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Israel jumps on the crowdfunding platform wagon

By | February 6, 2013, 6:34 AM PST

Israel’s answer to Kickstarter has announced that it has secured over $12 million in funding for the platform and companies involved in the project.

OurCrowd, Israel’s take on the crowdfunding phenomenon, says that its first round of startup funding from investors has been a success. Closing $5.5 million in Series A funding, the equity crowdfunding platform is a little less like public efforts hosted on IndieGoGo and Kickstarter, and more a springboard for early-stage firms to secure investment from different sources, as well as OurCrowd itself.

The organization has been established to try and further boost Israel’s efforts as a venture capital hub, as well as an investment opportunity for foreign firms.

OurCrowd Founder and CEO, Jon Medved, said:

“We are focused on linking global accredited investors with Israel’s dynamic and exciting Start-up Nation scene, which is generating investment opportunities unlike any I have seen in the past.”

Jon Medved, the CEO of OurCrowd was the previous co-founder and CEO of Vringo and Israel Seed Partners, one of Israel’s largest venture capital groups with over $260M under management. He is joined by ten investors in Israel.

Deals completed on the crowdfunding website include Parko, an Israeli “social parking” solution, website protection firm Fireblade, and a freight forwarding automaton venture from Zvi Schreiber. Six in total have been finalized.

OurCrowd investors are required to invest a minimum of $10,000 per deal when investing in startups. Deals are kept confidential until they are finalized.

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Charlie Osborne

About Charlie Osborne

Charlie Osborne is a contributing editor for SmartPlanet.

Charlie Osborne

Charlie Osborne

Contributing Editor

Charlie Osborne is a freelance journalist and graphic designer based in London. In addition to SmartPlanet, she also writes the iGeneration column for business technology website ZDNet. She holds degrees in medical anthropology from the University of Kent.

Follow her on Twitter.

Charlie Osborne

Charlie Osborne

Charlie Osborne does not have financial holdings that would influence how or what she covers.

She writes for SmartPlanet and is not an employee of CBS.

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Like Kickstarter?
That doesn't seem much like Kickstarter at all. It seems more like an angel investment platform.
Posted by Daddy B
6th Feb
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