For decades, American companies and investment funds viewed Israel primarily as a source of startups, technology, and talent. A place to identify ideas and people and then scale them in larger markets. In line with that perception, many Israeli companies have succeeded, and continue to succeed, in the US market.
Over time, and largely because of those successes, the reality has shifted. Those who continue to see Israel only through this prism are missing a material and capital-rich dimension. Israel is no longer only the Startup Nation. Alongside its role as a global technology center, it has quietly evolved into a significant, increasingly sophisticated pool of capital actively seeking exposure to public markets. One that companies listed on Nasdaq should view not as a curiosity, but as a strategic market in its own right.
Discussions with analysts and brokers point to an unusually large concentration of Israeli capital invested in Nasdaq-listed companies. There is no single official figure, but estimates consistently range from tens of billions of dollars to well over $100B. This is not dormant wealth. It is liquid, active capital, constantly reallocating in search of returns.
A relative comparison helps put the scale into context. Based on these estimates, Israeli investment in Nasdaq exceeds that of several prominent European countries combined, including Poland, Austria, Greece, Portugal, and the Czech Republic. A small country, but one with an outsized and highly informed capital.
Despite this, most American companies still do not treat Israel as a priority market for investor relations. That may be starting to change.
Over the past month, I have spoken with executives at Poalim Tech, Israeli and US-based investor relations professionals, and senior figures in income-producing real estate companies. All describe a similar development. A new category of foreign companies is beginning to explore the Israeli market, not to establish local operations or R&D centers, but simply to build presence. A small number of companies have already begun meeting local investors and engaging directly with the market. Our firm has also started receiving atypical inquiries from overseas companies interested in limited communications activity or targeted events in Israel, despite having no local business operations. These remain early signals, but structural shifts often begin quietly.
Israeli investors, institutional and retail alike, display a strong technological orientation. They are typically English-speaking, data literate, and comfortable analyzing growth stocks, crypto assets, energy, and AI infrastructure. For many, Nasdaq functions as a domestic market. Retail investors actively consume financial media, follow global opinion leaders, and participate in communities with meaningful aggregated buying power. This is substantial capital, and it is generally informed, engaged, and influential.
I saw this dynamic firsthand this week in the investor group 'Roni Loves Tesla', of which I am a member. In a poll of preferred stocks, two names emerged at the top: IREN and IONQ. The fact that Israeli retail investors simultaneously highlight a mid-sized Australian company focused on Bitcoin mining and AI infrastructure, alongside a US-based quantum computing growth company, illustrates the depth of technological fluency and curiosity within the local investor base. This is not a market serious public companies can afford to overlook.
The question, therefore, is not whether Israel is relevant to American companies, but how long it will take for them to fully internalize it. As the dust of war gradually settles, Israel is re-entering the global corporate meeting circuit, not as a development destination, but as a capital market. Companies that establish a presence early, build credibility, and engage investors in their own language will find a cohesive investor community and an accessible pool of capital estimated at more than $100B.
The author is the founder of Dani Levy Communications, a strategic communications advisory firm.
Legal disclaimer. The views expressed reflect the author’s opinion only and do not constitute investment advice. The author may hold positions in the assets mentioned.