8 Israel’s leadership in Foodtech comes as no surprise to many. Driven by a successful hi-tech ecosystem, strong biotech, agrochemical and medical industries, the country has emerged as a frontrunner in these vital industries. “The unique value Israel has for innovations in these industries is the common and inherent use of AI, Big data and deep learning to further advance and enhance developments,” states Amir-Yaniv of Arnon, Tadmor-Levy. “Israel's agricultural capabilities have been developed over decades in an exceptionally limited natural resources environment,” adds Tal Karplus, partner at Shibolet. “Its innovation and entrepreneurial culture, coupled with experienced human capital and strong academic and government infrastructure, have provided a suitable platform for the development of companies in the agrifood field and as such, significantly contributed to global agrifood market innovation.” “Israel is a Food and AgTech powerhouse for several reasons, including government support and lessons learned by the ecosystemdue to a shortage of natural resources which drove innovation in this sector long before it came onto the global agenda,” adds Nathan Krapivensky, senior counsel and cohead of Taylor Wessing’s Israel Desk. “The Israeli government supports the Foodtech industry in a number ofways,” agreesMaggie Craig, Boston partner at DLAPiper. “It is not only an economic issue for the country but also one of security. Being self-sufficient to feed the country was highlighted for many countries during the Covid 19 pandemic but has always been top of mind for Israel.” She adds that “the government provides financial capital through the Israel Innovation Authority (“IIA”), an “independent publicly funded agency, was thus created to provide a variety of practical tools and funding platforms aimed at effectively addressing the dynamic and changing needs of the local and international innovation ‘Israel is a Food and AgTech powerhouse’ Growing support from the Government and the Israel Innovation Authority
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