Conexx Gala to Bring Hands-On Israeli Experience

While American consumers interact with cutting-edge Israeli products and innovations on a daily basis without even knowing it, they don’t often speak with the people behind the newest creations.

But that will change when Conexx, the America Israel Business Connector, holds its annual gala 6 to 9 p.m. May 21, this year featuring its first ever “Israeli Tech Village.”

“It is one thing to read and watch videos about all the good that comes out of Israel. It is a totally different experience to actually interact with them,” Conexx President Guy Tessler said. “We hope gala attendees will not only meet these companies, but also develop with them and others long-term relationships and continue to support the ‘Start-Up Nation’ through Conexx.”

With the gala just a few days away, the AJT is spotlighting a few of the innovations that will be on display at the tech village.

Cyber 2.0

After hosting its first American $100,000 hacker’s challenge at Georgia Tech Research Institute earlier this year, Cyber 2.0 will be showing off its software in Atlanta again.

The cybersecurity company that uses mathematical chaos theory to make breaching its defenses practically impossible is the only cybersecurity system that blocks 100 percent of attacks. That’s hard to doubt after watching it hold off nearly 2 million attacks from students, professionals and hackers in February. In the future, the challenge will go on nonstop, worldwide, with an increasing reward, truly putting Cyber 2.0 to the test.
Heralded for its use in business, government and military operations, the software has repeatedly demonstrated its security capabilities.

Gevasol

The company develops and manufactures custom-made components and sub-systems for machine builders. The products may not sound flashy, but they are vital cores of machines across the globe.

With a focus on research and development, Gevasol unites industry experts and entrepreneurs with young up-and-comers through its Idan Technology center for research and development, ensuring its products continue to innovate and future generations have access to exceptional technological education.

Calling Atlanta home for its U.S. headquarters, Gevasol will be an important part of the tech village, presenting its Israeli parts, technology and solutions.

Highcon

Founded in 2009 by Aviv Ratzman and Michael Zimmer, Highcon is an innovator in the world of printing, cutting and creasing, streamlining prepress and printing workflow. Since its first Euclid machine was installed in 2013, Highcon has been around the world, installing machines on five continents. The company has seen success filling a void in the world of e-commerce with its expertise in personalized print and packaging preparation. And while packaging is one aspect of Highcon’s work, it also appeals to designers.

Working with design schools Shenkar in Ramat Gan, Israel, and Savannah College of Art and Design, Highcon has asked students to test its products’ limitations by producing innovative and challenging designs that demonstrate the utility and artistry of Highcon’s cutting and creasing tech.

Now returning to Georgia to highlight its products, Highcon has carved a place in an ever-expanding market.

Smart Eye Tech

Founded in 2018, Smart Eye Technology began because of Dexter Caffey’s recognition of a hole in the cybersecurity market. While in Israel in 2017, Caffey was having a conversation with a cybersecurity professional and realized he could see each and every application on that professional’s phone.

Thus, the idea behind Smart Eye Technology was born. By using biometric identification — the patterns in an eye — the software ensures the security of confidential information. It also verifies that it is a live person, as opposed to an image, logging in and continuously checking to make sure the authorized person is the only one reading the document or screen.

With Israeli biometric technology at its core, Smart Eye Technology is one of many cybersecurity startups calling Georgia home and making sure its industries are keeping up with 21st century demands.

Yvel

Founded by Isaac Levy and Orna Eliav, who met at a pool party at the Hilton Hotel in Jerusalem, Yvel developed from their partnership in both life and business. In 1982, when Levy proposed to Eliav, he bucked tradition, surprising her with a pair of diamond earrings.

When the young married couple were unemployed and in need of money, it was that same courage that led the duo to jump headfirst into the jewelry business.

That was more than 30 years ago, but ever since, Yvel has been an important player in the jewelry business. In 2010, the company took on a greater role in the social climate of Israel by opening the Megemeria School of Jewelry & Art.

Megemeria, which means new beginnings in the Ethiopian language of Amharic, helps create opportunities for immigrants from Ethiopia to find professional training and employment.

The Megemeria collection, one of Yvel’s most iconic, shows off a new blending of Israeli and Ethiopian cultures through jewelry.

Yvel’s first U.S. store opened in Miami in 2015, but the company has been steadily increasing its presence in the United States and will be in Atlanta displaying its unusual designs at the gala.