Our guest speaker, Mr Sheldon Potter, from Fogler, Rubinoff LLP of Toronto, Canada, will present business opportunities in Canada for Israeli businesses from manufacturing to retail, telecom, hi-tech and cleantech and will address the following issues:

• How Israeli companies, through strategic alliances in Canada will be able to access various government funding for innovation, with some of the most generous and exensive government funding programs in the world.
  
• The advantages of Canada as a place for Israeli businesses to find financing, strategic partners for R&D, manufacturing and marketing, and as a gateway to North American markets
  
• Funds available up to $5 million.
  
• How Israeli companies can qualify for matching funds as qualified investors.
  
• In the medical tech space how to partner with world leading institutions.
  
• In cleantech how to access new strategic opportunities through Ontario Government.
  
• How to access public markets.
  
• How to access a major distribution channel into the largest retailers in North America
  

Mr Alan Baker Adv., Former Israeli Ambassador to Canada, and President of the Israel Canada Chamber of Commerce, http://www.israel-can... will give a few words of introduction on Toronto’s recent emergence as a gateway for Israeli businesses to North America as well as a source of investment.

Fogler, Rubinoff LLP has announced a public transaction for an Israeli renewable energy company last Wednesday; and is currently working on a second public deal, in addition to other private and public transactions involving Israeli companies in Canada. Fogler, Rubinoff LLP LLP is also working on 3 joint ventures for Israeli companies into the North American market, several distributorships, and M&A mandates from Israeli and Canadian companies. Fogler, Rubinoff LLP has an Israel Practice Group, cleantech and energy practice groups, and their team includes a 30-year medical device life science pro, as well as a 30-year marketing pro who has just joined the Fogler, Rubinoff LLP LLP team to help Fogler’s Israeli clients develop global marketing strategies.

Short Bio on Sheldon Potter:
Sheldon Potter is a businessman-lawyer with over 26 years' experience in business development, deal making and strategic implementation, He is an out-of-the-box thinker who has not only advised entrepreneurs, but has lived as an entrepreneur. His strong leadership skills in these areas gives him the ability to create growth strategies for his clients, run transactions, and deploy creative tactics.

His experience in helping grow business includes:

• Expertise in assisting companies in start-up mode
  
• Involved in structuring international joint ventures.
  
• Negotiating financing, creating funds and other investment vehicles
  
• Shareholders', partnership and joint venture agreements
  
• Corporate Restructurings
  
• Acquisitions and mergers, including developing an active mergers and acquisitions role
  
• Tax planning related to corporate reorganizations
  
• Commercial Real Estate
  
• Organization of corporations including incorporations, amalgamations and reorganizations
  

He is involved in cross border transactions around the globe, and has spearheaded the firm's Israel initiative, and along with Richard Bardenstein of Jerusalem, is working with Israeli companies to develop strategic alliances in Canada and North America, including raising capital, creating marketing channels and joint ventures. In doing so he is in Israel on a monthly basis.

In addition to his business endeavours, he is deeply involved in his community, chairing the Aliya Committee of JAFI in Canada; chairing the B2B initiative of Toronto Federation; and sitting on a variety of Israel connection committees.

Richard Bardenstein, Adv.
As Fogler Rubinoff LLP’s Israel representative, Richard Bardenstein has been at the forefront of developing the Canada-Israel business pipeline that Foglers has been building over the last two years. Richard is a Jerusalem lawyer, licensed for 20 years in Israel, a graduate of Yale Law School and a former clerk to Justice Aharon Barak and Adv. Dan Avi-Yitzhak. He represents Israeli companies and multinationals in a broad range of cross-border transactions in hi-tech, cleantech, oil and gas, mining, transportation, real estate and telecom. In addition he advises Israeli and international clients in media, financial services, and others. He also has expertise in representing Israeli and international entities before Israeli governmental agencies and ministries. In the past Richard served as an Advisor to Prime Minister Ehud Barak and an Advisor to two Ministers of Justice.