The Jerusalem Thesis

A visual case for why Jerusalem is the future of the Startup Nation

Graph showing distribution of tech companies and employees in Israeli cities with text in Hebrew. The x-axis represents the percentage of companies, while the y-axis represents the percentage of employees. Various cities are marked on the graph, indicating their positions in terms of company and employee distribution. A highlighted box indicates Tel Aviv's significant percentage of employees and companies.

Top 30 Tech City Globally

#2 in Israel for Tech Companies

550 companies, 2x the next big city, Haifa, top 2/3 exits in Israel (Mobileye, NDS).
But Haifa is 3x our employees - Although Jerusalem is 3x larger than Haifa.
Jerusalem is Israel’s true “startup city”: many small companies and missing big companies to grow to its next level.
In Israel, 16% of the working population is in tech. Jerusalem has 331,200 working people.
This doesn’t include tech jobs in non-tech industries (x1.4) and freelancers (guess x1.1-1.2).

Jerusalem can grow from 30,000 to 60,000 tech employees by 2035 with large companies

Infographic with Hebrew text showing statistics about students and academia in Jerusalem. It includes a table of university and college data across various fields, such as natural sciences and computer science. An aerial photo of a tower in Jerusalem is included. The Jerusalem Development Authority logo is at the bottom.

300:1 Supply Of Junior Talent

10,000 students VS 30 junior jobs (100 yearly)
Before bootcamps and other programs for Haredi, Arab etc.
Enough room for 300 multinationals to grow.

We must solve the Junior problem to keep 99% of students in Jerusalem,
3-5 years later we will have thousands more seniors per year.

Job listing webpage for Jerusalem Tech Jobs with filters for experience and industry. Titles include Junior Backend Engineer and Junior Mobile Developer.
Pie chart showing employment distribution among young people in the high-tech sector in 2019, divided by gender and religious/ethnic groups, including non-Haredi Jewish men and women, Arab men and women, and Haredi men and women. Data presented in Hebrew.

Future of Israel’s Talent

Israel is missing 100,000+ talent. Has failed to integrate Haredi & Arab.

Jerusalem is the largest Arab city, and the largest Haredi city in Israel by far.
More Arabs than people in Haifa (367,000).
More Haredim than people in Beer Sheva. (257,000)
80% arab women and 50% haredi men don’t work today.
15% of working population works in tech.
Haredis & Arab both need junior jobs in large companies to grow.


Jerusalem alone has the 100,000 employees Israel is missing.

Bar chart depicting Jewish and Arab population percentages in Jerusalem from 1980 to 2020. Four donut charts for 1980, 1990, 2000, and 2010 show the distribution of Jewish (red) and Arab (orange) populations. Jewish population percentages decrease from 74% in 1980 to 61% in 2020, while Arab population percentages increase from 26% to 39%.
Bar chart showing population figures for major cities in Israel, 2020. Bars represent Jerusalem (951,100), Tel Aviv (463,800), Haifa (283,700), Rishon Lezion (256,100), and Be'er Sheva (210,600), using icon figures to visualize data.
Aerial view of a modern architectural complex with high-rise buildings, surrounded by greenery and a highway, in an urban landscape.

Fast Train + City Gate + Remote Work = Branches

Saturation in Tel Aviv and salaries skyrocketing.
Companies getting used to having their employees commute
Nobody wants to commute.

Companies are ready to open offices and see what happens.

Sign with Apple logo and address '12 Maskit' in front of a modern office building.

Apple, Microsoft, Nvidia, Oracle here. Google, Amazon next.

Multinational companies create junior jobs, unlock Arab talent. Acquire startups.
Senior talent is available so more startups grow (with hope of exit)
Country can expand its reach abroad for Olim because of more jobs.

Multinationals drive 2nd wave of growth in Jerusalem’s tech community

Urban plaza with modern buildings, trees, and pedestrians, adjacent to a street with cars.
Bar chart comparing population groups in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and Haifa for 2020, labeled in Hebrew. Red bars represent Jewish populations, and orange bars represent Arab populations. The chart shows higher population numbers in Jerusalem compared to Tel Aviv and Haifa.

The Competitive Case for #1

Both haredis and Arabs don’t and won’t work in Tel Aviv. Jerusalem has to hire them.
Arabs only work in multinational companies with junior jobs (happening in Haifa).
Arab success stories unlock more employees, and startups.
Arab startup investment in Israeli region unlocks the middle east.

Jerusalem will become #1, surpassing Tel Aviv.

Haredi American entrepreneurs open startups in Jerusalem, creating thousands of jobs.
Local english-speaking Haredis start their own company and succeed. Inspire more.
Working Haredi men and Arab women dramatically reduce Jerusalem’s (and country’s) expenses.

Increased income + reduced expenses = profit. Jerusalem and country become rich.