CTECH: Latest Israeli Innovation & Technology News Sept. 2025
Secret AI startup Irregular surfaces with $80M to test artificial intelligence limits. Sequoia leads the rounds, joined by Wiz’s Assaf Rappaport, Eon’s Ofir Ehrlich, and other investors, backing the Israeli company, as it works with OpenAI, Anthropic, and government clients. Read more
Glilot Capital raises $500 million, topping $1 billion in assets. Israeli venture firm bets on cybersecurity and AI while expanding its global footprint. Read more
Israel completes groundbreaking laser air defense, hails “historic breakthrough.” The Iron Beam, the world’s first operational laser defense system, is set to join the army by year’s end after final tests succeed. Read more
Israeli high-tech breaks records in 2025, but growth stalls. Investments and exits soar, while GDP and employment remain frozen. Read more
“Bigger than Wiz, why not?” – Index Ventures sees Israeli AI scaling past cybersecurity’s crown jewel. Index partner Hannah Seal made the remark about Israeli AI startup Wonderful, which it backed in a $34 million Seed round, speaking alongside CEO Bar Winkler at Mind the Tech London. Read more
Check Point acquires Lakera in $300 million deal to expand AI security. Lakera’s Zurich hub will become the company’s global AI security R&D center. Read more
Secretive Israeli cyber startup Vega exits stealth with $65M at $400M valuation. Ex-Granulate members Shay Sandler and Eli Rozen aim to transform enterprise cybersecurity with AI-native threat detection. Read more
Island employees pocket over $250 million in cyber unicorn’s secondary deal. Market sources claim that the amount ranges between $250 million and $300 million, based on a company valuation of around $5 billion. Read more
Ex-Run:ai and Orca Security leaders raise $8M in Seed funding to build AI-native identity platform. Fabrix says its explainable AI agents will transform access governance at scale. Read more
D-ID acquires German AI video pioneer simpleshow for $60 million. Israeli avatar startup to combine AI-driven digital humans with explainer video tech for enterprise communication. Read more
Fiverr cuts 250 jobs as CEO declares shift to AI-first strategy. Founder Micha Kaufman tells staff the company must return to “startup mode” to compete in an AI-driven economy. Read more
Ex-hacker Tal Kollender raises $65M in Remedio’s first funding, valuing cyber startup at $300M. After six years of profitable growth without outside funding, the female founder and ex-hacker is aiming to scale the autonomous cybersecurity platform. Read more
AI startup Terra Security raises $30M Series A for continuous penetration testing. Israeli startup aims to scale offensive security testing beyond manual and costly methods. Read more
ZIM’s board seeks global buyers to counter CEO’s bid. Evercore reaches out to Maersk and others as takeover battle looms. Read more
China rules Nvidia violated antitrust law in Mellanox case. SAMR cites broken commitments tied to its 2020 acquisition of the Israeli firm as U.S.-China trade talks intensify over access to advanced AI chips. Read more
“AI startups cannot compete with Zuckerberg on salary, but they can offer meaning and influence.” As competition for AI talent intensifies, Israeli startups are turning to equity, mission, and impact to lure scarce developers away from tech giants offering multimillion-dollar packages. Read more
Canadian fund TGV sues Israeli startup GEOX for $1.5M over alleged investor deception. Fund claims GEOX misrepresented revenues, customer deals, and growth prospects to secure investment. Read more
Fintech Sorbet lays off majority of staff in structural reset. The vacation-day monetization platform says profitability pressure forced a reset of operations, resulting in the laying off of all of its employees in Israel and most of its staff in the U.S. Read more
From Klarna to Via: Tech IPOs signal a shift after years of decline. With Klarna’s $20 billion surge, Gemini’s debut rally, and Via’s $493 million raise, Wall Street records its busiest IPO week since 2021, hinting at a long-awaited turnaround. Read more
Lendbuzz IPO set to hit Nasdaq as profits nearly double. AI-driven auto lender posts $11.1M net income on $173M revenue, as it targets a $1.5 billion valuation. Read more
Could Wix and Fiverr merge to weather AI disruption? Wix’s billion-dollar notes sale has fueled speculation about a merger with Fiverr, where President Nir Zohar sits on the board. Fiverr is set to move into Wix’s campus next year, but despite shared fears over AI disruption, it remains unclear whether such a pairing will ever materialize. Read more
