CTECH – Israel’s Latest Technology and Innovation News
“Google’s acquisition of Waze gave birth to 50 other Israeli unicorns.” Israel currently boasts around 10% of the world’s unicorns and Waze founder and serial entrepreneur Uri Levine believes Waze has a lot to do with that. Read more
Pigmentum raises $1 million from FreshStart to advance genetical concentration of color and flavor in plants. The Israeli company’s technology helps the production of natural flavor substances at up to 15x higher than conventional plants. Read more
HR Post Covid | Facebook Israel: “The market realized how important our products are” during Covid-19. Many companies struggled with lockdowns and social distancing, but for the world’s largest social network, it was their chance to shine. Read more
“Israeli airport security confiscated our passports and took us straight to ‘corona-hostels,’” recounts returning tech exec. Ofer Bengal the CEO of Redis Labs describes a miserable experience of being forced into quarantine upon his return from London. Read more
Analysis | The winners and losers: these are the salaries Israeli techies brought home in 2020. Cyber-Jobs and ESR Group have collected some data pertaining to wages in high-tech and cyber companies during 2020. Here’s what they found. Read more
Opinion | IPO frenzy will reshape the future of Israeli tech as we know it. 2021 is highly anticipated to become a record year for Israeli startups going for an IPO. This trend could change the Israeli tech scene for years to come, making it more even competitive, but also more lucrative, as more founders and early employees will be able to make a difference in more areas within the ecosystem. Read more
Introducing 20-Minute Leaders, a new video series on CTech.
Israeli-born entrepreneur Michael Matias tells about his passion for learning and how it led to an impressive Covid-19 era project. Watch full video
Covid-19, cyber, and military technology – CTech’s most popular stories of 2020. As the year comes to a close, CTech presents the top 10 articles you read and shared. Read more
SimilarWeb targeting $2 billion Nasdaq IPO in Q2 of 2021. The market intelligence company joins list of Israeli firms set to embark on a U.S. IPO in the coming months which already includes eToro, ironSource, Monday.com, OrCam, Payoneer, REE, Taboola, and Outbrain. Read more
Every other new startup in Israel had closed or suspended operations prior to pandemic, says Central Bureau of Statistics. Between 2011-2019, 6,326 Israeli startups were founded, while 2,922 closed or ceased activity, showing a decrease of 5% in 2018 compared to 2011. Read more
Israel Innovation Authority approves $43 million budget for 62 programs to train high-tech employees. The programs, which operate from two funds, will train a total of 9,000 people and are committed to placing 80% of graduates in sectors like R&D, support positions, and the Israeli industry as a whole. Read more
Report: Israeli tech IPOs on the rise as M&As drop by over 50% in 2020. According to the annual Fahn Kanne Grant Thornton Israel report, there were 317 deals completed in Israel during the past year at a total sum of $13.6 billion. Read more
HR Post Covid | Awareness is “the first and most crucial step” in combating Covid-19, says WhiteSource. When moving from in-office to work-from-home environments, it’s HR’s responsibility to make sure managers are prepared to care for their employees, says VP HR Galit Gold. Read more
Israeli tech sector raises alarm bells over plummeting dollar. Local tech companies traditionally raise funds in USD, meaning most of the sector is adversely affected by the exchange rate hitting lows not seen since November 1996. Read more
Israeli biotech company Matricelf wins Calcalist’s StartUp+ competition. The company developed a platform for 3D printing of tissues and organs. Genetika+, which developed a personalized technology for digital health, took second place; winners awarded monetary prizes and office space. Read more
Opinion | Building relationships in the age of social distancing. It’s easy to say that though we began these new relationships under the strangest circumstances, we ended up with the best possible outcomes. Read more
The Rayzone Group’s secret cyber intelligence activities revealed.
Deals with law enforcement agencies across Asia and Central America are just a portion of the activities of the Israeli company, which in the past mediated a deal between NSO and a foreign military. Read more
Tech training program ‘Adva’ completed by 81 ultra-Orthodox women, leading to employment opportunities at leading companies. The program gives women access to companies like Apple, Facebook, Check Point, and XM Cyber. Read more
RestAR acquisition by Unity a potential landmark for Israeli gaming.
