Nevada Innovation Center LLC (NIC) is a partnership between Co-Founders Michael Saltman and Nissim Ezekiel, who have extensive business activities and networks in both Israel and in the U.S. NIC has established itself as the primary intermediary for networking and business initiatives linking Nevada’s economic development agencies, academic institutions and private companies with counterparts in Israel. The NIC strategic innovation has been to establish the City of Las Vegas and the State of Nevada as clients for Israeli pilot projects and commercial  deployment, and as a showcase and entry point for the broader U.S. market. A complementary recent development has been the growing interest of major Nevada based companies in accessing Israeli technology and exploring opportunities to become part of Israel’s R&D ecosystem.

This strategic objective is grounded in the paradigm shift in Nevada’s role in the U.S. economy as a hub for technology and innovation. The decision of Tesla in 2014 to locate its $6 billion Gigafactory in Reno has been followed by the development of the Reno-Sparks Technology Corridor which now includes global names such as Google, Apple, Panasonic, Wal-Mart, SWITCH, Berkshire Hathaway Energy and many more. Nevada’s economic advantages include a pro-business regulatory climate, low taxes, competitive labor and energy costs, physical proximity to major markets in California and Las Vegas as a travel hub to the world. 

NIC’s operating model is built on leveraging the business background of its Founders with critical counterparts in both Israel and in Nevada. In Israel, these agencies include the Ministry of Economy, The West Coast Economic Mission in San Francisco, The Export Institute, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Israel Innovation Authority, the Fuel Choices & Smart Mobility Initiative, the BIRD Foundation as well as numerous Israeli VCs and private companies. On the ground presence includes a Senior Associate resident in Israel and an operational collaboration with the Harpaz, Oren, Adler & Co. law firm in Tel Aviv.
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In Nevada, NIC’s network includes the City of Las Vegas, the Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED), the Regional Transportation Commission (RTC), the Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance (LVGEA), the Las Vegas Metro Chamber of Commerce (LVCA) and the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority (LVCVA).  NIC also collaborates with the Intelligent Mobility Initiative at the University of Nevada – Reno (UNR) and research initiatives at UNLV.  The private sector eco-system in Las Vegas is also engaged in creating important B2B links and includes companies such as NV Energy (part of Berkshire Hathaway Energy), SWITCH (the Vegas based and globally recognized data center) and the resort and construction industry.