Li Ka-Shing. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

Li Ka-Shing

Investor

Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-Shing, a friend to Israel, has a history in fueling its reputation as a “start-up nation.” One recent example: he spearheaded a $10 million investment round in the Israeli start-up Tipa, a developer of rapidly biodegradable packaging for beverages. Already, he has achieved great heights in Israel. He made millions with his investment in Waze, a traffic-mapping start-up which was recently purchased by Google for $1.1 billion. He reportedly used proceeds from the sale to donate $130 million to Technion, Israel’s leading engineering university, to help establish a joint academic venture with a university in China’s Guangdong Province.