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CTECH Israel’s Technology News and Innovation
Video | Cybersecurity profitability on the rise due to Covid-19, says Insight Partners managing director. Lonne Jaffe admitted that there was plenty of uncertainty at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, but that Insight Partners never wavered in its belief in the potential of cybersecurity. Watch full video
Interview | Check Point CEO Gil Shwed says he plans to reduce real-estate holdings in Israel. Most of the company’s employees combine work from home and office attendance, reducing the need for extensive office space. Read more
U.S. Justice Department green lights Taboola-Outbrain merger. Taboola announced last October that it agreed to pay Outbrain shareholders
$250 million, and will hold a 70% stake in the merged company. Read more
69% of startups say R&D is down, IIA and IATI survey paints grim pictures for Israeli tech. The survey from July 2020 better shows some of Covid-19’s impact on the tech sector. Read more
Kaspersky researchers find new hack in North Korea-linked Lazarus group. Researchers at the cybersecurity company uncovered a new attack targeting Poland, Germany, Turkey, South Korea, Japan, and India. Read more
Medical data crowdsourcing startup StuffThatWorks launches in the U.S., raises $9 million. Founded by former Waze executive Yael Elish, StuffThatWorks offers an online platform where people suffering from chronic diseases can share information. Read more
Israel-based ControlUp helps employees bring their office computers home. As the world becomes more accustomed to working from home, millions of people are adopting virtual desktop technology. Read more
Israel’s postal service is getting privatized, expected to vastly improve its service. The State is preparing to sell a total of 40% of its postal system over two phases. Read more
CyCognito announces $30 million in series B funding. Eric Wolford, partner at Accel, will join the company’s board of directors. Read more
Opinion | “Working from home is a bad thing,” says senior media executive. Moshe Debby believes another wave of working from home will be a deathblow for hundreds of restaurants, taxi drivers and street vendors, and will result in thousands of firings. Read more
Israeli amateur among winners of Apple iPhone photography contest. Avishai Futerman was lucky when a rare bird flew into his frame, just at the perfect time to take the winning shot. Read more
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Hippo challenging Lemonade for insurtech supremacy in unicorn battle of Israeli entrepreneurs. After rival Lemonade reached a market cap of over $4 billion, Hippo has completed a $150 million financing round at a valuation of $1.5 billion. Read more
Agtech intelligence company Taranis raises $30 million. Taranis’ system analyzes ultra-high-resolution images of crops to detect early signs of diseases, insect infestations, nutrient deficiencies, water damage, and other risk factors. Read more
Israeli diplomats in Houston pushed for Chevron’s entrance into local market ahead of $5 billion takeover of Noble. Trade and Economic mission in Texas tried to interest Chevron in the Israeli market for years, until finally succeeding in a meeting held this past February. Read more
Belkin Laser announces $12.2 million raised in series B funding. The company is in the midst of clinical testing of its one-second glaucoma treatment with the product expected to enter the market in two years. Read more
Gett completes $100 million round to boost corporate platform. The corporate ground travel company raised an additional sum of $76 million on top of the $24 million it raised last year and intends to use the funding to expand its global presence, especially for its enterprise service. Read more
Ibex Medical Analytics partners with French laboratory network Medipath. The AI-based cancer diagnostics company will be deployed across all its 170 hospitals and clinics across France. Read more
Coolisys suing Enertec two years after takeover, claims it was defrauded by Israeli company. Coolisys claims that there was a gap of approximately $2 million between the initial reports it received and those it was handed following the acquisition. Read more
Study: despite Covid-19, Japanese investment in Israeli tech is on the rise. The total volume of Japanese investments in the first half of this year amounted to $472.3 million, up from $412 million in H1 2019. Read more
Bird offers free scooter sharing to help Tel Aviv medics reach the scene in seconds. United Hatzalah personnel will be able to respond faster to emergencies using Bird’s network of electric micro-mobility vehicles. Read more
Amsalem Tours will provide risk management and duty of care solutions to travelers. The move comes in cooperation with Germany’s Result Group, a leader in risk management. Read more
VC partner offers tips to cybersecurity startups on how to thrive amid Covid-19. Streamlining and downsizing sales teams and seeking feedback from users are worthwhile endeavors amid coronavirus days. Read more
Yossi Vinitski, Bank Hapoalim’s head of tech, steps down. Vinitski, who has been in the position for over five years, led an investment program in some 20 Israeli funds for the bank. Read more
One-minute Covid-19 detector at center of bitter legal battle. Ram Group, which claims to be the rightful owner of the invention, is suing Ben-Gurion University and professor Gabby Sarusi, who have been touting the technology in recent months. Read more
Intel’s Mobileye is collaborating with Ford on sensor technology for future vehicles. The Israeli company’s name will be displayed in all future SYNC driver-assist communication displays. Read more
Can a celebrity’s Instagram account be repossessed to pay back a debt? After the Israeli authorities ruled that social media accounts cannot be foreclosed, questions are raised about their monetary value and ownership. Read more
Israel-based SĀGE aims to open the ‘gig economy’ to the elderly.
