Some 25 high-tech Israeli companies pitched their products Thursday to potential investors in a daylong session at Hotel Roanoke.

If some of them attract venture capital, they could end up launching U.S. companies in the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center in Blacksburg, which they visited Wednesday. Their three-day visit culminated in strictly timed 15-minute presentations on the products they hope to produce and sell in this country. They were chosen from some 200 Israeli companies, pared down to 60 for interviews to choose those who would make the trip.

The interviews were conducted over 10 days in August by CRC President Joe Meredith, Richmond lawyer and telecommunications expert Tom Bowden, Joseph Ben-Duk, vice president of computer manufacturer Zybernaut Corp., and Ralph Robbins, executive director of the Virginia-Israeli Advisory Board.

"It is not Boston, it is not New York, it is not the coast," Robbins told the visitors Wednesday in Blacksburg. "People are friendly here. They want to be here."

The initiative was organized by the Virginia Israel Tech Alliance. The presentations attracted some 40 representatives of companies that could offer venture capital. The organizers arranged separate meetings following the presentations between the Israeli presenters and any companies interested in further information.
Meredith said the turnout was better than anticipated, filling the hotel meeting room where the presentations were made. And the listeners represented high-quality potential investors, he said.

"This is an incredible, unique opportunity," Meredith told the venture capital representatives during lunch. "Everybody knows Israeli technology is world-class. . . . There's no way that the first company that's funded is not going to be a success."

Despite current state budget problems, Meredith said, Virginia Tech is committed to making the program successful. Tech President Charles Steger and state Secretary of Commerce Michael Schewel joined the group in Roanoke on Thursday night.

Two decades ago, the defense industry was practically the entire high-tech industry in Israel, said Zohar Zisapel, founder and chairman of the RAD Group in Israel, which has launched 20 companies in 24 years. Today, technology companies in areas such as telecommunications, medicine and software have increased.

"People who worked in the defense industry gradually moved and started new companies," Zisapel said, and knowledge has moved accordingly. "Then, it was in the army. Now it is in the universities."

Marty Hall, representing U.S. Sen. George Allen, told the visitors Wednesday that Allen's office would help companies locating in Southwest Virginia with support for small-business loans and in other ways. The Virginia Israel Advisory Board was started during Allen's term as governor.

Philippe Chino, executive director of the New River Valley Economic Development Alliance, and Phil Sparks, executive director of the Roanoke Valley Economic Development Partnership, cited the U.S. Customs office and Foreign Trade Zone established in Pulaski County and access to colleges and universities among the inducements to locate here.

The Israeli company representatives also heard from representatives of Milestone Equity Partners, Exegetics, Luna Technologies, Infoscient Inc. and NanoCom Corp. about the benefits of being near Virginia Tech and other benefits offered by the area. "If I was in Northern Virginia, I'd be out of business," said Bob Summers, NanoCom's founder, "because my overhead would have been too high."
 
A sampling of products for which the Israeli high-tech companies are seeking funding:
- If terrorists strike with biological or chemical agents, existing diagnostic tools take hours or days to pinpoint the specific agent. Biosensor Systems Design Inc. is developing a device which would do it in minutes, by identifying the charged particles of the agent.
- Dentists use mechanical means to find tooth problems. Densys Ltd. is working on a 3-D imaging device to map a patient's entire mouth in real-time, store the record virtually and show exactly where a tooth problem is.
- Medical technicians have trouble finding veins for 10 to 25 percent of people taking simple blood tests, and the patient's arm can end up looking like a pin cushion. Veino-Med Ltd. has a small device which can be strapped to a patient's arm where it locates the vein and puts a small light on the spot.
- Some preservatives used to keep fruits and vegetables from spoiling are not healthy to eat. BioCoat Ltd. had come up with an edible organic coating to keep them fresh longer and extend their shelf life.
- An aerosol with ultra-fine droplets from Green Clouds can fumigate, humidify and decontaminate indoor areas more quickly and less expensively than existing products.
- Virtual Extension is a provider of campus-wide short-range wireless networks for cordless communications and for use in emergencies.
- Steadicopter has developed and will produce completely-autonomous robotic unmanned helicopters, for use in applications ranging from military and law enforcement to search and rescue.
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