NetBus [is] an app that shows Israeli commuters when to expect the bus they’re waiting for to arrive at their stop. It was supposed to go global sometime soon – and that time has arrived.
Rebranded as Ototo – a Hebrew expression for “any minute now” – the souped-up app is now available in 5,000 cities in 80 countries.
And it’s no longer just about real-time scheduling info. Ototo’s founders Snir Mac, David Vatine, Shimon Tohami and Liav Sagron have ambitious plans to use their growing crowdsourced data power to offer alternative public-transit routes (a la Waze) and even create “public transportation on demand” in the world’s busiest cities.
Roojoom is the latest buzzword you need to know for online content. It’s a new Israeli platform that helps publishers, businesses and even individuals curate web content, organize it, and guide readers.
Sounds similar to Flipboard? Marni Mandell, head of business development for Roojoom, says that while Flipboard lets people curate their favorite stories into a personalized magazine as soon as they click on a link, the reader is led elsewhere on the web. Roojoom readers stay in a pre-organized content space even when they click on a link or hyperlink, leading to increased engagement and improved click-through rates.
“It keeps people on topic even if they go off topic,” Mandell tells ISRAEL21c. “Roojoom is like a guided tour on the web. It is going to change the way people read online.”
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A new study shows that it’s profitable to do business with Israeli companies. More than 200 companies with connections to Israel contributed $6.2 billion to the Massachusetts economy last year, reports a study conducted by the consulting firm Stax and supported by Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Boston.
“Massachusetts has become a home away from home for Israel’s innovation economy,” Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick was quoted as saying by JTA.
The study says the businesses range from information technology to life sciences and software. The companies employed more than 6,600 people in 2012.
One hundred Israeli startups will have the time it takes to ride an elevator up the Azrieli Tower in Tel Aviv to make a successful pitch. It’s all part of the The International Startup Festival’s Elevator World Tour which debuted this year at the CN Tower in Toronto.
In the one-minute ride, the startups will pitch to a panel of angel investors to compete for an investment of up to $100,000.
Second only to Silicon Valley in startup magnitude, Tel Aviv recently welcomed CEOs of 12 European, Asian and South American startups to experience the entrepreneurial ecosystem for themselves.
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