CTECH: Israel’s Latest Innovation and Technology News
Chinese heads are turning to Israel’s proptech sector. Israel has seen
recent success in construction technology, and China is looking at ways it can join in on the action. Read more
Interview | “Working in the cybersecurity industry means you’re one of the good guys.” Morphisec’s offering prevents the next cyberattack before it occurs, says VP of Product Netta Schmeidler, adding that like her, “more women are joining the industry, but it still isn’t enough.” Read more
Israel’s REE awarded £14 million from UK government. The funding is part of the country’s Net-Zero Emissions Program. Read more
Addionics charges ahead with next-gen batteries. The company can
reduce charge times and performance of batteries for EVs and consumer electronics. Read more
U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan to end 20 years of Israeli weapon
deals. Although the Israeli military had no part in the war in Afghanistan, its defense industries sold weapons such as drones, armor for APCs and anti-tank missiles to the United States and other ally forces, totaling over a billion dollars. Read more
The Forex Fraud: A wolf or a scapegoat? Gal Barak from Herzliya was convicted in Austria for taking millions of Euros from European retirees. So why does the man nicknamed “the wolf of Sofia” insist he is only a fall guy? Read more
Digital wallet usage surges by 13.5x since Apple Pay’s rollout in
Israel. Since July, digital wallet transactions grew by 23% compared to June. Over half of all credit card transactions were conducted through the EMV advanced payment infrastructure. Read more
Is QA the most sought-after job in tech? Software quality assurance
staff (QA) have a key role in the product development process and positions offer a good starting salary, sometimes, with no experience needed. Read more
Analysis | The Hippo in the room: How the insurtech unicorn lost half
its value in two weeks. Hippo has become the poster boy for everything that is problematic with SPACs, with 83% of the capital raised by its SPAC being withdrawn prior to the IPO and disappointing reports leading to a dramatic drop in its stock price. Read more
CTalk | Hibob: “The way people work is fundamentally changing.”
Speaking during a friendly game of basketball, Hibob Co-founder and CEO Ronni Zehavi shares how he envisages work after the pandemic. Read more
Cobwebs is “like a second home for our employees.” Speaking at a
basketball game between Israeli tech companies, Danit Kellmer shares what makes the cybersecurity company different from the rest. Read more
Intel shuts down sports division, sells part of it to Verizon. The
division was largely based on the 2016 acquisition of Israeli company Replay, which developed an advanced sporting events viewing experience. Calcalist learned that most Israeli employees were offered to move to Mobileye. Read more
Big-Tech 50 R&D Partnership reports 32% rise in value of investments in Israel’s leading startups. The Partnership recorded a net profit of NIS 2.6 million since its initial public offering on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange in February. Read more
OurCrowd CEO: We will continue to support Airobotics. Despite the
autonomous drone manufacturer’s failure to raise $6 million and go public, Jon Medved said “we are undeterred and continue to support the companies we believe in.” Read more
Study: ‘Smart’ signposts increase driver alertness by 70%. A report by Autotalks and Ben-Gurion University demonstrated how technology can prevent accidents and save lives. Read more
Percepto recognized by Frost & Sullivan for leading autonomous
drone-in-a-box market. “Percepto boasts the highest number of DIB
deployments, most mature product line, and the most extensive customer base in the market,” noted Elizabeth Whynott, Best Practices Research Analyst for Frost & Sullivan. Read more
Appointments | Theator appoints Kavi Vyas as Chief Commercial Officer. Vyas has 15 years of experience in medtech and most recently served as VP Marketing at Viz.ai. Read more
Reali raises $100 million for real estate fintech platform. The Israeli-founded company also raised another $75 million in equity and $25 million in venture debt. Read more
Rafael and RAD Bynet prepare to train Israel’s periphery in AI skills.
The one-year program for recent veterans of the IDF is designed to boost the country’s northern region and shrink the talent shortage. Read more
Importing tech employees is not the answer. Over the past three years, 1,000 high tech workers arrived in Israel from abroad with most working at Intel or Teva Pharmaceuticals, but experts don’t think that will solve the manpower shortage. Read more
Cyberattacks on critical infrastructure jump by 41% in first half of
2021. Numbers are going up and almost three-quarters of attacks cause critical damage. Read more
Tel Aviv University researchers 3D-bioprint an entire active tumor.
Researchers were able to print a 3D model of a glioblastoma, the deadliest type of brain cancer, from human tissues. Breakthrough will enable faster tumor diagnoses, help provide swifter treatment for patients, and more accurate drug developments. Read more
Intel’s most senior Israeli executive leaves company following closure of computer vision division. Sagi Ben Moshe was in charge of Intel’s RealSense division, which employs several dozen people in Israel, who are set to be offered alternative positions. Read more
Analysis | Monday.com surges on back of results, Global-e enters $10 billion club. Three Israeli companies with a combined value of $25 billion reported total annual income of $780 million and double-figure growth. Read more
Opinion | Maintaining a sense of urgency in early-stage startups. This ‘magic’ can be brought down to one thing: a sense of urgency, and it is one of the most essential elements of a rapidly growing startup. Read more
Will importing reinforcements from abroad finally solve the workforce shortage in Israeli high tech? Israel’s Science Minister has sent out a letter to the Tax Authority and Israel Innovation Authority calling for bringing in a large number of new immigrants and other potential high tech employees to Israel. Read more
Israel’s proptech sector, broken down. 2021 has seen rapid growth for the country’s real estate tech-related sector – CTech highlights the rising stars. Read more
Fintech giant Brex acquires Israel’s Weav for $50 million. The
startup, which offers a universal API for commerce platforms, will become the U.S. company’s R&D center in Israel. Read more
Browzwear raises $35 million for 3D solutions for the fashion
industry. The company is a leader in end-to-end digital product creation for the apparel industry and is aiming to achieve a 150% growth rate for the next two years. Read more
Circles raises $8 million for online support and wellness access. The
Israeli startup, which received funds from NFX, Flint Capital, and Sir Ronald Cohen, matches groups of 6-8 people for one-hour video meetings who are facing similar difficulties such as divorce, grief, or medical diagnoses. Read more
Overwolf launches $50 million creator fund for in-app game creators
and studios. The fund will support the projects and work of in-game app creators, authors, and game studios. Read more
Applications for Techstars TLV’s new accelerator are underway. 12
startups will participate in this year’s second cohort, its third overall in Israel. Read more
Analysis | Global Data Center’s gain is Israel’s benefit. A more than
NIS 1 billion payday for a locally-targeted computing company is not just an impressive acquisition, but also a vote of confidence in the Israeli market. Read more
Opinion | The inevitability of fintech’s trajectory. “We are in the
midst of an all-out war that we have already won using unconventional means like AI/ML and all of these incumbents are ‘dead men walking’,” writes Dovi Frances of Group 11. Read more
Opinion | Israeli startups should choose the UK when expanding to
Europe. Israeli startups continue to break records in fundraising, and many expect to see even more IPOs in 2021. The Taylor Wessing law firm outlines potential opportunities in Europe and their next phase of success. Read more
