Israeli startups head to Dubai to tout medical, health technologies

Representatives of 11 Israeli companies are headed to Dubai this week as part of a delegation organized by the Economy and Industry Ministry to take part in a leading medical technologies exhibition showcasing innovations in healthcare.

The annual event, Arab Health, brings together thousands of entrepreneurs, business people, healthcare professionals, and government officials from across the Mideast region and the world. It will run from Monday to Thursday this week at the Dubai World Trade Center. According to the event’s organizers, over 50,000 people are expected to attend.

This will be Israel’s second time participating in the yearly conference since the US-brokered Abraham Accords were reached in August 2020. The historic agreement normalized ties between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, quickly followed by Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco. While Israelis have long maintained quiet commercial and security ties with the UAE, the normalization agreement was seen as a potential economic boon, with increased access to the global business and shipping hub of Dubai, on top of tourism and energy.

Israel’s consul-general in Dubai, Ilan Sztulman Starosta, said last November that bilateral trade between Israel and the UAE had reached approximately $700 million since the accords were signed.

The Foreign Trade Administration at the Economy Ministry and the Israel Export Institute are leading the Israeli delegation, which includes executives from Israeli health and medical tech companies such as TytoCare, a telehealth startup that developed an artificial intelligence-based device that enables clinicians to perform remote medical examinations; Brainsway, which developed non-invasive treatments for brain disorders based on deep transcranial magnetic stimulation (Deep TMS); and Flight Medical, a company that makes portable respiratory ventilators for home care, emergencies, transport, and hospitals.

Israeli startup BioBeat, the developer of a sensor-based wearable device to help monitor patients remotely and perform readings such as blood pressure, respiratory rate, and blood oxygen saturation, will also take part in the event.

The Economy Ministry said in a statement that the participating companies are expected to meet with government representatives from South Korea, Japan, India, and Singapore, among other countries.

Economy Minister Orna Barbivai said in a statement that digital health and medical technologies were among some of Israel’s core strengths, with Israeli companies scoring “groundbreaking developments in the field.”

Barbivai said business connections at such events could “strengthen exports of services and goods significantly.”

Gadi Ariely, CEO of the Israel Export Institute, said the exhibition will “open new markets for Israeli companies to countries in Asia and Africa” and “position the State of Israel as a leader in the health industry in the UAE as well.”

Israel boasts over 1,500 companies in the life sciences sector, which is generally divided into four major subsectors – digital health, medical devices, biotechnology, and pharmaceutical therapeutics. The Times of Israel