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“A fortnight ago I visited Israel. I have long admired the Israeli start-up nation which is home to more high-tech start-ups per capita than any other country. On a previous trip I visited the impressive Technion in Haifa. This time we headed to Beersheva to visit the so-called ‘Silicon Wadi’ – home to Ben Gurion University and the CyberSpark cluster. What struck me most was that the Israeli culture of innovation wasn’t down to the facilities or the technology, impressive though they were. It was the people – and the human relationships – they were the critical element.

It came down to a group of individuals, perhaps as few as just 2 or 3, sitting together to find a solution or to work through a brilliant idea – thinking together, experimenting together, failing, learning, adapting and ultimately succeeding.” (Cabinet Secretary Francis Maude MP speaking at the opening of the inaugural D5 summit, 09/12/2014)