CTECH – Israel’s Latest Technology and Innovation News
Going Bust: Adam Neumann is a symbol of the cash-bloated startups era. Neumann is a result of too much ambition colliding with too much money, says author of the Israeli entrepreneur’s biography. Read more
Interview | Silicon Valley Boot Camp: Fusion LA accelerator marched out 49 startups in 3 years. The accelerator generally accepts 6-9 teams every six months to go through its intensive 10-week go-to-market and mentorship-driven program. Read more
Looking to recruit? Go to Facebook, says Plarium’s VP of HR. Speaking with CTech, Batya Ivanizer talks about some of the best ways to reach potential employees in a world of lockdowns and Zoom calls. Read more
Interview | “We learned to dare to dream,” says Israel’s top female space scientist. Ahead of the launch of Israel’s next astronaut, Inbal Kreiss discusses what comes next, why it’s important to dream, and how women can do anything they set their minds to. Read more
Opinion | Pitching investors online? How to bypass the Zoom doom. To crack the secret of the remote pitch, early-stage ventures must “grow up” and start thinking like revenue-generating companies. Read more
Shirbit hack serves as a wakeup call to every financial company. What’s next for Shirbit and the insurance sector after company refuses to pay ransom and hackers vow to sell client data. Read more
Interview | Mega-cap tech firms could lag the market next year, but tech in general won’t underperform, says UBS chief investment officer. Mark Haefele, Chief Investment Officer at UBS Global Wealth Management, says that stock markets will rise and fall depending on how quickly Covid-19 vaccines are approved and distributed. Read more
FoodTech startup treats obesity, diabetes through individualized AI-driven nutrition plans. DayTwo studies patient’s microbiome and uses machine-learning based algorithms to recommend personalized diets aiming to lower blood sugar levels. Read more
BrainsGate raises $14 million at $147 million valuation ahead of entering market with stroke treatment system. The Israeli company has developed a technology for the treatment of strokes named the Ischemic Stroke System. Read more
Opinion | Morality on Mars: What’s to stop future spacefarers from ruining other planets? It is unclear how an Earth-bound society could enforce proper stewardship of the Martian ecosystem. Read more
Round B | Founders should enjoy the same opportunity to diversify their wealth as their investors do. Shaul Olmert argues against those who claim that selling founders’ shares signals bad things about the company. Read more
Entrée Capital closes $125 million fund to invest in growth startups headed by Israeli founders. Israel Opportunity Fund I will invest in companies raising series B and C rounds that are active in the fields of deep tech, SaaS, fintech, and digital health. Read more
Interview | NewRocket’s next-generation engines aren’t just futuristic, they’re green. After NewRocket receives a seed stage investment to produce its low-cost, green engines that rely on clean nontoxic gel fuel, the company is looking to partner with aerospace groups for further testing. Read more
Israel Aerospace Industries and Bahrain’s Gulf Air to enter a line maintenance agreement. IAI will welcome and provide a technical response to all of Gulf Air’s airplanes planned to land at Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport. Read more
After departing from Mellanox, Eyal Waldman to join board of Israeli startup Pliops. Waldman’s joining the board signals that the company is ramping up the commercial release of its storage processor. Read more
Israeli applications underway for a spot at the ‘Startup World Cup’
2021. Spearheaded on the ground by Israel’s Tech It Forward, the winning team has a chance to earn a $1 million investment from Silicon Valley VC Pegasus Tech Ventures. Read more
Israeli digital health VC OTV raises new $170 million fund. “The
Covid-19 pandemic elucidated the importance of digital products to the global healthcare ecosystem,” said OTV General Partner Alejandro Weinstein. Read more
Bizzabo founders and investors to net over $70 million from latest round. The founders, investors and veteran employees will receive approximately 60% of the $138 million round, with the remainder of the money going to the company. Read more
Hackers demand $1 million in Bitcoin from breached insurance company. Black Shadow threatens to dump batches of its clients’ information every day until the ransom is paid. Read more
Zoom interviews: “some candidates benefit from it, others feel uncomfortable.” Speaking with CTech, Moburst’s Noy Regev highlighted how companies moving remote can have different effects on candidates during the hiring process. Read more
Who is the Emirati businessman who wants a piece of Hogeg’s Beitar? Hogeg is looking to sell a 49% stake in the club for a reported 28 million euros to Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, a member of the UAE’s royal family. Read more
Nayax aiming to become the first tech unicorn on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange. Israeli fintech company is expected to target a valuation of
$1 billion in an IPO scheduled for the second quarter of 2021. Read more
Fast-paced innovation leaves an AI-shaped hole in copyright law.
