CTECH

CTECH – Israel This Week’s Technology & Start Ups’

By Steve

Posted on May 5, 2020

CTECH – Israel This Week’s Technology & Start-Ups’

Intel in talks to acquire Israeli startup Moovit for $1 billion. Following its purchase of Mobileye in 2017, Intel will be well placed to manage urban transportation around the globe. Read more

Interview | If you get hacked, avoid the temptation to pay ransomware, says Kaspersky exec. Costin Raiu, the director of the global research and analysis team at cybersecurity and anti-virus provider Kaspersky spoke to CTech about the effects of coronavirus. Read more

With only 41 new patients over the last 24 Hours, Israeli students sent back to hit the books. On Sunday morning, 80% of municipalities in Israel have reopened their schools, Tel Aviv holds out citing unfeasible requirements. Read more

Israel-based Trax lays off 120 workers in wake of Covid-19 hardships. CEO Joel Bar-El calls it a “sad day” for the retail analytics company that saw substantial growth in 2019. Read more

Opinion | With Star Wars Day just around the corner, Disney tests the limits of intellectual property. The owner of the well-beloved franchise recently claimed Tweets relating to it are subject to its own terms of service, appropriating users’ intellectual rights and igniting a wide discussion on the validity of often unread user agreements. Read more

Interview | Placer.ai is tracking the real world traffic that moves the economy. With the Covid-19 pandemic ravaging the retail industry, Placer.ai has the data business’ need to survive and thrive. Read more

Top Startups

What does ‘most promising’ mean when it comes to startups in the Covid-19 age? Calcalist reporters Hagar Ravet and Meir Orbach break down the considerations for compiling this year’s list of Israel’s top 50 startups. Read more

Opinion | Startups urgently need to be put on life support. To secure the industry’s future, along with its contribution to the state’s economy, the Israeli government must set up a fund dedicated to young companies that are completely dependent on venture capital funding. Read more

Opinion | Israeli startups should not be bailed out. Prominent local investors say the government should hold back on a proposed loan program that would primarily benefit investors and founders, rather than employees. Read more

Interview | Logz.io aims to help the world log into the future. The company’s open code system is an essential tool for programmers worldwide looking to see where they may have gone wrong. Read more

Interview| Tyto Care wants to be your doctor’s eyes and hands. Tyto Care’s digital stethoscope seems to have been created specifically for the coronavirus crisis, allowing patients to seek medical care and perform tests without leaving their homes. Read more

Intel inks deal to acquire Moovit for $1 billion. Intel’s acquisition of the Israeli navigation app developer is reminiscent of Google’s 2013 acquisition of Waze. Read more

Ad-blocking startup Namogoo acquires customer incentive startup Personali. Personali develops AI-based analytical tools for personalizing user incentives on websites and driving sales. Read more

Interview | “We know from past crises that some great startups and companies will rise”. Shayma Sharif’s recent promotion to principal in Gigi Levy-Weiss’ VC NFX was just the latest landmark in her unique journey from East Jerusalem to the heart of the Israeli venture capital world. Read more

Opinion | The current crisis offers a golden opportunity for startups.
As Covid-19 shatters longstanding practices, venture capitalist Alon Lifshitz highlights three questions every investor should be asking their portfolio startups. Read more

Covid-19 Cutbacks | Matrix IT sends 1,000 employees on unpaid leave and cuts exec wages. Herzliya-based company also cut wages of some of its remaining employees by half. Read more

Five HR executives share what it takes to get hired during the
Covid-19 crisis. From Monday.com to Facebook, some companies in Israel manage to avoid layoffs and are even recruiting new employees. With video chat interviews and remote onboarding processes, the pandemic is transforming the entire hiring process. Read more

Armis’ crazy acquisition – the inside story. The meeting at the steakhouse, the proposition, the perspective, and coming out stronger from Covid-19. Armis co-founders Nadir Izrael and Yevgeny Dibrov tell the real story behind the $1.1 billion deal with Insight Partners. Read more

Mastercard and Enel X win right to establish new fintech-cybersecurity laboratory with $3.7 million state funding. Companies establish a new fintech-cybersecurity laboratory in Be’er Sheva, with NIS 13 million (approximately $3.7 million) in funding over three years, the Israel Innovation Authority (IIA) announced on Monday. Read more

Analysis: Mobileye is the real engine behind Intel’s acquisition of Moovit. Data equals money, that simple formula is clear to any business owner, whether it be a bank, a shoe store, or a medical services provider. Read more

After coronavirus: these are our five most anticipated video games.
While many are troubled by the ongoing economic crisis or when they will be allowed to finally sunbathe in public, we are waiting for the next generation of gaming consoles. Read more

Interview | Intel acquisition happened very quickly, it was all done over Zoom, reveals Moovit CEO. Nir Erez provides behind the scenes details of this week’s billion-dollar deal and how he is able to score free meals. Read more

Private-equity fund Fortissimo leads $12 million GigaSpaces funding round. Fortissimo is eyeing a majority stake in the Israeli company that offers platforms for mission-critical applications across cloud, on-premise or hybrid. Read more

Israeli army partners with HMO to develop innovative coronavirus testing unit. The unit allows for taking coronavirus samples while maintaining complete separation between the person being tested and the medical professional administering the test. Read more

MyHeritage project documenting remote tribes grabs Webby Award nomination. For the project, employees of the Israeli genealogy company volunteered to travel to distant locations worldwide and document the lives, histories, and traditions of isolated tribal communities. Read more

Fintech company Zeitgold raises 27 million euros in Series B funding round. The round was led by Vintage Investment Partners and is aimed at further developing and expanding the use of Zeitgold’s AI accounting software. Read more

Interview | Mapping the EdTech landscape in the time of coronavirus. The UK Israel Tech Hub, in collaboration with leading UK and Israeli EdTech players, is curating an interactive EdTech Startup Map to showcase solutions to challenges in education as a result of Covid-19. Read more

Cloud security startup Orca Security raises $20 million in Series A round. The round was led by GGV Capital, an early backer of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba. Read more

Exclusive | Amnon Shashua: Moovit fits in with Mobileye’s wider vision. On the day of Intel’s $900 million acquisition of Moovit, Mobileye’s CEO and co-founder shares with Calcalist the reasons they opted to buy the Israeli company and how it advances the future of mobility. Read more

Bennett hails breakthrough in discovery of Covid-19 antibody as Israel eases quarantine regulations. The government cancels local travel restrictions and sets out a schedule for the full return to school. Read more

Covid-19 won’t lead to drop in autotech startups, says Drive and Next Gear founder. Tal Cohen points to the fundamental problems at the heart of the auto industry and says startups are finding their place in it. Read more