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VC per capita, Europe: $7, U.S.: $72, Israel: $144.

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Re: VC per capita, Europe: $7, U.S.: $72, Israel: $144.

#31
post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"And another thing to note is that that money is in the form of military contracts with American companies" This. People are usually oblivious that it's another way of transferring money from the government to the military industrial complex, not just supporting the single democracy in the middle east.

Very true. Most people don't know but the most controversial weapons that Israel has used in recent years, such as the cluster bombs dropped in Southern Lebanon [1] and the white phosphorous used in the Gaza Strip [2][3] were both made by the US and given to Israel through the US Military Aid program. [1] http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/5299938.stm [2] http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/arti...

> and the white phosphorous used in the Gaza Strip [2] were both made by the US and given to Israel through the US Military Aid program.

Also very true. And it should be noted that WP usage is legal under international law provided that it is used as a smokescreen and not a weapon [1]. And the reason it is provided by America is because it is used by NATO.

1. http://www.gonzagajil.org/content/view/194/26/

Re: VC per capita, Europe: $7, U.S.: $72, Israel: $144.

#32
post #21
post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not sure where you're getting your numbers from. At $30 billion over the next 10 years, per year, US aid to Israel is $412 per Israeli [1]. And of course, that will go down with population increases. And another thing to note is that that money is in the form of military contracts with American companies. It is not used to pay for Israeli infrastructure or social services AFAIK beyond a separate chunk of money ~$…

"And another thing to note is that that money is in the form of military contracts with American companies" This. People are usually oblivious that it's another way of transferring money from the government to the military industrial complex, not just supporting the single democracy in the middle east.

There are other democracies in the Middle East, Iraq for one.

Not to mention a country having kept half its population in a massive prison camp with no rights and the developed world's last remaining Apartheid system can hardly be called a democracy.

Re: VC per capita, Europe: $7, U.S.: $72, Israel: $144.

#33
post #7

I have no doubt that VC money is the lowest in Europe of those three. I wonder though how significant this metric really is, especially if the large developping countries of eastern Europe are included. Wouldn't a VC money per startup/founder be more interesting?

Remember that a huge chunk of VC funding in the US comes from Europe. Milner, anyone? Not to mention I know of at least three Austin area startups that began solely from capital raised in the EU. Europe is flush with cash, it just doesn't have so many people willing to work past 4pm.

Re: VC per capita, Europe: $7, U.S.: $72, Israel: $144.

#34
post #8

What the article misses is that London with roughly 1% of Europe's population get's 30-40% of the VC financing in Europe. So based on those figures London's VC per capita is in the region of $200-$300 (London has a similar population size to Israel).

In that case wouldn't it be better to compare London to Tel-Aviv?

Re: VC per capita, Europe: $7, U.S.: $72, Israel: $144.

#35
post #3

I wonder how much of Israel's VC money is domestic and how much pours in from the US.

For what it's worth, I've personally met with 3 European angel funds in the past 2 weeks. One of which was actually government backed corporation (that had been given explicit permission to enter Israel)

Re: VC per capita, Europe: $7, U.S.: $72, Israel: $144.

#36
post #8

What the article misses is that London with roughly 1% of Europe's population get's 30-40% of the VC financing in Europe. So based on those figures London's VC per capita is in the region of $200-$300 (London has a similar population size to Israel).

I assume VC per capita is a used as a metric because it's a useful way of assessing how much economic value the whole country can extract from the startup scene, in the same way that GDP per capita is a more useful measurement than total GDP at assessing a country's quality of life. Israel may have a similar concentration of startup companies in a city (like Tel-Aviv) and the math would then work out to a higher per…

Actually the start ups in Israel are pretty spread out, the consequence of Tel Aviv's rent being high. Really high.

Re: VC per capita, Europe: $7, U.S.: $72, Israel: $144.

#37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, the SF bay area 2.5% of the country's population (7.5M/300M) and ~50% of the VC, so 25x$72 ~= $1800/person.

Do you happen to know how NYC compares?

The denominator in NYC is very high, so poorly on that metric. It might be closer (though I suspect not particularly close) if you compared VC$/square foot, or VC$/engineer.

All these metrics are but approximations of the impossible-to-measure VC$ available/VC$ sought number that actually matters to startups. I suppose we could compare VC$/GDP$, to get some idea of how much of a nation's economy is based on startups.

Re: VC per capita, Europe: $7, U.S.: $72, Israel: $144.

#38
post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Very true. Most people don't know but the most controversial weapons that Israel has used in recent years, such as the cluster bombs dropped in Southern Lebanon [1] and the white phosphorous used in the Gaza Strip [2][3] were both made by the US and given to Israel through the US Military Aid program. [1] http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/5299938.stm [2] http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/arti...

> and the white phosphorous used in the Gaza Strip [2] were both made by the US and given to Israel through the US Military Aid program. Also very true. And it should be noted that WP usage is legal under international law provided that it is used as a smokescreen and not a weapon [1]. And the reason it is provided by America is because it is used by NATO. 1. http://www.gonzagajil.org/content/view/194/26/

The problem with WP was the way it was used in Gaza:

http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/news/israeli-army...

Re: VC per capita, Europe: $7, U.S.: $72, Israel: $144.

#39
post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> and the white phosphorous used in the Gaza Strip [2] were both made by the US and given to Israel through the US Military Aid program. Also very true. And it should be noted that WP usage is legal under international law provided that it is used as a smokescreen and not a weapon [1]. And the reason it is provided by America is because it is used by NATO. 1. http://www.gonzagajil.org/content/view/194/26/

The problem with WP was the way it was used in Gaza: http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/news/israeli-army...

Yes forgive me if don't trust Amnesty international on Israel (or any Western country for that matter) [1]. Also, WP is legal when used in a civilian area if that's where the battlefield is (Israel did not choose to fight in an urban area, Hamas did). See my same link above.

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Amnesty_Internatio...

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