Tel Aviv

What's so special about Tel Aviv?
Tel Aviv is a modern city with roots that date back thousands of years. Yet despite its importance, it is relatively small with a very human scale and a disproportionate amount of technology innovation.

Although many big foreign tech companies have points of presence there, Tel Aviv's real strength is as a hotbed of technology start-ups.

As a culture, Israel has a tradition of attempting to be self-sufficient and this has led to a wealth of technology talent coming from educational establishments and the military, which relies on sophisticated monitoring and communications to make up for a shortfall in manpower.

Unsurprisingly, most start-ups there specialise in solid infrastructure offerings, rather than web 2.0 wizardry.

Hotspots judge Luke Mellors observed: "New technology and innovation just seems to come naturally from this isolated city."

Key tech companies New start-up Runcom has been lauded as a promising pioneer in WiMax technology. The company is headed up by Zion Hadad, who reportedly works around the clock, so he can deal with business in Asia, Europe and the UK.

More established players are telecoms specialist Amdocs, security experts Check Point and communications veteran RAD Group.

Key institutions The foremost institution in Israel for the development of technology is the Technion - the Israel Institute of Technology, based in nearby Haifa. The campus of the college covers more than 1,000sq km and is attended by more than 12,000 students.

Cisco and Intel both have research centres in the locality. But the real wellspring of technology talent appears to be the Israeli military, which nurtures young developers during their terms of service, supports many companies as they are set up and is a big local technology customer.

Local salaries A software engineer will expect to earn $55,500.

Famous faces Israeli technology gurus typically sell off their companies before they get very large. They tend to concentrate on development and operation rather than management and strategy. That said, one local figure of international renown is Zohar Zisapel, serial entrepreneur and chairman of RAD Group.

Population Tel Aviv is a relatively small city in the tech hotspot league. A 2006 census of the city put the population at just under 389,000.

iPod cost $301 Source: CommSec, Apple.

Time zone GMT +2 hours.

Voltage and plugs 220/380V - Two-pin type C and three-pin type H plugs.

How to get there Fly in to Ben Gurion International Airport.

Watch out for The beaches. Tel Aviv is situated on the Mediterranean. It has miles of sandy beaches and the front has something of the feel of the French Riviera. In the centre is an area called the 'White City' a collection of modernist buildings. The area has been designated a cultural heritage site by Unesco.

Places to stay, eat or drink The Carlton Tel Aviv is a high-rise hotel right on the beach with views of the sea and the city. Dine out in the historical port of Jaffa a short taxi ride away.

Tel Aviv is known locally as the city that never sleeps, with many bars and clubs staying open all night. A good place to start is the beach-front.

What you might not know Tel Aviv-Jaffa has been a settled area for more than 9,000 years.