Adults over 60 can host Zoom classes to eager students all over the world. Read more
Most ransomware attacks still come from Russia, China, and North Korea, says VMware exec. Shlomi Aviv, the Israel country manager for Dell subsidiary VMware, spoke with CTech’s Editor-in-Chief Elihay Vidal, as part of Calcalist’s online convention on cybersecurity. Read more
Analysis | What U.S. investment trends mean for Israeli tech companies. Data from the U.S. indicates a downward trend for investments, especially in early stage companies, during Q2 2020 that is likely to continue throughout the year, affecting Israeli companies dependent on American backing. Read more
Covid-19 put digital transformation processes on steroids, says Checkmarx CEO. Emmanuel Benzaquen, co-founder and CEO of Israel-based cybersecurity company Checkmarx, spoke with Calcalist reporter Sophie Shulman, as part of Calcalist’s online conference on cybersecurity. Read more
Incubit nurturing deep tech startups for next generation of Elbit innovation. While Elbit operates in the military and defense sector, its tech incubator is solely focused on startups that target civilian markets but are synergetic to the parent company’s fields of interest. Read more
Covid-19 made information security even more crucial, says Armis CEO. Yevgeny Dibrov, co-founder and CEO of IoT security company Armis, spoke at Calcalist’s online convention on cybersecurity. Read more
Webpals lays off 72 people as part of its growth strategy. Management said firings had nothing to do with the coronavirus pandemic or to the company’s business activities. Read more
Israel medical startup NanoVation received 2.5 million Euro grant from the European Union. The grant will help develop a novel respiratory monitoring device to alleviate some of the financial and clinical burdens of COPD. Read more
Appointments | Grove Venture Partners adds Lior Handelsman as Partner. The appointment makes Handelsman the second partner in the tech fund who has established a billion-dollar company in Israel. Read more
Appointments | Yaniv Vardi announced as Claroty’s new CEO. Vardi is replacing Thorsten Freitag who joined the company less than a year ago. Read more
Covid-19 outbreak will lead to an increase in cyberwars, says former Mossad chief.
Tamir Pardo warned that any company that finds a vaccine will become a target for cyberattacks by state actors and business competitors. Read moreDiplomaTech | Czech-Israel cooperation saving lives and making money.
With trade volume consistently on the rise over the past decade and history of friendly relations, it is clear the Czech Republic can not and should not be ignored by Israeli companies. Read moreAnalysis | The shockwaves of the EU Court’s ruling on privacy standards may topple Israel’s tech sector.
Private data is the lifeblood of Israeli startups, the government’s failure to respect individual privacy is proving to be dangerous. Read moreIsraeli NVIDIA researchers and collaborators win ICML 2020 honors.
2020 marked the 37th International Conference on Machine Learning, which would have taken place in Vienna. Read more
Opinion | Covid-19 is a game-changer for foreign investments.
Countries fear that companies operating in sectors crucial to national security will require a quick infusion of capital through foreign investment, leading important assets in fighting off current and future health crises in the hands of out-of-state players, especially from China. Read more
The U.S. response to Covid-19 affects Israeli businesses, say Israeli investors.
Speaking at The Israeli Business Forum of New York, Israeli business leaders discuss all the ways the U.S. is helping – or hindering – the Israeli economy. Read moreOpinion | This crisis will lead to a baby boom in the tech sector.
Government and capital should invest in young startups to plant the seeds of new post-coronavirus growth. Read more
Protests escalate in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv as discontent from government’s response to Covid-19 grows. During Saturday’s protests, police used water cannons to disperse the crowd of 1,500 people around Netanyahu’s residence, while in Tel Aviv, police used tear gas to try to stop the demonstrators from marching through the streets and blocking traffic. Read more
Analysis | A tweet by a breached world leader’s account could lead to World War 3. The real danger exposed by the recent Twitter account hack lies in its potential to sow chaos and spark conflict. Read more
Millennium Food-Tech partnership completes TASE IPO, raising $7.5 million. The offering of Millennium Food-Tech, an R&D partnership for the investment in food-tech companies, was 100% oversubscribed. “Despite this challenging period, the public believes that food-tech is a sector of the future,” said Millennium Food-Tech CEO. Read more
Analysis | Even those who keep their jobs will need to keep their feet on firm soil. “For the first time in our careers, being fired is not just being on your way to the next great thing, it means a prolonged unemployment period.” Read more
Interview | Israel third only to U.S. and China in Covid-19 solutions, says life sciences expert. “We don’t talk anymore about devices or drugs. We talk about healthtech convergence, which for me is the future,” explains Dr. Laurent Choppe, Managing Partner at Cukierman & Co. Life Sciences. Read more
Analysis | The tech sector has been running on excess, Covid-19 is forcing it to trim the fat. Multinational giants and smaller companies in thriving sectors are still recruiting, which is shielding tech talents’ employment terms for now. Read more
