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Dear Silicom Ventures members,

As 2006 comes to a close, we look back on another fruitful year of growth. The Silicom Ventures fund is in serious due diligence process with the intention of investing in one of the companies which was funded already by Silicom members. Our membership grew 50% and it is straining the venue at KPMG. Our selection process for new members will be more rigorous to reflect our limited capacity. During 2006 we were contacted by some 2000 companies 100 of which were selected to present, 5 received funding and 3 are under advanced due diligence.

We thank you, our members, for this continued success and are pleased to share with you some of the year's achievements.

We featured high profile speakers such as Eli Harari, Dov Moran, Wally Rhines and Ray Bingham. In the spirit of bringing our members events of current interest, we hosted the former Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, for an engaging talk on Nuclear Proliferation and Economics.

We've held panel discussions on topics such as Alternative Fuel, Digital Media, Economy and Ecology, Open Source, the future of Semiconductor technology and rounded the year up with a panel on investment and M&A trends.

Our International exposure has reached new heights with the first International Entrepreneur Summit in Israel, and global events for Mexico, the Netherlands and the Canary Islands. The next International Summit is already in the works and will be held in China next April.

We hope to continue bringing our membership interesting and exciting events, and as always, welcome your feedback and suggestions.

Happy New year.

Gadi Behar

 
FINAL STAGES OF DUE DILIGENCE 
ILCU, a Social Networking startup, presented in November, due diligence was conducted by a few members. A final meeting for serious investors will be held on January 4th 4:30 at Silicom Ventures office. MORE
Yoggie Security Systems Ltd. is back, raising a bridge loan in preparation for its 2nd round . If you are interested please contact Eli Sternheim who is the lead investor.
Semi Solutions, a Semiconductor IP company, is looking for a small round to fund its validation process. David Deacon is the lead investor.
 
INITIAL STAGES OF DUE DILIGENCE 

ClickTale provides the first non-intrusive and continuous web usability and visitor analysis service. The company's CEO is Dr. Tal Schwartz, an Israei serial entrepreneur who presented to Silicom members in the last meeting. If you are interested please contact Gadi.

 
UPDATE FROM A FEW PORTFOLIO COMPANIES

Chakshu Research's FDA Phase I/II clinical trial enrollment is now closed More

eAsic Expands Global Presence by Adding New Channel Partners in Asia More

Satori Labs Advance Development Group Joins Satori Labs As New Value-Added Reseller More

Ponte Solution Collaborates With UMC on Design-For-Yield Methodology More

Spectros year-to-date third-quarter sales rose 35% over the same-period sales in 2005 More

SwapThing.com Launches SwapServices To Help Small Businesses and Services Save and Make Money More

 
SILICOM DELEGATION TO THE CANARY ISLANDS  
Nineteen Silicom Ventures delegation members attended the Canary Islands International Summit last month. The first two days were spent in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria where we toured the old town and dined at the original Christopher Columbus House. We visited the University of Las Palmas which is famous for its incubator program and bio-technology facilities, and heard presentations from European and American companies.The presentations were targeted at local investors. On day three and four we sailed to the island of Tenerife, where we visited the Institute of Astrophysics and the highest volcanic mountain in Spain. Coincidentally the King and Queen of Spain also decided to visit the island of Tenerife on these dates, so the city was all decorated. We enjoyed a very gracious and warm welcome from our hosts and we look forward to our next visit in the Canary Islands. Click here for pictures.
 
NEXT INTERNATIONAL SUMMIT IN CHINA

On April 13th we are planning to hold an 8 days summit in China. We will be visiting Beijing, Wuhan and Shanghai (Click here for the tentative itinerary). The objectives are to meet with local government officials and companies, and explore partnership opportunities while visiting famous tourists attractions and enjoying socializing with other members and sampling the exciting nightlife (show, restaurants ect.) in modern China. If you are interested to join the delegation, please email us.

 
"STEM CELL" AND "CLEAN TECH" KICK OFF 2007

On January 9th Silicom Ventures will hold its first meeting in 2007. The meeting will focus on two topics which are very close to our hearts, Stem Cell and Alternative Energy. The two keynote speakers are Dr. Irving Weissman a world renown Stem Cell expert and Ray A. Rothrock a Managing General and Partner at Venrock Associates. Dr. Weissman will discuss "What Stem Cells Mean to Science, Medicine and California". Mr Rothrock will provide a Venture Capitalist's point of view on the current situation of Clean Technology and investment opportunities. Click here to view the invitation.

 
PANEL DISCUSSION: INVESTING IN MEDICAL DEVICE

On February 13th we will focus on medical device investment opportunities under the title "New technology in the Medical Arena: Is there a winning model for new devices?" If you would like to join the event committee please email Tal

 
SAVE THE DATE: COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE SYMPOSIUM
In 2007 we are adding a new building block to the investment opportunities to our members, i.e. investment in Real Estate. We will showcase renown speakers from the industry who will share their personal success stories. In addition we will hold interactive discussions and present investment opportunities in this field. Please save the date of May 15th for the 6th Annual Symposium that will focus this year on Real estate investment. Click here for the invitation.
 
SEMINAR ON SPACE ELEVATOR
On December 6th Ben Shelef the Founder and CEO of Spaceward Foundation gave a resonation on the topic: "The Space Elevator From Science Fiction to Science Reality". The project is one of the most daring space access proposal on the drawing boards today, promising to open a literal gateway from Earth to space and enable large-scale space commercialization. If you missed the seminar, a repeat presentation will be given to Silicom Synergy (offspring of Silicom Ventures members between the ages 25-38) on January 11th. To view his presentation please click here.
 
ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP CHANGE

Effective January 1st 2007 individual annual membership fee for new members will increase by 50% to $1500. Gold membership will remain at $5000. Corporate membership fees are $2500/$5000

 
THE FUNNY CORNER 
Bad Day on the way to work
 
Your feedback is welcome. If you would like to share interesting articles that may be of interest to other members, please contact: [email protected].
 
-DISCLAIMER
Silicom Ventures is not a broker nor investment advisor and does not provide investment advice. This newsletter should not be relied on as such nor is it a substitute for investment advice. The information provided in this newsletter is based on sources believed to be reliable and in good faith, it is not guaranteed either as to accuracy or completeness, and independent verification should be sought before making any decisions.
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