Israel investors raise£58m

BRITISH JEWS have played “an incredibly important” role in helping an Israeli firm to break the record for the largest investment in an equity crowdfunding company.

OurCrowd, a Jerusalem-based investment platform, raised £58 million in its latest round of funding.

The company has pumped more than £170 million into 100 Israeli businesses in less than four years — fuelling the creation of everything from robotic legs to fingerprint-operated guns and cannabis inhalers — and is set to open an office in London in early 2017.

Jon Medved, chief executive and founder, said his company was set to hit $1 billion (£810 million) in funding by 2020, with the British community forming a crucial part of that process.

“The support we receive from the UK’s community of small institutional investors, family offices and high net worth individuals, especially but not limited to the Jewish community, is a very important part of our continued success.”

“You guys have a lot of people who are interested in Israel.”

He added: “The Israel-UK relationship is strategically important for both countries, and we enable people to invest and strengthen that relationship.”

OurCrowd currently has offices in North America, Israel and Australia.

Mr Medved said: “We have got to have an office in Europe, and as far I’m concerned you’re a good place to start.

“What we’re doing is opening up the Israeli investor scene to a whole load of people who haven’t had the chance to invest in it yet.”