Lessons for Greece from Israel's tech miracle

 ?Crisis can bring the development of entrepreneurship,? says Nano-Israel founder Nava Swersky

By Evgenia Tzortzi

The crisis can serve as an opportunity for the development of entrepreneurship in Greece, insists Nava Swersky, founder and president of Nano-Israel and advisor to the Israeli government, as well as to international organizations on issues of innovation, research and development.

"When you have nothing to lose, that is the right time to take a risk," she stresses in an interview with Kathimerini during a recent visit to our country.

Her visit, as well as contacts with government officials and representatives of the business and academic communities, is part of a series of initiatives being undertaken by the Embassy of Israel to promote start-up enterprises and cooperation between the two countries in the field of innovation. The high point of these initiatives is the "Start Tel Aviv 2015" competition, with submissions from Greek technology start-ups being accepted until June 5. Businesses that can apply must be at the initial stage of financing and must have already developed a prototype of their product.

It is common knowledge that the so-called miracle of Israeli start-ups may not have happened without the active support of the state, which provided sizeable resources for innovation development in the country.

How could Greece learn from Israel's example, given the lack of financing sources?

It is a fact that there was strong support from the state in Israel for innovation and research. But experience has shown that the private sector is more powerful. In a system you essentially need the infrastructure and resources, but the culture even more so. The culture does not come from...