The Take-Off of Israeli High-Tech Entrepreneurship During the 1990s: A Strategic Management Research Perspective

During the 1990s, the state of Israel established its global high tech sector. The number of startups rose to almost 3,000, while total venture capital available reached approximately $3bn. This book emphasizes the multilevel nature of this development from a strategic management perspective. The first level focuses at the country global processes emphasizing the entry of foreign multinational corporations and the privatization of state owned enterprises. The second level focuses on the government and its role in establishing the technological incubators and venture capital industries. The third level focuses on the sources of new start ups and the role of veterans of elite technological units of Israel Defense Forces and women entrepreneurs. The fourth level focuses on the emerging organizations and the role of the board of directors and competitive intelligence capabilities and practices. Finally, the fifth level focuses at the industry level, emphasizing the role of the large number of new firms in creating new industrial sectors. The multilevel paradigm describes the sequential effects, starting at the first global level, and the interactive effects, across all five levels.