Press Releases
02/28/2022
Governor Lamont and Representatives of Connecticut’s Delegation Highlight Recent Economic Development Mission to Israel
(NEW HAVEN, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont today held a news conference in New Haven to highlight his recent economic development mission to Israel that he participated in with representatives from Connecticut’s public and private sectors. The visit focused on building and strengthening connections between the state and members of Israel’s innovation ecosystem, which included key meetings with venture capitalists, incubators, accelerators, and thought leaders.
The delegation from Connecticut included representatives from Raytheon, Hartford HealthCare, Digital Currency Group, the Jewish Federation Association of Connecticut, the University of Connecticut, the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development, and Connecticut Innovations.
The governor and the delegation met with partners and founders from Strauss Group, Viola, Vintage and OurCrowd and attended several roundtable discussions with Google. The trip culminated with a VentureClash event led by Connecticut Innovations, the state’s venture capital arm and featured six pitches from companies looking to expand to the United States.
In addition to meeting with business leaders, Governor Lamont met with several Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, President Isaac Herzog, and Dr. Salman Zarka, Israel’s chief COVID-19 officer. Interim UConn President Dr. Radenka Maric and representatives from Technion also led a session around their clean energy initiative.
The governor also visited Yad Vashem, Israel’s official memorial to the victims of the Holocaust, where he participated in a lighting ceremony of the Eternal Flame.
“The mission to Israel to meet with business leaders and learn more about the innovation ecosystem in Israel was very successful,” Governor Lamont said. “In addition to meeting with more than a dozen businesses in Israel, we also met with leading investors, incubators, accelerators, and thought leaders in the country. From those meetings, we have already established next steps and additional opportunities to work together in the future.”
“We were fortunate to bring the best and the brightest Connecticut delegation members with us to meet and network with early-stage companies interested in expanding to the United States,” Matt McCooe, CEO of Connecticut Innovations, said. “We continue to further our efforts to turn Connecticut into a global tech and bioscience destination for companies and talent.”
“We had an incredibly productive trip to Israel,” Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner David Lehman said. “The governor led delegation meetings with high-growth Israeli companies, venture firms, established companies, and the Israeli government. Our meetings were singularly focused on how to increase collaboration between our two economies and mutually beneficial direct investment. I am optimistic about the future of the Connecticut-Israel economic relationship.”
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