JERUSALEM, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- The number of start-ups in Israel has been gradually declining in recent years, according to figures released Wednesday by SNC (Start Up Nation Central) organization.
In 2014, there were more than 1,000 start-ups opened in Israel, which for many years is considered a start-up nation. In 2015, the number dropped to 943, following year was only 932, and in 2017 only 700 start-ups opened in the country.
At the same time, there is an increase in the number of Israeli start-ups closed. In 2014 it was only 221, in 2015 it rose to 376 and in 2016 it jumped to 468.
In 2017, 408 companies were closed, but the number is not final because additional companies will be added to the list. This year, 187 new companies have been listed, compared to 88 that have been closed.
According to SNC's analysts, by 2017 many of the ideas that had already been funded and established, and the good entrepreneurs were already active in companies that existed before that year.
According to the data, from 2014 there has also been a steady decline in the number of initial fund-raising rounds of Israeli start-ups.
The report also shows that 11 R&D (research and development) centers of international companies have opened in Israel since 2014, an average of 2.34 per year.
Data from Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics indicate that this trend is accelerating: since 1989, the share of the number of R&D centers in Israel has increased, and since 2004, this trend has accelerated.
SNC, located in the coastal city of Tel Aviv, is a non-profit organization, which leverages its in-depth knowledge of Israel's innovation sector to connect business leaders, governments, and non-governmental organizations from across the globe to the most relevant people and technologies that can address their most pressing challenges.
