For the Israeli TMT industry, 2013 was a particularly Additionally, in 2013 total capital raised by Israeli TMT successful year: startups was US$2.3 billion, second only to the year • Somoto (software monetization) raised New 2000 record when US$3.1 billion was raised. Software Israel Shekel (NIS) US$20 million in its initial public companies alone raised 21 percent of this amount, second offering (IPO) on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange at a only to the life science companies.23 company value of NIS 115 million. The offering was oversubscribed by NIS 55 million orders.20 Between 2003 and 2012, average Israeli TMT company • Galtronics (through its parent company, Baylin merger and acquisition deal size was US$54 million,24 Technologies Inc., an antenna manufacturer) raised and in 2012, the average was US$68 million. In 2013, US$50 million in its IPO on the Toronto Stock Exchange the average deal size increased to US$83 million.25 The at a company value of US$100 million.21 rise demonstrates that the Israeli TMT market continues • Wix (cloud-based development platform to create to mature: It appears that entrepreneurs are no longer professional HTML5 Websites and mobile sites) raised interested in early exit opportunities; instead, they are more than US$122 million in its IPO on the NASDAQ choosing to focus on creating sustainable technologies exchange. The 7.7 million shares sold were priced at and companies and maximizing their returns over the long US$16.50 each, which was at the top end of the range term.26 the organization provided before the IPO. The shares were up nearly 100 percent to US$29 in February In 2013 there were 52 Israeli TMT exits totaling US$4.29 2014.22 billion.27 Select 2013 transactions include: January 2013 February 2013 April 2013 Cisco bought Intucell NCR bought Retalix (IT & Avago bought CyOptics (communications) for US$475 enterprise software) for (communications) for US$400 million28 US$800 million29 million30 May 2013 June 2013 June 2013 Deutsche Telekom bought AG EMC2 bought Scale IO (data Google bought Waze ChooChee (communications) storage) for US$250 million32 (mobile) for US$966 million33 for $US100 million31 August 2013 August 2013 October 2013 AOL bought Adap.tv IBM bought Trusteer Facebook bought Onavo (ad:tech) for US$405 million34 (cybersecurity) for US$760 (social media) for US$200 million35 million36 4 Israel’s history: A major factor in innovative culture industry.39 In addition, the government has created 24 Some consider the success of the Israeli technology technology incubators that are scattered throughout industry to be intimately interwoven with Israel’s history.