Israel Innovation Impact (I3) series launched with an exciting event

The Israel Innovation Impact (I 3) launched its Series of events with the exciting “Store of the Future” event on Thursday at IBM On Demand Innovation Center in Atlanta.

Close to 100 people watched demos from innovative Israeli companies Odysii, TruMedia and YCD MultiMedia, heard from Rob Russell of at&t and an expert panel moderated by Benjamin Mokotoff of Kurt Salmon Associates, and enjoyed the networking opportunity. Lorin Coles, AICC Software Committee chairman MC’ed the program.

“Store of the Future” panel (video) – 11/12/09 – Atlanta, GA

This event is the first in a series of events that will be held on a quarterly basis and will feature Israeli innovators and Southeast experts in a defined   technology space.

Thanks to our sponsors: IBM, at&t, Kurt Salmon Associates, Quofore, Baker Donelson, The Consulate General of Israel to the Southeast, CRMA, TAG, WTF and Retail Wire.

AICC members Michael Blake and Josh Hirsh named in Atlanta Business Chronicle’s “40 under 40 Rising Stars” list.

AICC member Top Eye View featured on CBS News

Watch the Video

Visit Top Eye View Website

Israeli Water Technology Companies present at AICC’s Business Exchange

Despite recent rains, water leaders from Israel and the Southeastern US met on Thursday at the offices of Atlanta law firm Arnall Golden Gregory to explore how Israeli technologies can help assure that there will be adequate resources for the region’s growing population.  The matchmaker event was coordinated by the AICC’s Cleantech Committee.

Pictures from the Southeast – Israel Water Technology Business Exchange

Participating Israeli companies: AGM, Amiad, CheckLight, Lesico, Mapal, Mekorot, ODIS, Puritec-GES, and Vortex presented followed by one-on-one meetings with municipal operators, industries, integrators, engineering firms, and technology companies from throughout the region.

“We’re pleased to have brought these companies together, and trust that the event will produce business for the Israeli companies and solutions for the Southeast operators and companies,” said Gene Rubel (Center for Water Technologies), chairman of AICC’s Cleantech Committee.

Listen to radio coverage on WABE

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GSMA’s Andy McGuire on Israel as a Tech and Entrepreneurial Powerhouse.

A Note From Andy McGuire, VP Mobile Innovation… Dear Friends, In mid-September, Mobile Innovation played a significant role in Ernst & Young’s Journey’09 conference in Tel Aviv, Israel. From a large applicant pool, ten companies advanced to compete in the Mobile Innovation Grand Prix regional competition, and we were fortunate to have respected industry figures such as Rina Shainski of Carmel Ventures, Bob Borchers of Opus Capital, Anat Amir – Head of Product Marketing for Africa – Google, and Guy Bauman – VP and GM of VAS Division of Pelephone offer their perspectives in a fascinating thought leadership session. Two companies, Siklu and fring, won the Israel leg of our year-long Mobile Innovation Grand Prix and will move on to the Global Finals at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in February of 2010. You can read more about the competition later in the newsletter, and congratulations to these two fine companies. Acquaintances not involved in technology frequently ask me why Mobile Innovation travels to Israel, and they are often surprised to hear that the small country of 7.5 million inhabitants is a tech and entrepreneurial powerhouse. Sure, there are logical explanations- an excellent university system, experience and training during mandatory military service, and close ties to Silicon Valley. These all are influential contributing factors to Israel’s success in the technology sector and, in many cases, unique to the country. There was another critical element to Israel’s technology success, however, that was pointed out to me by several Israelis. This variable certainly was not unique to Israel but rather rested squarely in the control of the individual. Simply put, it was a lack of fear of failure. Apparently, it is readily and openly accepted in Israel’s tech scene that the journey to professional success will most likely include a few instances of failure. There is no stain or stigma associated with failure, and this “liberated” perspective allows entrepreneurs to manage toward success and not simply away from its alternative. With failure out of the way, an innovator’s vision has a much greater likelihood of becoming reality. As always, we thank you for your support and participation, and, in the coming weeks, please look for a special announcement regarding Mobile Innovation Exchange. All the best, Andy McGuire

Journey 09 Conference in Tel Aviv (pictures: Guy Tessler)

SASCO Chemical Group joins AICC

SASCO Chemical Group, Albany, GA based technical leader in the manufacturing of environmentally safe specialty chemicals and hazardous chemical control products joins AICC. Well-known in the manufacturing industry as the “Problem Solvers”, SASCO Chemical Group has developed the reputation as a highly diversified, yet, very specialized chemical researcher, developer and producer. Marc Skalla, the company’s Director will join AICC CleanTech and Medical committees.

SASCO Chemical Group works as a cooperative partner with its customers by solving their chemical needs. No matter how varied these needs are, the process of reducing employee exposure and environmental impact through creative chemistry has always been a goal. Therefore, a safer more productive workplace is created with fewer government regulations and less government paperwork.

