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Prime Minister announces Saul Klein as UK Tech Envoy to Israel

PM: I'm delighted to announce we are appointing Saul Klein, someone with huge experience in early-stage investment, to be the UK's first tech envoy to Israel.

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Prime Minister David Cameron today announced the appointment of Saul Klein as the UK’s tech envoy to Israel. Mr Klein will promote the growing UK-Israel tech partnership between the two countries, working with the recently established UK Israel Tech Hub and UK Israel Tech Council. He will lead UK tech missions to Israel, bring Israeli start-ups to Britain, and host tech events in both countries; helping UK tech business to compete and thrive in the global race.

Mr Klein brings to the role huge experience as a venture capitalist and successful business executive.  He has a track record in developing successful start ups in both Britain and Israel.  He has been an advisor to the UK Israel Tech Hub since its inception, supporting its mission to promote economic growth through tech partnership between the two countries.

Announcing the appointment Mr Cameron said:

We want to work much more closely with Israel on innovation and technology, that’s why a year ago we launched the UK-Israel tech hub at our Embassy to link up with UK Israel Business, the Israeli Embassy here in London and countless talented young people in both our countries.

Just last week the Tech Hub and UKTI brought over 19 Israeli tech companies over here to meet the best of British companies and investors.

And I am delighted to announce today that we are appointing Saul Klein, someone with huge experience in early-stage investment, to be the UK’s first tech envoy to Israel.

Commenting on his appointment, Mr. Klein said:

I have worked in tech in both the UK and Israel, and I know that there is a huge potential synergy between our two tech economies. Britain could get a huge economic boost by partnering up with Israeli tech. Israeli innovation could benefit from using Britain’s global reach, world-class companies, our scientific base, our capital markets and our business development expertise. So I am excited to be appointed Britain’s Tech Envoy to Israel. It’s appropriate that our first ever Tech Envoy should be to the Start-Up nation, and I look forward to helping build the tech partnership that ought to exist between us.

Israel is a global powerhouse of innovation, with more start-ups per head than anywhere else in the world.  The UK is a natural partner for Israeli tech entrepreneurs, offering access to the world’s strongest financial centre, world-class professional and creative sectors, some of the world’s top companies, and a thriving tech community emerging out of world-class academic institutions.

Notes to editors

1. The UK-Israel Tech Hub aims to position the UK as a natural partner of choice for Israel in technology, and ensure the UK market can make full use of the breadth and quality of Israeli R&D and innovation.

2. Its creation, in October 2011, followed an agreement between Prime Ministers David Cameron and Benjamin Netanyahu to build a UK-Israel partnership in technology. The Hub’s mission is to promote that partnership, as a means to boost innovation and economic growth in both countries.

3. The Hub team brings experience in technology, business and finance; and focuses on six key areas: Digital, Life Sciences, Cleantech, Arab tech, Fintech and Government technology. The Hub’s objectives include:

  • Defining key sectors for UK/Israel collaboration;
  • Identifying and bringing innovative Israeli technology and R&D to British companies;
  • Positioning the UK in Israel as a centre for technological and services innovation and as a partner of choice for Israeli technology companies; and,
  • Tying Israeli technology players into UK capital markets.

4. The UK has a thriving tech sector, two years ago the Government committed to support the growing tech cluster in East London known as Tech City, there are now over 1300 companies there. Last week the Government announced a £50m investment towards a visionary project to regenerate the Old Street roundabout, which will see it transformed into Europe’s largest indoor civic space, dedicated to start-ups and entrepreneurs in East London. This new civic building will host classrooms, co-working spaces and workshops equipped with the latest 3D printing technology, for use by both the local start-ups and the wider community.

5. This appointment will be unpaid, and will be part of the Business Ambassador network, supported by UKTI.

Published 11 December 2012