US Army Wants to Invest in Israeli Water Companies

The US Army makes heavy venture capital investments, albeit not for the profit motive, but to discover and support energy and technology companies and programs that will meet the military's needs. One of these private equity investors is Onpoint Technologies. Onpoint parallels Milcom Technologies. Both Onpoint and Milcom are managed by Arsenal Venture Partners Inc.

Both Onpoint and Milcom are seeking water technologies in Israel, and, if all goes well, plan to make investments here. Arsenal managing partner and Onpoint director Christopher Fountas is making a lightening visit to Israel to examine water technologies companies.

Milcom was launched in 2000 and Onpoint in 2003. The two funds currently manage more than $100 million, and the US Army is steadily increasing its investment in them. Onpoint describes itself as a "strategic private equity investor with a mission to discover, invest in and support companies at the intersection of Army and commercial marketing needs." Milcom says that it is a "seed-stage venture fund that conceives, creates and launches technology companies in partnership with defense contractors, federal laboratories, and other R&D sources."

Wow! The US Army is so incredibly different from any other military I know that they seem to be from another planet. Once in December 1969 I was loitering in Times Square in NYC and there was a recruitment kiosk for the American Army. I looked inside and read the pamphlets, and when they talked to me I said that I am not American, but they said no problem, we take you. Those were the times of Vietnam War. May be that was the opportunity of my life to make a career in a large well run organization, wearing a smart uniform, instead of wasting my life with stupid pumps and pipes.