x| X Register for free e-mail Disnatches Justness & Stocks VwtoA nt 7- PDT I [Business . -L Israeli software companies lOpmion I Living & QpftiiiQ attention By Larry Kaplow Classifieds & Services Jobs: Talent Scout —Ii i .Homes: Homem JERUSALEM — With recent software deals pouring -ars: CarHunter hundreds ofmillions ofdollars into Israeli companies, the I Entertainment: —i i new celebrities here are no longer army generals or ellowPages I Mercury News Classifieds I lArchives: NewsLibrary In June, America Online announced that it bought Tel Aviv- I News agent: NewsHound based Mirabilis Ltd. for $287 million in cash and up to another $120 million based on future growth. The two-year- Related Features old invented Internet chat service with lated Features I [Business Home rßiicinticc T r\A-3\7 i lousiness louay Ninety percent ofthe money goes to its four twenty- TV-Vl W.TV-- somethin.? founders — two ofwhom nevermade it through [-■Apple Watch I [Asia TechUpdate I Breaking News But, Mirabilis was topped — in dollars ifnot in cult fame — Computing last week when the more conventional software company, _T_.tt.no- AhpaH Computing Memco, was bought for $412 million in stock by Illinois- m~+; T.-..1 at..".... f— Ugmsv securing lniormation siorea on internet servers. I IHomeHunter The two deals the Israeli software I lintel Watch highlight growing —Microsoft Watch —i i acquisition targets or niche providers. I [Money tree Valley 15 Dsilicon More than 300 Israeli software firms had about $1.2 billion .-.Mortgage Watch Motley Fool year. Carhunter. c. _._.+: r .0,. «. Ti,ovA"., Aijcrijvtlß IQQR & T__,0,*,,0,", _l V_S_lUl- comnanv TOO. an u j " _.-__-.-_. "__i, ft.,, tfvlSV I iGreg Carpluk incentives, but also by Israeli attributesthat mesh well with )an Gillmor software development. I Adam Lashinsb Nolan Israel's small population, about 6 million, requires any Jcheryl Shavers software maker seeking sales to aim for a globalproduct. Israelis are generally highly-skilled and English, the first TTo language common i contact us ofthe Internet is here. About this Also, hostile neighbors have prompted a defense industry that emphasizes high technology and spawns entrepreneurs. The founders of Memco, with about 200 employees and $30 milliAii in litot inthp itt*tYi_7'o miiiiuii in icvc unit Finally, unlike other industries, software can be developed _c_„. +„..„ i ..„+ 1 "The starting point for everyone is more or less equal," said Yoav Shaham, vice president of marketing for Israel's Formula, a conglomerate of about 30 software companies, makes products sold around the world for controlling airport lighting systems, converting European businesses to the new It is one ofthe few Israeli software companies that has reached a substantial size, and is making a globalimpact. It But, tiny Mirabilis (Latin for "Marvelous") has captured the most attention lately. Though they have refused most the T-shirted. borderline-scruffy. founders made tl 111 LXXW When one went, unintroduced, to check out the selection at an upscale car dealership, the salesman took at look at the i i ii i mose iviiiauiiiskius _ The co-founders hatched their idea over games ofping-pong. _ _ _ _ 1 . 1 bouncing betweenjobs. They convinced Yossi Vardi, venture capitalist andfather of co-founder Arik Vardi, to invest in the plan. The company revenue. Chris fnntd.t naee rp_7Piinp _.PAr __7Prp ai__-*p _,_ ; .;_i. i;++i_ _i _i interviews, OUIUOII 101UV11 111VU1U. ii>>__7ii ■ r Tt.r___.l_ _1 ._ _.__ ■ _I_.l_ll_ _1 .__ that a larger company would want to buy it - and it worked. Vardi said the founders are working nights now trying to improve their product in defense against plans by Microsoft to hatch another instant chat service. The key to Mirabilis' ICQ is that it automatically tells users if any oftheir friends are also on the Internet, allowing for Vardi calls the stand against Microsoft a "David and fr<_li£_tl_" hattlp nr\A it'c familiar rnlp fnr Teraplie Z_llz_LT7*H_l" *T7,___l__-H (1 + 1T71T71T7 T 1 1 1 il _ x| ©1997 - 1998 Mercury Center. The information youreceive online from Mercury Center is protected by thecopyright laws of the United States. The copyright laws prohibit any copying, redistributing, retransmitting,or repurposmg of any copyright- _>__?_ _i /\J ,____-. ■ \lT\lT\-n t/~\/~t ."*/_«_ *H_/_ /_ *MA_ ."*/_ Carhunter..