Smartstate™ Program Invites Public to Hear Saul Singer, Bestselling Co-Author of Start-Up Nation: The Story of Israel’s Economic Miracle

November 29, 2011

CHARLESTON, SC – November 29, 2011 – South Carolina’s SmartState™Program is inviting the public to attend a special presentation by SaulSinger, best-selling co-author of Start-Up Nation: The Story of Israel’s Economic Miracle, on Monday, December 5, at the Riviera Theater on King Street. The doors open at 5:30 p.m. Singer will speak at 6 p.m.

Singer is the keynote speaker at the SmartState Program’s inauguralnational conference, Realizing a Knowledge-Based Economy, December 4-6at the Charleston Place Hotel in Charleston, South Carolina. ConsulGeneral of Israel to the Southeast, Opher Aviran, will provide formalgreetings from the State of Israel along with short remarks regardingthe State of Israel’s success as a knowledge-based economy.

Singer’s book, Startup Nation, chronicles how Israel, a small,60-year-old nation that has been in a constant state of war since itsfounding, with limited natural resources, is the top foreign economicpowerhouse on NASDAQ and the world’s 24th largest economy. Israel hasproduced more startup companies than Japan, China, India, Canada, andthe United Kingdom. Startup Nation was ranked fifth on the NewYork Times business bestseller list in 2010 and also ranked on the WallStreet Journal bestseller list.

South Carolina’s SmartState Program is responsible for $1.2 billion inexternal investment in the South Carolina economy and the creation ofnearly 7,000 jobs over the past nine years. The national conference willprovide insight into knowledge-based economic development and isdesigned for businesses, entrepreneurs, investors, academic leaders andothers. Conference attendees can network with SmartState Endowed Chairs,more than 40 world-class research scientists and engineers in fieldscritical to the global economy such as automotive engineering,biomedicine, future fuels, and advanced materials.  

Complete conference agenda and registration information is available at www.SmartStateSC.org.

About the SmartState™ Program
The South Carolina SmartState™ Program was created by the SouthCarolina legislature in 2002 and is funded through South CarolinaEducation Lottery proceeds. The legislation authorizes the state’s threepublic research institutions, Clemson University, the MedicalUniversity of South Carolina, and the University of South Carolina, touse state funds to create Centers of Economic Excellence in researchareas that will advance South Carolina’s economy. Each Center is awardedfrom $2 million to $5 million in State Lottery funds, which must bematched on a dollar-for-dollar basis with non-state investment. To date,49 Centers have been created and 41 SmartState Endowed Chairs have beenappointed to lead the Centers. www.SmartStateSC.org.