Haifa tech hub, including Intel building (far left). Photo: wiki commons.

Israeli high-tech startup companies were bought out for a total of $5.5 billion in 2012, according to a report published by PricewaterhouseCoopers Israel. The report showed that the 50 buy-out deals for Israeli high-tech startups in 2012 averaged $111 million in size, an all-time high.

In 2006, Israeli high-tech start-ups were acquired for a record $10 billion, but the average total per deal was smaller than in 2012, showing that buy-out deals have become fewer, but larger, in the Israeli high-tech sector in recent years.

Rubi Suliman, the head of PwC’s high-tech practice, was quoted by The Wall Street Journal as saying that the 2012 numbers reflected a maturing Israeli market. “There is a long discussion about whether exits are good for Israel or should we build larger multinational companies,” Suliman was quoted as saying.

“Recently, we are seeing Israeli companies grow, and become world leaders in their areas. We are seeing companies with revenues of over $100 million. We did not see these in the past. They were being sold much earlier, often pre-revenue.”