Communitake joins AICC

CommuniTake, a Yokneam based company that developed a remote service platform for advanced mobile devices that allows customers to virtually hand over their devices to service agents without compromising customer privacy joins AICC. The company presented at a recent Telecommunications Committee meeting and a team of members (Murray Bookman, Steve Walden, Ray Creely, Jim Gaffey, and David Gallagher) volunteered to better understand the company and recommend a plan of action for the committee to help advance the company’s goals.

“CommuniTake delivers revolutionary service capabilities that expand the customer experience, strengthen the daily practices of service agents and dramatically lower operational costs” says Ronen Sasson, CommuniTake CEO. ”Service Providers are showing great interest in our innovative platform. They are very much aware of its value proposition which is aligned with current challenges existing in their business environment. We are receiving enthusiastic responses both in Israel and worldwide and are currently involved in several pilots” he added.

The CommuniTake platform enables service agents to diagnose problems, operate applications, guide users through graphical objects and efficiently and rapidly resolve problems through automated operations scripts.  Service fulfillment is executed leveraging the end-to-end interaction cycle:
Understand the experience -> Diagnose the device -> Provide resolution -> Guide the user -> Sell more value
A service representative can gain complete control over the customer device. This control provides the representative with a complete replica of the device. Using this replica, and with applicative supervision, the representative can show the customer how to better use his device, help set up new services, amend malfunctioning applications, install new applications, conduct data backups and deploy digital personas according to the customer wishes. The CommuniTake platform fully supports the technologies and practices that service providers need to implement today in order to survive tomorrow.

Christopher Yukins updates AICC Professional Committee on “Buy American”

Christopher Yukins of Counsel at Arnold & Porter’s Washington office gave an update on the “Buy American” issue that AICC Professional Committee has been tracking for the past six months. His firm has been retained by Israel’s Ministry of Industry Trade & Labor to determine legal aspects of Israeli company participation in Economic Recovery Act funded projects that are intended to put Americans to work. He led a seminar in Tel Aviv last week sponsored by the Israel-America Chamber of Commerce that was attended by some 70 manufacturers in Israel who are very concerned about this issue.

Yukins pointed out that while Israel enjoys special status through the US-Israel Free Trade Agreement of 1985, and 37 US states agreed to join the Federal Government Procurement Agreement (GPA), the Israeli companies must be able to prove that “substantial transformation” has been done to their product in the US to qualify and defend against the threat of the civil fraud statute for false claims. The EPA has produced a checklist that can provide guidance on compliance, and while there is no safe harbor for the Israeli companies, they could claim that they are Economic Recovery Act compliant by following these procedures. For view of this document, click here.

AICC member MB Technologies releases InfiView

AICC member MB Technologies, a Georgia based software company that is establishing a development center in Israel ust released a new version of a unique technology, called InfiView. They are known for their flagship product Bindows.

InfiView is a toolkit that enables software programmers connect real time data (of ANY size, even infinite – hence the name), and present anything from social and geo-location to diagrams and maps, in a web browser.

The features page list the unique features of InfiView, such as layers (for example, integrating a layer of a map application, a layer of network topology, a layer of a live dashboard), display of live motion and flow, automatic grouping (so you can display infinite amount of information, in a clear, simple display, being able to infinitely zoom-in on structured data).

The site includes examples on how InfiView could provide new and unique capabilities to airlines/transportation, smart networks and smart grids and (of course), social networking.

Watch a short movie (2 min) about this very interesting technology. Ran Meriaz,  President of MB Technologies, will gladly answer any question about this new product (contact).

SeaGen Systems presents at AICC September CleanTech

AICC’s September CleanTech meeting was hosted by Cathy Nunnally at IBI South, an Atlanta- based full-service incubator for international companies.  The committee recieved updates on Israel companies AquaPure, HCL Cleantech, and CES and heard presentation from member Pumping Machinery, and First Century Energy, a local integrator who participated in AICC’s Mission to Israel and as a result developed agreements with Israeli alternative energy companies Chromagen and TechnoSpin. Twenty eight members and staff attended the meeting chaired by Gene Rubel of Interlink Technologies.

Ofir Sarid, CEO of SeaGen Systems Ltd., introduced Migdal Ha’Emek-based developer of  subsea storage terminals for the liquid petroleum gas (LPG) industry. The solution is based on the use of underwater hydrostatic pressure that maintains the gas in its liquefied form in a unique and smart container system.  The SeaGen marine terminal is based on a “clean technology” that eliminates the risks involved in storage farms in addition to its considerable economical benefits; releasing real-estate and reduce costs by up to 40%.  The company has received support from the Chief Scientist and private investors, and is seeking introduction to LPG storage terminal owners and sub-sea Oil & Gas solution providers for a beta site and investments.