“I’d really like to see a TripleA game being developed in Israel and it will be interesting to see how Unity’s entrance into Israel will affect this,” said RestAR co-founder Shimon Vainer. Read more
Israeli scientist rolls out 15-minute Covid-19 tests. Bar-Ilan University researcher calibrates MagBiosense technology to speed up the pace of traditional coronavirus tests, whittling down the time from an hour to yielding results within minutes. Read more
Employer Branding | Hiring people is like ‘expanding our family’, says IVTech. For the software development company, employer branding goes way beyond the search for the perfect CV. Read more
Innovation Authority and Ministry of Communications grant five startups NIS 12.5 million for 5G pilots. As part of the joint program the five Israeli companies will receive financial support at a rate of 20% – 50% of the approved R&D expenditure. Read more
Cannabis genetics and seeds company CanBreed completes development of stable hybrid seeds. The news follows a recent purchase of a 3.5-acre hemp farm to help distribute 12.5 million seeds across the US. Read more
IL Tech in NY | Israelis should stop driving false urgency when seeking funds, says Janvest Capital Partners. Speaking with CTech for its Israeli Tech in NY series, the venture fund highlights some of the ways Israelis can win over their American counterparts. Read more
Despite Covid-19, 40% of tech companies will be handing out 2020 bonuses. The company’s funding stage and the employees’ performance are what determines the size of the prize. Read more
REE Automotive in negotiations for a $3-4 billion Nasdaq SPAC merger. The Israeli developer of modular platforms for electric vehicles has been negotiating the move for more than three months and the deal could be completed in January. Read more
Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Merck, and Teva win tender for new Israeli Innovation Lab. The lab, which is set to research digital health and computational biology, has a government budget of $9.9 million. Read more
HR Post Covid | Compassion is “more important than ever” during Covid-19, says Pecan HR head. Understanding what your employees need as they work from home can save your company culture, not hinder it, says Pecan’s HR and Operations Manager. Read more
Opinion | U.S. investors doubled down on Israeli tech in 2020.
American buyers made up 63% of M&As of Israeli tech companies as Asian and European deals falter due to Covid-19. Read more
Rafael and Anyvision showcase drones with AI-driven computer vision to aid urban warfare. The drones and robots will be able to scan and map buildings and mark people in the premises, identifying whether they are armed and help differentiate between innocent civilians and militants. Read more
Israeli satellite strays from path to prevent collision with NASA’s Terra. In space’s worst nightmare, IAI received a warning from the ESA that Israel’s Venus satellite was about to collide with NASA’s veteran environmental research satellite, averting disaster. Read more
Checkout by selfie: The startup aiming to take customized shopping to the next level with facial recognition. Israeli company Preciate, founded by former Amdocs CEO Avi Naor and the former head of the cyber division at Unit 8200 Eyal Fisher, was forced to pivot due to Covid-19, but is getting back on track with its Pay by Face service. Read more
HR Post Covid | Relating to new recruits is a real challenge in the
Covid-19 era, says Pango HRBR. When new employees join a company, they usually have the chance to bond with their teammates – not in 2020! Read more
Opinion | Too much of a good thing? The rising shekel puts Israeli tech companies at risk. The strengthening of the shekel exchange rate against the dollar is a real problem that if left unresolved will hurt all of us Israelis. Read more
Robotics startup brings Israeli twist to agricultural drones. Blue White Robotics completed its first pollination of dates using drones and is bringing Israel’s military specialty in UAVs to the agricultural sector. Read more
Unicorn School Lessons 7 and 8: Equity trumps salaries and the path to $100 billion companies. The founders of Tipalti, Gong, and Next Insurance, whose companies’ valuations have leaped beyond $2 billion offer insights and tips for building unicorns. Read more
Opinion | A hidden bill may strike a blow to our favorite Covid-19 pastime — online sharing. The role of private parties in enforcing copyrights and limiting speech through technical mechanisms is a center point of the new draft copyright proposal, reflecting the aforementioned copyright report and hearings, from earlier this week. Read more
