Colorado aims to attract Israelis with its growing technology sector and natural beauty
A new Chamber of Commerce to support the economic partnership between Israel and the U.S. state of Colorado has been established to attract Israelis to the Centennial State. The Colorado-Israel Chamber of Commerce is a nonprofit, nongovernmental membership organization that serves as a representative voice of the two regions and promotes trade, commerce and innovation.
“People move to New York for the city, for the environment, for the ‘craziness,'” said co-founder and Israel director Jordan Kastrinsky. “People leave New York and go to Colorado because they want nature.” The state is in the middle of the country and boasts a range of outdoor activities that fit the lifestyle of typical Israelis: skiing, hiking, canoeing and kayaking are all common hobbies in a region surrounded by mountains and plains. “People move there for that reason,” he added.
Of course, Colorado’s appeal isn’t limited to its natural beauty. The state ranked third for early-stage startup job creation, the city of Denver was ranked the second best place for businesses and careers, and Boulder came in second as the best city for startups and entrepreneurs. Colorado has more than 700 life sciences companies that generate $11.2 billion annually and the highest density of biomedical engineers in the country. According to Kastrinsky, who is a native Coloradan but now lives in Israel, Israeli firms Kamada and Teva Pharmaceuticals already have a presence in Colorado, as do major firms like Check Point and NICE that partner with the state’s tech companies and academic institutions.
The chamber is led by Kastrinsky and Jerimiah Baronberg, who also heads the Colorado office. It works to promote four major technology sectors: water and agriculture, energy, biotechnology, and homeland security and aerospace. That diversity helps the chamber focus on areas that are “related to life” and allows a wide range of companies to come to the state to do business. “We focused on those because Colorado is particularly strong in those four sectors,” he added. “They have a need for that kind of innovation, and the Israeli ecosystem is very strong in those four sectors.”
Israelis looking to expand their business to the US often overlook smaller states in favor of coastal hubs like New York and California. While current trends show this shifting to other areas like Texas, Arizona or Florida, many states in the middle of the country are often forgotten or overlooked. Colorado may be large in area, but it has a population of less than 6 million, far less than Israel. Still, its location in the middle of the country can help Israelis looking to work with both sides of the country.
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Jordan Kastrinsky and Jeremiah Baronberg
(Photos: Jordan Kastrinsky/Jeremiah Baronberg)
With all that in mind, the Centennial State still shows its strength through its business results: Colorado is home to more than 200 defense contractors and military facilities, which bodes well for Israel’s booming defense technology sector. Its energy sector is also attractive, contributing more than $13 billion to the state’s economy, with Israeli companies like SolarEdge launching renewable energy and smart grid projects in the state.
One of the chamber’s main goals is to create networking opportunities and events to bring Israelis and Coloradans closer together. It already cooperates with the World Trade Center Denver and the Federation of Israel Chambers of Commerce and is pursuing a bilateral program between Colorado and the Israel Innovation Authority.
As for Jewish life in the state, Kastrinsky acknowledges that while Colorado can’t match the size and reach of other states, Colorado’s “very strong bloc of Jews” is gaining momentum and supporting pro-Israel initiatives amid a nationwide wave of anti-Semitism. “Every single person we’ve spoken to at the state level is very much in favor of our idea and they want it to succeed,” he said. “If we’re being honest, if I had to put my money on Colorado or Michigan, I’d put it on Colorado any day because most people there ‘live and let live.'” Colorado has traditionally been considered a political swing state (it’s been trending left in recent years), its people are more “libertarian” than typical states and were famously the first in the country to legalize marijuana. “They just don’t want the government telling them what to smoke,” Kastrinsky added.
Colorado’s current governor is Democrat Jared Polis, a Jewish entrepreneur and businessman who co-founded Techstars. Congress also continues to have Jewish leaders, with Michael Bennet serving since 2009. The state also had a major influence on Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir, who spent formative years there as a teenager. Today, the state is working to strengthen its technology industries and remain competitive outside of its traditional sectors, such as advanced manufacturing and agriculture. And as the state works to attract new talent, the Colorado-Israel Chamber of Commerce will be there to help.
“Don’t do it alone. California, New York or Michigan are a few years ahead of us and we need to make a name for ourselves there,” Kastrinsky said. “The Israelis are successful in New York because New York is very similar to Israel in its mentality… People in Colorado are a little more relaxed. They still have the western cowboy mentality, so you have to be nice, respectful and understand that reality because that’s real there,” he concluded.
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