CTECH – Israel’s Latest Technology and Innovation News
Taboola signs deal to go public on NYSE via a SPAC at $2.5-3 billion valuation. Four months after the planned merger with Outbrain fell through, Taboola CEO confirmed the Israeli content recommendation platform is heading to Wall Street. Read more
Completing a $110 million funding round, B2B payments company Melio becomes Israel’s newest unicorn. The company, now valued at $1.3 billion grew by 2,000% courtesy of Covid-19, aims to recruit 300 new employees this year. Read more
How much will a new Tesla cost you in Israel? The company is considering reducing the NIS 295,000 price tag for the basic Model 3 to encourage competition with existing brands; service center to be unveiled soon. Read more
Arkin Holdings turns focus to digital health, eyeing investments in early-stage startups. With $1.5 billion in assets under management over four funds, the Israeli company is a leading investor in the life sciences and pharmaceutical sectors. Read more
Airobotics planning to raise $50 million at $240 million valuation in TASE IPO. The drone manufacturer has raised $132 million to date and is in the midst of building a center in Dubai. Read more
Electronic Excess: Microsoft research finds employees spend 11 hours a week handling emails. “An employee receives on average 620 a week, with each email taking up roughly a minute of their time, this harms productivity,” says National Technology Officer at Microsoft Israel. Read more
IAI signs two deals supplying Heron MK II UAV Systems to undisclosed Asian country. The two deals will see Israel Aerospace Industries lease one of its unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), and sell another. Read more
New post-accelerator for Arab entrepreneurs in Israel launched by The British Embassy in Israel and PresenTense. MoveUp will assist 10-12 Arab entrepreneurs for two months, advance their levels of product development and provide guidance for projects. Read more
Israel’s Dynamic Infrastructure heads down under to deploy AI bridge maintenance. The SaaS solution helps municipalities and private developers track the health of bridges and tunnels using AI. Read more
Report: Israelis must overcome ‘perceived barriers’ when seeking EU investments. The report, titled ‘Support to strengthening of investment opportunities in EU-Israel economic relations’, explores economic and cultural aspects between the regions. Read more
“The work we’ll do in space will closely relate to our life on Earth,”
says Israel’s first private astronaut. Eytan Stibbe discusses his upcoming mission during Israel Space Agency’s opening event in marking Israeli Space Week. Read more
Opinion | The Israeli cannabis industry needs only one thing:
certainty. If the Israeli legislator wishes to see the field of cannabis utilized to the fullest, local legislation needs to formulate a consistent, decisive, and clear policy which removes obstacles. Read more
HR Post Covid | For Microsoft Israel, Covid-19 success rested in its Teams. As the world went to work from home, Microsoft was sitting on its very own video platform to conduct virtual meetings: Teams. Read more
Opinion | How a perfect storm of disruption is upending the banking industry. Covid-19 has accelerated change in the banking industry, but that’s just the beginning. Read more
IBM harnessing blockchain to deliver verifiable Covid-19 vaccine and health passes. Director of Blockchain and IoT Platforms at IBM Research in Haifa believes blockchain is the ideal technology to tackle the challenges of coronavirus. Read more
Glassbox aims to go public on TASE at a $400 million valuation. The software company has developed a system that allows organizations to track user app activity, and is aiming to raise up to $100 million in its IPO. Read more
Israeli startups invited by Mastercard Europe and Enel X to FinSec Innovation Lab. The FinSec Innovation Lab was launched to offer startups the opportunity to test and develop fintech and cybersecurity solutions. Read more
‘Folding vehicle’ company City Transformer aims for TASE IPO in Q2.
