Overview

Israel

A world leader in entrepreneurship and technological innovation

Established in 1948, Israel is a small country that has overcome constant conflict and shares many similarities with South Korea. Despite unfavorable circumstances, Israel has demonstrated resilience during economic crises with trademark Chutzpah, undergoing initiatives such as the Yozma Fund, Technology Incubator, Public Technology Commercialization, and Global Enterprise R&D Center to become an internationally recognized nation of start-ups and technological innovation.

Yozma Fund

Israeli venture capital markets successfully driving growth

The Yozma Fund was created in conjunction with the Israeli government in 1993 to support the globalization of Israeli start-ups and to foster the growth of Israel’s venture capital industry. The Fund was privatized in 1998.

Yozma Group Korea

Forward Base in Asia

Yigal Erlich founded Yozma Group Korea to serve as the hub for Asia region in 2015. Drawing from the Israeli-style incubation system and its global network, the company provides services in all areas, from investment to exit, in order to cultivate exponential growth by helping Korean and Asian companies make headway in the global market.

”Many investments in startups failed in Israel before 1993. However, with the establishment of the Yozma Fund, the Israeli government was able to foster both the expansion of the venture capital sector and growth of startups.

The government support stimulated investments from private funds and foreign asset management companies, which led to the formation of a global investment network. This became the backbone of Yozma Fund’s success.

Yigal ErlichFounder & Chairman, Managing Partner

History

1993

· Establishment of Israel Yozma Fund

1998

· Privatization of Yozma Fund

2013

· Opening of Yozma Group’s Korean Liaison Office

2014

· Selected 10 incubating companies

2015

· Establishment of Yozma Group Korea Corporation
· Selected as Hanwha S&C Start-up Planning Agency

2016

· Opening of Yozma Campus(Pangyo)
· Hanyang University ERICA Campus Incubating Operation
· Bio-specialized TIPS operator

2017

· Accelerating operation of Daegu Center for Creative Economy & Innovation
· Yozma-Israeli Embassy’s Opening of ‘Start Tel Aviv 2017’ Start-up Contest

2018

· Corporation Registration for Yozma Group Singapore
· Creation of Numerous Yozma Global Funds
· Hosted “Israel Day” Program for ABF IN SEOUL
· Formation of Yozma Global Fund

2019

· Addition of Global AC business with Gyeongbuk TP, Ulsan TP, Gyeongbuk Center for Creative Economy & Innovation, etc.
· Yozma Group Singapore’s Acquisition of Open-end Fund (VCC) Licenses

2020

· Ran K-Global Accelerator programs & executed seed investment
· Operation of Jeonbuk Global Venture Acceleration Project
· Carried out Gyeongbuk SME, Venture Support Project and Supported their Global Expansion
· Operation of Pohang Global Valuechain Program

2021

· Formed and managed 32 project & blind funds
· Ran BORN-TO-BE-GLOBAL training program in partnership with KOTRA
· MoU w/ Naver cloud, GS global, KOSA & Born2Global
· MoU w/ FOMEK, Formed Korea-Israel Middle-sized Enterprise Growth Fund

2022

· Hosted the VIP Gala Dinner celebrating the 60th anniversary of Korea-Israel diplomatic relations & launched Korea-Israel Conference
· Launched the Yozma Innovation Center
· Ran the acceleration program for the K-Global Startup Innovation
· Moved into Busan Int’l Finance Center (BIFC)

2023

· World Class Association Delegation to Israel
· Hosted the Korea-Israel VIP Gala Dinner & General Meeting of promoters of the Korea-Israel Conference
· Hosted the Bio-Healthcare Forum
· Hosted the Israel Night as part of World Knowledge Forum

2024

· Establishment of the Korea-Israel Conference Association
· Publication of the book "High-Tech Nation Israel"