Craze Productions, an Israeli firm, and one of the leading digital music providers in the world, has joined the Center for Israeli Innovation. Craze licenses music and videos to major online download services such as iTunes, Napster, and Connetc. In the mobile markets, they provide their giant selection of quality mobile content, including ringtones, ringback tones, videotones, and mobile videos to T-Mobile, Jamba, and many others. Craze Productions specializes in pushing music into the various digital domains. Unlike other companies, they are a true digital record label, not aggregators. Our catalogs include EXCLUSIVE rights to songs and videos from the world's top artists in:

• Urban - Hip Hop, Rap & R'n'B.
• Reggae - Roots, Ragga, Dancehall and best seller collections.
• Dance - Definitive top charts dance tunes, special exclusive remixes and club hits.

Run DMC legend Joey Simmons professionally known as "Rev Run" (of "Run DMC") has signed a worldwide recording deal with independent Craze Productions Ltd (www.crazedigital.com). As "Run's House" (Executive Producers are Sean Coombs and Russell Simmons) enters it's 4th successful season on MTV (www.mtv.com), Craze Productions fought off stiff competition to seek the signature of Rev Run. Sam Kleinman the CEO of Craze Productions declared: "This is a landmark deal for Craze Productions, which will put our company at forefront of multi facetted marketing and promotion in Hip Hop. Never before has a major artist of Rev Run's caliber signed with a digital independent; this is a totally unique deal and a first of it's kind which will lead other major artists to sign direct with digital record companies thus bypassing the major recording companies". Craze, although a digital music label, will distribute the record in stores as well, worldwide.

CII will be providing physical incubation facilities as well as management and marketing assistance, networking for investment capital, business plan guidance, and infrastructure support.

Keyboard Town PALS, a recently launched company with a mission to teach school children to type on a keyboard within one hour with an interactive DVD, has become the latest new firm with big aspirations to partner with members of the Center's team.

The company's technology, which is copyrighted and patented, has been tested on hundreds of K-12 students in California, New York, North Carolina and Pennsylvania in public, private and Yeshiva schools. Its methods are successful with both mainstream pupils as well as those with learning differences.

Drs. Bellman and Snow have been guiding the principals through their marketing strategies, helping to build its infrastructure, and offering additional support. "Keyboard provides children with an exciting interactive keyboard teaching method that stimulates them to use a PC, and in doing so, enhances their communication skills and builds pride and self-esteem. The company's program definitely fills a need and will have a positive impact on education. The right business plan and execution will make all the difference," said Dr. Larry Bellman.

Donna Katz, President of Keyboard Town PALS, said, "We are delighted to be associated with the staff from Touro's Graduate School of Business. They recognized the potential impact that this program could have on changing the mind set of how children learn to keyboard. For their vision, we are very grateful."

Smartfish Technologies is an early stage technology company that, through the vision of its founder, Dr. Jack Atzmon, is providing a breakthrough technology in launching the Pro:Motion. Keyboard for desktop computers. The keyboard adapts to each user and eliminates the leading cause of Repetitive Stress Injury (RSI), thus minimizing or eliminating carpal tunnel syndrome. Smartfish has teamed with the leading orthopedic hospital, Hospital for Special Surgery, who is providing the testing and endorsement of the product. They have already begun expanding their patented ergonomic line to gaming, handheld, industrial and even virtual devices.

Two of the key members of our Center for Israeli Innovation, Dr. Snow, Executive Director, and Dr. Bellman, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, have played a major role in helping Smartfish write their business plan, formulate their marketing and financial strategy, and secure an early financing round. Smartfish is currently in negotiations with several leading computer and keyboard manufacturers and expects to secure an agreement for a buyiout or license arrangement in the very near future. Both Snow and Bellman are members of Smartfish's Board of Advisors.

Situated in New York City in the Empire State Building, Concord Equity Partners is a newly launched company poised to become one of the elite boutique financial service firms in the brokerage industry. Focusing on high net worth individuals, small family offices and small institutional accounts that are underserved by the major houses on Wall Street, they plan on offering a diversified asset management platform, which will include access to all mutual funds, fixed income products, equity offerings, insurance products as well as a hedge fund platform consisting of smaller portfolio managers with excellent and consistent track records. They will also provide a diversified private equity platform consisting of early stage, mezzanine and later stage financing. Additionally, they will offer corporate advisory services that can be a compliment to their private equity line of business and also on a standalone basis.

Our management team, under contract to Concord, has helped them prepare a very comprehensive business plan that will be used both as a detailed planning document and a vehicle to attract investors and clients.