In a powerful display of economic integration, a delegation of leading Israeli tech founders was invited on Wednesday by the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) to ring the Opening Bell, officially commencing the trading day on Wall Street. This high-profile ceremony aimed to spotlight the deep and growing integration of Israeli innovation into New York’s economic ecosystem.
The event coincided with the official launch of the newly expanded database from Israeli Mapped in NY, spearheaded by founder Guy Franklin. The platform now meticulously tracks approximately 450 Israeli-founded startups operating within New York City. The mapping reveals significant areas of focus, including about 80 cybersecurity firms and 50 fintech companies, alongside dozens in digital health and real-estate technology.
Furthermore, activity in Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly increasing, with firms like Decart recently opening their first New York office and becoming the latest addition to the database.
The data highlights a highly successful and maturing ecosystem. Roughly 40 Israeli startups headquartered in New York have been acquired in recent years. The majority of recent transactions have occurred in the cybersecurity domain, with notable examples including Wiz acquiring Gem Security and Dazz. Importantly, in all these cases, the acquiring companies were Israeli themselves, a testament to the strength and maturity of the Israeli tech ecosystem both in New York and Israel.
This robust presence attracts broad investment attention; American VC firms (such as Primary Venture Partners, Bain Capital, and General Atlantic) are increasingly hiring dedicated investors, often with Israeli backgrounds, to lead their deal pipelines. Furthermore, investors are increasingly expecting founders to relocate to New York quickly after funding to ensure proximity to the American markets.
The Israeli startups in NYC primarily cluster in three core zones: Midtown through Union Square, SoHo, and Wall Street. Demonstrating consistent growth in women’s leadership in the local tech industry, about 10% of the companies in the database are female-founded or female-led.
The ceremony took place just six days prior to the dramatic New York City mayoral election, amidst polls predicting success for the anti-Israel candidate Zohran Mamdani. Addressing the challenging political climate, Guy Franklin reassured attendees, stating: “While New York focuses on the dramatic mayoral elections, we, the Israeli entrepreneurs, continue to build, invest and grow here. Israeli innovation has already become an inseparable part of the city’s economy… and it will continue to thrive well beyond Election Day.”
Noam Schwartz, Co-Founder and CEO of ActiveFence, emphasized that the bell-ringing “symbolizes the enduring faith in Israeli entrepreneurship, even as the Israeli brand faces unprecedented challenges, and during a local political crisis where the basic values of the stock exchange, innovation and excellence, are being tested”. Dr. Michal Tsur, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Remepy, added that against the “backdrop of war and Israeli resilience,” Israeli entrepreneurs continue to break new ground in high-tech and biotech, serving as ambassadors for the positive aspects of Israel.
Other founders present included Roi Ravhon (Finout), Gil Geron (Orca), Roey Eliyahu (Salt Security), and Israel Krush (Hyro).