Lior Samuelson of Mercator Broadband is a man on a mission, and stimulating commerce here in Virginia is high on his list of priorities. As a managing partner at leading venture capital firm Mercator Broadband, Samuelson oversees, with his other partners, a $100 million venture fund set up to invest in innovative companies enabling broadband technology for the telecommunications industry. Samuelson sees Virginia -- one of the U.S.’leading regions for telecommunications, the Internet, software and IT -- as an attractive place for emerging startups and VC investment. The Virginia-Israel Alliance had a chance to catch up with Samuelson recently and hear some of his views on Virginia and its potential for becoming a leading state for venture investment.

Virginia-Israel Alliance Newsletter: Mercator has offices both here in Reston, Virginia, and in Tel Aviv. Why did you pick Virginia as the place to set up your U.S. operations as opposed to some of the more traditional venture areas such as the Silicon Valley or Boston?

Samuelson: Not only is Virginia located right outside of Washington, D.C., the state is also home to the country's telecommunications, software and Internet hub, anchored by many powerful technology companies -- WorldCom, Verizon, AOL – in addition to leading companies in government IT and software. All of these companies are very synergistic, located in close proximity to each other, which gives this region some distinct advantages over Boston or the Silicon Valley. For Israeli companies, Virginia is a great state for doing business and any company looking to settle here can’t go wrong.

Virginia-Israel Alliance Newsletter: Are you saying that you see the balance of power within the high-tech industry shifting towards Virginia?

Samuelson: I see Virginia as an incredibly important high-tech center for the United States. I do not believe it will necessarily replace other hubs such as the Silicon Valley, Austin or Boston, but areas of Virginia, including the Northern Virginia/Dulles corridor region, will definitely share equal billing and, in many cases, continue to be viewed as the leader in certain sectors such as telecom and broadband. Also, given the recent terrorist attacks on this country, Virginia is poised to play an even greater role as government and industry work together on new national priorities to protect America. As the U.S. looks to Israel for its expertise in dealing with issues of terrorism and national defense, Virginia can offer many opportunities for those Israeli companies looking to do business with the U.S. government and The Pentagon, as it relates to airport security, homeland defense, cyberwarfare and Internet security.

Lior Samuelson can be reached at lsamuelson@mercatorbroadband.com.