The company, which seeks EU approval for its urban electric vehicles to be marketed as quadricycles, is hoping to reach a valuation of at least $135 million. Read more
Discovery makes a splash in Israel TV market with acquisition of 21% of Reshet 13. Discovery and majority shareholder Len Blavatnik are set to invest over $20 million into the station in the coming year. Read more
AI image recognition company Pomvom eyeing $45 million IPO. The Israeli startup’s technology enables users to upload a selfie to a website and receive content that features them in real-time. Read more
Interview | Amid a decline in early-stage funding, TAU Ventures invites tech startups to its campus community. “We are comfortable leading a round or participating in it, but what we’re best at is serving as a home base for entrepreneurs in the most critical steps of their journey.” Read more
Interview | Ahead of Israeli Space Week, ISA director reveals country’s goals for the great beyond. “Investing in space tech startups is important, despite the fact that the time to go to market is longer and the risks are higher,” says Avi Blasberger. Read more
Interview | “The Israeli tech sector mobilized to battle Covid-19, but the government failed to enlist it.” Jonathan Benartzi, founding partner at Firstime talks investment goals, market trends, and the tech sector’s leadership role in the country. Read more
HR Post Covid | Virtual Yoga? Not for ClimaCell. When other companies rushed to give employees Covid-19 perks, ClimaCell instead asked its team what they wanted. This is what they said. Read more
Opinion | Israel cannot afford to depend only on buyouts and high-tech. High-tech is great, exports are essential, but you cannot just base an economy on miracles like huge exits. Read more
HR Post Covid | When the pandemic hit, Edtech company JoyTunes stuck by its nimble ways. By operating in small teams called ‘pods,’
JoyTunes managed to steer away from the iceberg known as Covid-19. Read more
Appointments | Vertex Ventures promotes Tami Bronner to Partner. The VC firm has been behind some of Israel’s most successful companies, such as Waze and SolarEdge. Read more
Round B | A business can’t be managed based on data alone. As much as we rely on figures for making business decisions, you shouldn’t sanctify KPIs. Read more
Opinion | Where did the money go? What brought the “capital of innovation in the Middle East” to scramble where it should have thrived? Read more
Digital intelligence company Cellebrite targeting Nasdaq flotation at
$2 billion valuation. Cellebrite specializes in mobile forensics, with the company’s technology being used for mobile data extraction by law enforcement, intelligence agencies, military entities, law firms, and security firms. Read more
Traveltech company TripActions raises $155 million at a $5 billion valuation. Andreessen Horowitz led the round in the Israeli founded startup which weathered Covid-19 and the disruption to global travel. Read more
Israel’s AI construction startup Swapp raises $7 million in seed. The AI platform helps real estate developers control every aspect of the planning process. Read more
Israeli palettes rule Redefine Meat’s alt-meats are tasty enough for mass market. Blind taste-test hailed a success, Best Meister to distribute plant-based substitute to restaurants and high-end butchers in Israel. Read more
What pandemic? Israeli proptech companies eager to make it in The Big Apple. Following a virtual conference by PropTech Zone in partnership with Israeli Mapped in NY, experts highlight how NYC is quickly becoming a hub for Israeli talent – despite the pandemic. Read more
Israel-based Kahun launches new web application for doctors. The application offers physicians access to insights from more than 5 million associations to help with their decision-making and diagnoses. Read more
HR Post Covid | “I miss seeing everyone on a daily basis,” admits Semperis’ HR Director. Zoom calls and virtual happy hours are simply no replacement for the cybersecurity firm. Read more
Israel’s CardinalOps completes $6.5 million seed round. The cybersecurity company founded by the founder of LightCyber uses AI to overcome human error in the management of organizations’ cyber systems. Read more
Israel’s Attorney General weighs in against hidden advertising on Instagram. Top legal authority says tagging the advertiser is not enough, demands celebrities place prominent notice to protect kids. Read more
Trax planning to fire dozens of employees as preparations for $2 billion NYSE IPO gather steam. The Israeli retail analytics company is planning on going public in the first half of 2021, but first it will be cutting down its workforce both in Israel and abroad. Read more
