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2017
Combining Forces for Impact:
Can Indian-Israeli Technology Collaboration Change the World?
Dr. Aliza Inbal
I
n 2015,Bill and Melinda Gates made the
prediction that, over the next 15 years,
the lives of people in emerging markets
will improve faster than in any other period
in history and that the lives of the poor will
improve more than anyone else’s. We are
about to see major leaps towards eradication
of poverty, enhancement of food security,
and provision of healthcare to all thanks
to breakthrough technologies which are
transforming these sectors in low andmiddle
income countries (LMICs).
India is one of the countries at the forefront of
the technology for the global development
revolution.A leader in frugal innovation,India
is known for super low-cost,high-performance
innovations ranging fromEEGs to smartphones
and refrigerators.In addition,Indian companies
lead the world in cutting-edge business models
that transform even the world’s poorest into
a viable market segment.
Israel, for its part, has been developing
transformative solutions for developed
markets for decades. One of the most
innovative countries in the world, Israeli
technologies touch almost every aspect of
the lives of people in developed countries,
from USB keys, to instant messaging and
Internet firewalls, to cutting-edge solutions
for water, agriculture and healthcare. Israeli
start-ups have had global impact well beyond
the country’s relative size.However, to date,
very few Israeli start-ups have addressed the
needs of low or even lower-middle income
people worldwide.
This market myopia is not unique to Israel.
Today, innovation is a global phenomenon.
American lives are enhanced by innovations
that have been developed in Tel Aviv,Seoul,
Berlin and Copenhagen,largely for their benefit.
However,the people of the developing world
are, for the most part, left to innovate for
themselves. This is not because there is no
market opportunity.True,it is harder to build
a successful company addressing the needs
of the poor, but it can be done.
However,“Western”innovators,including those
from Israel,are hobbled by significant barriers:
lack of understanding of market needs and
of how to work in LMIC markets, difficulty
knowing how to find partners and collaborators
in-country,and insufficient access to capital
willing to invest in LMIC technologies. As a