Executive Summary: The Committee for Encouragement of Investments in Public Companies Engaged in R&D, formed by the Israeli Securities Authority, has recommended adopting three main solutions aimed at encouraging public funding of hi-tech companies: promoting IPOs of relatively large hi-tech companies; facilitating the establishment of publicly-traded venture capital funds and encouraging the establishment of publicly traded R&D partnerships.  The Committee also recommends establishing two extra-stock exchange funding routes for seed-stage hi-tech companies:  crowd-funding, and investor clubs.  The article below details some specific recommendations made by the Committee.

Main Article:

Israel has set a goal of promoting and developing the hi-tech sector, which is the industry of the future and one of Israel’s primary growth engines.  However, so far, the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (“TASE”) has failed to present an efficient alternative for raising public funds for companies in this sector.  In order to investigate ways of encouraging such investment in hi-tech companies via capital markets, the chairman of the Israeli Securities Authority (the “ISA”) appointed a Committee for Encouragement of Investments in Public Companies Engaged in R&D (the “Committee”).  On 4 June 2013, the Committee issued its interim report and recommendations.

Among the issues explored by the Committee aimed at facilitating public fund raising for hi-tech companies, were the adjustment of prospectus and ongoing disclosure requirements; determination of specific rules of trade and the establishment of a designated trade list; encouragement of analysis; facilitating access of foreign investors and companies to the TASE; encouragement of institutional investment in hi-tech companies; issues of structure and corporate governance; investor tax benefits.

In its interim report, the Committee recommends adopting three main solutions aimed at encouraging public funding of hi-tech companies: promoting IPOs of relatively large hi-tech companies; facilitating the establishment of publicly-traded venture capital funds and encouraging the establishment of publicly traded R&D partnerships.  The Committee also recommends establishing two extra-stock exchange funding routes for seed-stage hi-tech companies:  crowd-funding, and investor clubs.  In the following paragraphs, we have highlighted some specific recommendations made by the Committee.

IPOs: the Committee recommends enabling growth-stage companies (generally, with a post-IPO market cap of at least ILS 250 million, or sales of at least ILS 80 million per annum and a market cap of at least ILS 185 million) to go public on a designated trade list, to be known as “Tech Elite”.  The Committee also recommends looking at ways to incentivize the creation of derivative markets for Tech Elite securities.  The Committee further recommends that for a limited period of time and subject to additional conditions, investments of up to ILS 5 million in IPOs of Tech Elite companies may be written off and regarded and recognized as a capital loss in the year in which they were made.

Disclosure: the Committee recommends relieving Tech Elite companies from some of the more stringent disclosure requirements, during the first few years after listing.  For example, such companies will be able to enjoy the reporting and disclosure benefits of small-cap companies.  They will also be permitted to do their financial reporting according to GAAP (rather than IFRS), and will not be required to file quarterly management reports.  The ISA will be authorized to allow further extenuations, depending on circumstances.

Corporate governance: Elite Tech companies will be permitted – during the first few years following listing – to implement less stringent corporate governance controls.  For instance, they will not have to appoint a financial reports committee, their chief executive officer may also act as the chairman of the board, their compensation controls may be less strict, and they may simplify certain mechanisms for the approval of interested party transactions.

Delaware entities; language of reports: in order to encourage hi-tech companies incorporated in Delaware to list their securities in Israel, the Committee suggests permitting such entities to report in English (alongside a general recommendation to permit Tech Elite companies to file in English).

Listed VCs; R&D Partnerships: the Committee envisages two forms of publicly-traded VCs, which shall both act as mutual investment funds (under the applicable Israeli legislation): limited-period funds (of up to 15 years), and evergreen funds (whose duration may be terminated by resolution of the interestholders).  These VCs will be permitted to invest up to 30% of their proceeds in Israeli, or Israeli-oriented, unlisted hi-tech companies.  R&D partnerships are VCs that are co-managed by unaffiliated strategic investors (in the relevant field of investment) and financial investors (who will act as joint general partners), who will each have to hold a significant stake in the partnership.  R&D partnerships will have durations of no more than 15 years.

Crowdfunding: following on the US JOBS Act, the Committee recommends excluding certain crowdfunding activities from the scope of securities regulation and provide safe harbour for crowdfunding financing.  Funds raised by crowdfunding will be limited to ILS 2 million (approximately US$550,000) during each 12-month period.  Generally, an investor will be permitted to invest up to ILS 20,000 (approximately US$5,500) during any 12-month period, with each investment limited to ILS 10,000 (approximately US$ 2,750).

Sophisticated investor clubs: the investor club model would enable companies to raise higher amounts of funding compared to crowdfunding, from fewer and more sophisticated investors.  Contingent upon prescreening of such investors, so as to make sure they meet the “eligible investor” threshold set forth in Israeli security regulations, investments made through such clubs will also be exempt of stringent security regulation.

Assuming adoption of the Committee’s recommendations into law, these are set to revolutionize the ways in which hi-tech, bio-tech, bio-med and other R&D companies may raise funds in Israel.