NEW YORK – Six days before the New York City mayoral election, and amid polls predicting success for candidate Zohran Mamdani, the New York Stock Exchange invited a group of Israeli tech founders to ring the Opening Bell and officially begin the trading day, highlighting the deep and growing integration of Israeli innovation into New York’s economic ecosystem.
The ceremony marked the launch of the newly expanded database from Israeli Mapped in NY, led by founder Guy Franklin. The platform now tracks approximately 450 Israeli-founded startups operating in New York City, including around 80 cybersecurity firms, 50 fintech companies, and dozens more in digital health, real estate technology, and other emerging sectors.
“While New York focuses on the dramatic mayoral elections, we, the Israeli entrepreneurs, continue to build, invest, and grow here,” Franklin said. “Israeli innovation has already become an inseparable part of the city’s economy and its unique fabric, and it will continue to thrive well beyond Election Day.”
The database also reflects the city’s increasing activity in artificial intelligence. Several Israeli AI firms have recently opened, or soon will open, New York offices, including Decart, a new addition to the database. Yet the ecosystem remains candid about its challenges: in the past three years, an estimated 120 Israeli startups in New York have shuttered, primarily early-stage ventures unable to secure seed capital or achieve product-market fit.
The growing Israeli presence has drawn significant attention from investors. U.S.-based venture capital funds are hiring Israeli dealmakers, while Israeli investors based in New York are expanding their operations. Notable activity includes:
- Lerer Hippeau, with partner Ron Tsuri
- Greenfield Partners, which recently opened a New York office
- Viola Credit, Arkin Holdings, and Two Lanterns, founded by Michal Gillon Yanai
- Established Israeli-backed funds such as Team8 and JVP
A rising trend sees American VC firms, including Primary Venture Partners, Bain Capital, and General Atlantic, appointing dedicated investors, often with Israeli backgrounds, to lead their Israeli deal pipelines.
Israeli-founded companies headquartered in New York have also achieved a series of significant exits in recent years. Approximately 40 Israeli startups based in the city have been acquired, most in the cybersecurity sector. Notable examples include:
- Gem Security and Dazz, both acquired by Wiz
- Snyk, acquired by Armis
- Outside cybersecurity: Quack, acquired by JFrog
Interestingly, all of these acquisitions were led by Israeli acquirers, a reflection of the maturity and strength of the Israeli tech ecosystem in both New York and Israel.
“Opening the trading day at the New York Stock Exchange symbolizes the enduring faith in Israeli entrepreneurship, even as the Israeli brand faces unprecedented challenges,” said Noam Schwartz, Co-Founder and CEO of ActiveFence. “Our values, creativity, and innovation continue to illuminate the world. This is a moment of pride for anyone who believes in the power of technology to change reality.”
Another emerging pattern is that more investors are encouraging Israeli startup founders to relocate to New York shortly after funding, in order to be closer to American markets and customers.
Women are also gaining visibility in the sector. About 10% of the startups listed on Israeli Mapped in NY are female-founded or female-led, reflecting steady progress in women’s leadership across the local tech community.
“Against the backdrop of war and Israeli resilience, our entrepreneurs continue to break new ground in high-tech and biotech—serving as ambassadors for everything good in Israel,” said Dr. Michal Tsur, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Remepy. “Remepy is proud to represent the future of hybrid therapeutics, combining science and technology in partnership with leading global pharma companies.”
Israeli startups in New York tend to cluster in three core zones: Midtown through Union Square, SoHo, and Wall Street, forming what Franklin describes as “a living bridge of innovation between Tel Aviv and New York.”
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