From Meta to Cyera and Tenable: Tel Aviv’s office boom attracts global and local tech. Cybersecurity and software firms join Meta at Landmark TLV Tower, anchoring central Tel Aviv’s tech scene. Read more
Oracle nears $1 trillion valuation as CEO Catz’s prediction comes alive. Less than a year after forecasting a trillion-dollar market cap, Oracle’s cloud and AI deals send its stock soaring. Read more
Former YouAPPi CEO and Zoomin COO raise $4M for AI real estate platform. Lizo.ai, founded by Moshe Vaknin and Tal Berger, aims to redefine investment decisions with predictive analytics. Read more
Intel’s Karin Eibschitz Segal steps aside as interim data center chief. The Israeli executive returns to engineering leadership as company names Kevork Kechichian as the permanent head of the Data Center Group. Read more
Cyber startup Koi raises $38M Series A to build a central checkpoint for enterprise software. The startup, founded by Unit 8200 veterans, was born from a VSCode hack and aims to give enterprises control over every application installed on their endpoints. Read more
Ex-Monday executives launch Blocks, raise $10M in Seed led by their former employer. Founders Michal Lupu and Tal Haramati say AI is the moment they had been waiting for to “do something really big.” Read more
Verbit reduces headcount again amid AI transition. The $600M-funded transcription startup eliminates 22 roles, including 10 in Israel. Read more
Nvidia surge powers $180M donation, but leaves recipients with tough choice. Shmuel Harlap’s gifts to Beilinson Hospital and the Weizmann Institute, partially made in Nvidia stock, highlights both the extraordinary returns of the tech giant and the dilemma of whether to sell or hold. Read more
Gigi Levy-Weiss: “The era of just saying ‘I have AI inside me’ to raise money is over.” Investors are demanding real returns, strong margins, and defensible business models, according to NFX’s General Partner. Read more
Bill Ackman predicts: “We will see a trillion-dollar company coming out of Israel.” Pershing Square CEO highlights the country’s entrepreneurial ecosystem and long-term investment potential. Read more
Minute Media acquires VideoVerse for $200M, raises tens of millions at $1.4B valuation to finance deal. Sports tech unicorn strengthens global reach with AI-powered highlight platform and new India-based developer team. Read more
Chip monitoring startup proteanTecs raises $51M with backing from Arm, Samsung, and Siemens. The Israeli company has now raised more than $250M, expanding global footprint across automotive, cloud, and telecom. Read more
Israeli startup NeuroKaire launches world’s first blood test to personalize depression treatment. BrightKaire uses AI and stem-cell technology to match patients with effective medications, potentially ending years of trial-and-error prescribing. Read more
“Yes, absolutely I felt lonely”: Base44 founder reflects on the solo path to Wix’s $80M deal. Maor Shlomo and Wix’s Nir Zohar revisited one of the AI era’s most unusual acquisitions, from timing during wartime to the ease of trust. Read more
Wix co-founder and former TikTok executive raise $10M to transform app creation. Nadav Abrahami, co-founder of Wix, and Assaf Sagy, former global head of gaming at TikTok, have raised a $10 million Seed round for their new startup named Dazl, as they aim to turn AI prototypes into production-ready applications. About 30 Wix employees are joining the venture. Read more
JVP raises $290M from TPG to boost stake in insurtech unicorn Earnix. The Jerusalem-based venture fund will use the capital primarily to buy out early investors, increasing its ownership to over 50% as Earnix prepares for AI-driven expansion across global insurance markets. Read more
“Instead of targeting Iran’s nuclear scientists, Israel started targeting AI scientists.” AI expert Uri Eliabayev told the Calcalist AI Conference that artificial intelligence has become a strategic asset, reshaping global power struggles. Read more
“What’s at stake is not just building a company but building Israel into a world power.” Decart’s Dean Leitersdorf, Kela’s Hamutal Meridor, Cyera’s Shiran Bareli and Hailo’s Orr Danon explained at Calcalist’s AI Conference that drones, data, and defense demand urgent national investment. Read more
Yuval Tal: “There has never been a better time to found a startup.” The Payoneer co-founder, who recently set up a new AI startup named Linguana, spoke at Calcalist’s AI Conference about the transformative opportunities for creators and startups. Read more
