New York home to 30 Israeli-founded unicorns
The companies have created more than 14,700 jobs worldwide and represent a total value of $67.5 billion
Thirty Israeli-founded unicorns - private companies valued at $1 billion or more - now have their global or American headquarters in New York State, according to the United States - Israel Business Alliance (USIBA). The 30 companies are all based in New York, which remains the city with the largest number of unicorns founded by Israelis outside Tel Aviv.
"New York remains a financial and international center that offers Israeli entrepreneurs a concentration of resources to create global companies," said USIBA President Aaron Kaplowitz.
"In recent years, the growing number of Israeli-founded unicorns in New York has convinced many Israeli founders at the beginning of their careers that the Empire State is the ideal gateway to the United States."
The presence of Israeli-founded unicorns in New York has increased steadily. In 2019, five unicorns founded by Israelis had their global or American headquarters in New York. In 2020, this number increased to nine.
In 2021, the number of unicorns has climbed to 21. The current number of unicorns founded by Israelis marks an increase of 15 percent compared to 2022, when 26 unicorns founded by Israelis had their world or American headquarters in New York.
The 30 companies together created some 14,717 direct jobs worldwide. The three largest direct job creators are Via (1,200), Verbit (1,000) and Wiz (833).
"The impressive valuations only tell part of the story," Mr Kaplowitz said. "When we talk about Israeli-founded unicorns, we are talking about economic dynamos that contribute to local innovation ecosystems, create jobs and generate income," he explained.
The total valuation of the 30 unicorns amounts to $67.5 billion. The current average value of unicorns founded by Israelis in New York is therefore $2.25 billion. The three most highly valued companies are Wiz ($10 billion), Fireblocks ($8 million) and Melio ($4 billion).
The United States-Israel Business Alliance is a non-profit organization based in the United States, whose objective is to promote economic ties between the two countries. The group based its report on open data resources, publicly available information and interviews with business leaders and industry analysts.