Tel Aviv has become a major business center with companies, especially hi-tech companies, having major offices in the city. Whilst the whole of Israel’s Coastal Plain is a major hi-tech area, considered second in importance only to Silicon Valley, Tel Aviv is certainly at the heart of this. Within Tel Aviv, there are a number of distinct areas, with their own character, and with a slightly different range of firms.
Ramat Hachayal, in the east of Tel Aviv is a modern hi-tech area. Away from the center of the city, Ramat Hachayal is surrounded by residential suburbs, and was largely developed in the last ten years in direct response to the huge increase in technology activities taking place in the city. Among others, firms located here include US firms such as IBM, who maintain a major R&D facility, and global Israeli companies such as Comverse, and Ness Technologies. Ramat Hachayal has a number of great restaurants and one hotel, but is only about fifteen minutes from downtown Tel Aviv where there is a lot more action.
The city center and White City neighborhoods of Tel Aviv are also popular with hi-tech business in Tel Aviv. Although office space here is at a premium, and more expensive than elsewhere in the city, the unique character of the area means that people love to work here. Many smaller firms are located here – either earlier-stage start-ups or less labor intensive start-ups. Firms such as Face.com and Soluto are based on the famous Rothschild Boulevard, while other firms are scattered heavily across the area.
In south Tel Aviv, many of the more up-and-coming neighborhoods such as Florentin, and, on the other side of the major Road 2, Montefiore, house a number of start-up firms. The cheaper rents, proximity to the city, and trendy outlook mean that these neighborhoods are increasingly popular among start-ups, and the amount of innovation taking place here is incredible. In Montefiore, for instance, you’ll find Geosurf whose premium proxy service, a proxy toolbar, allows webmasters to see what their site looks like in over 90 locations and countries around the world.
Tel Aviv’s hi-tech industries are spread across the city, in different neighborhoods which, to an extent represent the different character of different firms. Remember though, Tel Aviv isn’t a huge city, so no matter where the business you are visiting is located, it won’t be far from the center. As Geosurf, a Tel Aviv based firm who have created a proxy toolbar (a premium proxy service) said “Tel Aviv is a hi-tech city – there are so many firms here that, unlike in other places, there isn’t just one hi-tech area, the whole city is a cluster – it’s great for a business looking for office space!”
