DETROIT – The Michigan Israel Business Accelerator (MIBA), the nonprofit international trade organization committed to accelerating Michigan’s economic growth through Israeli corporate connections, applauds the new economic investment by one of the world’s most promising technology companies, SkillReal, which plans to expand into the United States by establishing its U.S. headquarters, SkillReal North America, in Michigan, creating 20 jobs near Detroit.
After more than a year in the works, this project is the MIBA’s largest single foreign direct investment win in its history.
“We are particularly proud of the effort that went into working to bring SkillReal here, as it leveraged several different tools in our toolbox,” said Bernard Bourgeois, Managing Director and Michigan Ecosystem Leader for the MIBA. “We thank our partners at MEDC, Newlab, and especially Northstar Vision for coming together to make this happen.”
During the selection process, the MIBA provided introductions, resources, investment connections and information about incentives and grants as SkillReal considered Michigan and other regions of the country for expansion into the North American market. These efforts resulted in a combination of state incentives, implementation grant, and strategic partnership and investment that helped convince SkillReal to choose Michigan. SkillReal is also one of three charter members of the MIBA’s Elevator, the MIBA’s landing zone in Downtown Detroit for Israeli companies.
SkillReal North America brings the innovative technology that detects assembly line defects from Israel to the U.S. market. The company recently won the prestigious SAE/GAMIC competition, which awarded its technology over 1500 other startup companies. SkillReal’s game-changing “3D-AI” technology enables, for the first time, the use of low-cost cameras to inspect and measure the work of millions of robots in real-time with sub-mm accuracy, cost-effectively and immediately to ensure the highest quality standards are met.
Leading automotive OEMs such as Volkswagen, Toyota, and Honda, along with top Tier1s, are already starting to purchase and deploy the company’s products and plan to scale across their manufacturing lines with an initial potential market of $10 billion. Local investors include NorthStar Vision and Rick Wagoner, former CEO of GM.
“The MIBA has been an invaluable partner, connecting us with the resources we’ve needed to build our team, identify customers, and secure the funding that helped make SkillReal North America a reality in Michigan,” said Shai Newman, SkillReal’s Founder and CEO.
Since 2021, via the MIBA, Israeli companies have contributed more than $15 million in economic activity in Michigan.
