The First Online Gofor UAE – ISRAEL Food Security Investment Conference

“

The 3 small countries that signed the Abraham Accords are also the top 3 countries in vaccinations per capita

Initiated by Cukierman & Co., Catalyst Funds and GoforIsrael, the conference gathered around 1,000 participants – including Israeli innovative food and water security startups and hundreds of investors from UAE – to explore strategic partnerships and capital market opportunities in food security.

“The 3 small countries that signed the Abraham Accords are also the top 3 countries in vaccinations per capita”, said Edouard Cukierman, Chairman of Cukierman Investment House and Managing Partner at Catalyst Funds. I have had the pleasure of visiting the UAE several times in the last few months. One topic that kept repeating itself in our conversations was the issue of food security, which became a prominent concern during the pandemic. The Israeli Agtech sector is well developed, supported by government agencies, dedicated R&D centers and academic institutions, and over 500 active start-ups in this field. 96 percent of fruits and vegetables consumption is from a local growing, and more than 80% of the water is recycled. I am convinced that together we can build a strong partnership and that the region will experience significant investment and trade activity in the coming future”.

“There is no limit to what Israel and the Emirates can do together”

Said Ambassador Eitan Na’eh – Head of Mission, Embassy of Israel to the UAE at the GoforUAE-Israel Food Security Investment Conference:

 

  • 1,000 participants joined GoforUAE-Israel online conference
  • First deals between UAE and Israel are expected to start this quarter, with larger UAE VCs first, followed by Family Offices and focus specialized VC funds that will also start investing in more early-stage Israeli startups

From growing fruits and vegetables, to jointly using Healthtech to combat COVID-19 and cooperation in space – there is no limit to what Israel and the Emirates can do together.

Said Ambassador Eitan Na’eh – Head of Mission, Embassy of Israel to the UAE at the GoforUAE-Israel Food Security Investment Conference:

 

In his first public expression since appointed, Ambassador Na’eh stated: “The leaders of our countries have set the vision – it is now up to all of us – in the government and in the private sector – to make it a successful reality. A reality based on people to people, business to business, state to state relations, all in order to add content into our new relationship”.

A panel of speakers moderated by Haggai Ravid, CEO at Cukierman & Co. Investment House, discussed the topic of ‘How the Israeli Agritech sector helps address UAE food security challenges’. According to Yair Geva, Partner, Hitech, M&As at Herzog Fox & Neeman,

“The first deals we are going to see are large investments from those larger PE and VC funds in the UAE. I do not think we are going to see many early-stage investments from those family offices and smaller VCs given the screening challenges. This will take a bit of time until we have more focused specialized VC funds, some of which are being formed at the moment, that will start investing in the more early-stage startup deals that we have in abundance in Israel”.

Oshrat Maya, Netafim CFO for Middle East & Africa said, that the company is in a process of establishing a subsidiary in UAE, and is currently negotiating with a key player from UAE and the GCC countries.  

Salvatore Lavallo, Head of Foreign Direct Investment – Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO): “Agriculture is one of the key sectors we have been focusing on at ADIO. Lavaello mentioned ADIO has launched a 1Billion UAED Agricultural Fund in 2019, which already allocated about a $ 150 million in seven companies. “Our two main goals in agriculture are food security technologies for local production, and new ways of producing food. We are interested in any technology that can address these goals. We are really a market capitalizer and are able to push these technologies forward within our country and to other parts the world.”

Other key speakers were:

Raju Menon, Chairman & Managing Partner – Kreston Menon, UAE, which assist foreign companies to establish operations in the UAE and Dr. Ami Appelbaum, Chairman – IIA & Chief Scientist – Ministry of Economy and Industry, who reviewed the Israeli ecosystem and IIA’s operations, including the collaboration with UAE, that currently comprises of: A MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) with the UAE Industry and Advanced Technologies Ministry (on the Federal level), and additional MOU’s.

Introduced by Nurit Zeevi – Cukierman & Co. FoodTech & AgriTech, more than 20 Israeli innovative Food Security companies presented their technology to the investors.

Cukierman & Co. Investment House is considered the leader in cross-border investments in Israel through its strong global network to leading corporations, investors and many financial institutions worldwide. Headquartered in Tel Aviv, the company provides a full array of financial advisory services, including M&A, Private Placements, IPO advisory services, asset management and strategic consulting. Cukierman & Co. Food Security and Agritech provides services to companies across the full spectrum of food and agriculture.

Catalyst Funds invests in Israeli companies. Established in Israel in 1999, the Fund manages over $300 million, supporting the long-term growth of medium-sized Israeli companies, with innovation in global markets. The partners in the fund have a global and multidisciplinary background and a network of significant business relationships in Israel and around the world.

GoforIsrael has been one of the most influential business conferences in Israel for over 20 years. The conference addresses current issues in capital markets and establishes strategic alliances globally between Israeli companies, businesses and financial institutions.

For further info: Adi Braunshtain, Managing Partner, GoforIsrael, Cukierman & Co. Investment House adi.b@cukierman.co.il

Media Contacts: Moshe Mendelson, POSITIVE Communications, moshe@gopositive.co.il, 050-8993284

Related Articles

468
Translate »