Today, images, songs, and even news articles are created by artificial intelligence. As these instances continue, legislative and ethical questions arise over their ownership. Read more
Despite Covid conference freeze, Israel’s Bizzabo completes $138 million funding round. Part of the round includes the secondary purchase of shares from existing investors; the event planning platform had to reinvent itself with the shift to virtual conferences. Read more
Analysis | From deepfakes to 5G: CyberArk experts predict 2021’s cybersecurity trends. Everything from the rapid shift to remote work to completely rethinking customer interactions has turned the business world on its head, and as a result, has significantly increased opportunities for attackers. Read more
“Adaptability is key” during Covid-19, says Augury’s VP of People Operations. As everyone was sent home to work remotely, Augury’s Keren Rubin remembers how the IoT served its employees and their families. Read more
Israel’s Mitrassist Medical raises $50 million for medical valve development. China’s Fosun Pharma, insurance company Ping-An and four large Chinese funds all took part in the round. Read more
Analysis | Jewish astronauts reach for the stars. Eytan Stibbe, the second Israeli astronaut isn’t alone, to date 16 Jewish astronauts have made it to space. Read more
Argus CEO Ofer Ben-Noon announces he’s stepping down. Three years after the cyber powerhouse’s purchase by Continental AG, the departing co-founder says the company is stronger than ever. Read more
Opinion | A “new” tech revolution is coming and the winds of change will hit the U.S. first. How this transition phase will impact the various sectors in the U.S. and will these new technological trends outlast the pandemic? Read more
Report reveals which countries are using Circles Technologies’
invasive spyware. Canada’s The Citizen Lab detected the Israeli-founded and NSO linked company’s fingerprints in use by a wide range of rights-violating regimes. Read more
Israeli authorities investigating attack on local insurance company’s servers. Black Shadow team takes responsibility for leaking private details of the company’s Israeli clients. Read more
Israel’s Databand raises $14.5 million series A, led by Accel, to develop unified data monitoring platform. Databand has gained traction quickly, and is currently used by a range of data teams, from Fortune 500 companies to early-stage startups. Read more
During Covid-19, Diagnostic Robotics pivoted to aid Israel’s pandemic response. When every other company was sent home or risked getting shut down entirely, Diagnostic Robotics formed a digital health partnership with Israel’s Ministry of Health. Read more
Jerusalem Syndrome: Tech leaders gush over the city’s entrepreneurial spirit. Amnon Shashua and Elie Wurtman discuss what makes Israel’s capital a prime location for successful tech companies at Calcalist’s Jerusalem 2030 online conference. Read more
Defense contractor Rafael carried out Covid-19 testing blitz, finding just three cases among 3,500 employees. The Israeli defense systems giant completed a pilot of mass testing last week in cooperation with the IDF’s Alon Command Center. Read more
Opinion | Why I use the speed dating method to recruit employees. As a senior manager, I receive dozens of resumes from qualified candidates, but I’ve chosen a new method to analyze newcomers, testing whether they possess five key traits. Read more
‘Point and click’ solution PointMe partners with AcousticGuide, an interactive museum for the physical world. PointMe’s technology will be tested in a European museum to help visitors immerse themselves in history and culture. Read more
CRISPR-patented cannabis company CanBreed purchases California hemp farm. The company, which develops technology for the production of stable and enhanced cannabis seeds will start U.S. marketing next year. Read more
Opinion | 2021 Data Storage Trends: What They Mean to Business Leaders? Here are some of the latest storage trends businesses can look out for as we enter a new year. Read more