Israel’s Vertical Field signs agreement to install its vertical farms in the UAE. The vertical farming industry reached $2.9 billion in 2020 and is expected to reach more than $7 billion by 2025. Read more
Fyllo acquires DataOwl to expand online marketing services for cannabis industry. DataOwl’s marketing and loyalty solutions power more than 320 cannabis retailers. Read more
Elcam Medical invests $1.5 million in Serenno Medical for kidney monitoring device. Serenno Medical is working on developing a remote monitoring device which helps in early detection to prevent kidney failure. Read more
Teddy Sagi’s Kape Technologies reports record earnings. “The pandemic created global uncertainty which increased the need for quality cybersecurity solutions,” says Kape CEO Ido Erlichman, after company’s revenues hit $122.2, doubling its 2019 earnings. Read more
Youtiligent’s smart appliance connector seeks to prevent vaccine spoilage. As the vaccine race continues, Youtiligent’s IoT connectivity solution aims to prevent dosage waste by tracking temperature levels during transit and distribution. Read more
HR Post Covid | For Aura Air, Covid-19 was a breeze. Aura Air focuses on air quality and control, and Covid-19 helped raise those issues to the forefront of our minds, says Aura Air’s Customer Success Manager. Read more
Opinion | Warning: Israel must take more steps to stop USD decline or risk losing foreign R&D centers. The government must implement an active policy to bring the dollar back to the NIS 3.5 level or face the consequences. Read more
K Health closes $132 million series E at a $1.4 billion valuation.
This is the remote healthcare company’s third financing round in under a year, bringing in a total of $224 million. Read more
Quali raises $54 million to expand cloud infrastructure automation at scale. The Israeli company’s CloudShell platform accelerates and simplifies infrastructure environment provisioning by enabling teams to create self-service, on-demand replicas of full-stack infrastructure environments. Read more
It’s “Game On” for Fyber, who credits its record growth to a booming industry. App monetizing company Fyber had its most successful year ever in 2020, and expects records to keep reaching new heights as the years go on. Read more
Israel-Dubai partnership to launch a $100 million debt investment fund for tech companies. Liquidity Capital and Vault Investments will partner to fuel entrepreneurship for the two nations. Read more
“There is no limit to what Israel and the Emirates can do together.”
Ambassador Eitan Na’eh, Head of the Israel Mission to the UAE, is a big believer in the potential of the cooperation between the countries. Read more
StackPulse founded by former Luminate Security execs raises $20 million. The Israeli software company creates automated software to respond to glitches without the need for traditional IT tools, company plans to use funds for expansion and product development. Read more
Hyundai is the latest carmaker to invest in Israel’s UVeye, joining Toyota, Honda, and Volvo. The Korean company’s investment of several millions of dollars will bring the total investment by the automakers to $40 million. Read more
HR Post Covid | For riseup, it’s Go Big, not Home. The old adage, ‘go big or go home’ needn’t apply to the fintech company that moved office to keep its sense of community. Read more
BIRD Foundation approves $7.45 million funding for eight new projects. The new additions bring the total number of approved projects to more than 1,020 over 43 years. Read more
Human experimentation oversight committee wants to approve Israel-Pfizer data-sharing deal. Does research to examine Covid-19 vaccine’s effectiveness at achieving herd immunity risk citizens’ privacy? Read more
Analysis | A bubble in the making? The Tel Aviv Stock Exchange is experiencing a record year. The public may remember 2020 as a year of unemployment and lockdowns, but investors have put pedal to the metal with 25 companies going public, earning an average return of 34%. Read more
Opinion | Digital transformation must reach for the clouds. We often hear that the road towards the cloud is complicated, and to some extent that is correct. However, its benefits exceed its complications. Read more
Pangea launches smart nursing home pilot solution for safety in Israel. The solution will help 200 residential units prevent the spread of Covid-19. Read more
Opinion | Dissecting the data-sharing deal: Should Israelis be worried about Pfizer getting private info? Israel truly has an opportunity to be a light unto the nations by helping everyone else optimally distribute their vaccines in their own jurisdictions, but at what cost? Read more
