Interest from foreign investors in Israeli cybersecurity firms dramatically increased in 2018 to surpass $1 billion in investments, a new report by Start-Up Nation Central.
Start-Up Nation Central, which tracks Israel’s tech industry, said in their newly released report that “Israel’s longstanding position as a leader in the global effort to prevent cyber-crime remains indisputable”.
Israel’s cyber industry globally takes 20% of the overall venture-backed cyber investments. Towards the end of 2018, Israel had 450 active cybersecurity companies, over 10% founded in the past year.
Funding for the cybersecurity sector in Israel hit $1.19 billion in 117 deals in 2018, a record-breaking amount for the fourth year in a row. The sum exceeded 2017 investments by 47%.
CyberTech is a cybersecurity conference taking place this week in Tel Aviv will have over 15,000 attendees from over 80 different countries.
Non-Israeli VC investors continue to be a dominant player in the industry in Israel, contributing to 65% of the investment deals.
Cybersecurity sector head at Start-Up Nation Central, Nir Falevich said that the jump in investment deals of late-stage companies during 2018 moves the focus from early-stage startups to maturing companies that generate significant revenue.
