Gov. Bill Haslam’s latest business recruitment trip is taking him to Israel this week, where he’s trying to build ties with that country’s booming tech sector.
The governor is leading a delegation of 24 state officials and businesspeople. They want to find out how Israel got so good at starting new companies, says Clint Brewer, the Department of Economic and Community Development’s assistant commissioner for communications and marketing.
“More venture capital investment happens in Israel, per capita, than any other country in the world,” he said.
Life science is one sector in which Tennessee wants to build bridges. Israel has an $8 billion biotech industry; Tennessee has more than 700 companies in the sector. But up to now, only a handful of Israeli companies have set up shop in Tennessee.
Officials hope this trip will encourage more to come to the state, as well as show Tennesseans how to better identify and invest in promising start-ups.
“This is very much a learning trip,” said Brewer.
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