CTECH – Latest Israeli Innovation and Technology News
Moon Active valuation surges to $5 billion on back of $300 million
Insight funding. The Israeli gaming company is expecting revenue of over $1.5 billion in 2021. Insight Partners invested $125 million in the company at a $1.25 billion valuation less than two years ago. Read more
Verbit hits $2 billion valuation with $250 million Series E. The AI-powered Israeli transcription and captioning startup doubled its valuation from its Series D six months ago. Read more
Whatslly raises $11 million Seed funding to facilitate customer
engagement over instant messaging. The startup’s platform connects
individual and business WhatsApp with Salesforce, enabling the messaging service to play an important role in engaging customers. Read more
Zenity comes out of stealth with $5 million Seed round to secure Low
Code/No Code applications. The Israeli startup’s tech allows businesses to adopt Low-Code/No-Code platforms while avoiding critical data exfiltration or disruption to business continuity. Read more
Foxconn Interconnect Technology invests $10 million in Autotalks. The Israeli Vehicle-to-Everything communication solutions provider and FIT
will leverage Autotalks’ automotive technology, and its recently launched ZooZ micro-mobility platform. Read more
Apple files lawsuit against NSO Group, saying U.S. citizens were
targets. The iPhone maker is the latest in a string of companies and governments to come after NSO, the maker of the Pegasus hacking tool that watchdog groups say targeted human rights workers and journalists. Read more
Volvo Cars investing $2 million in optical and imaging tech startup
Spectralics. The Israeli company creates state-of-the-art imaging and optical infrastructure spanning materials, hardware and software, enabling a wide variety of advanced optical capabilities. Read more
Spotlight | Flare helping streamers turn live gaming into sports
broadcasting. The local startup, founded by two Israeli-Arab students, uses AI to give streamers the tools which high-end sports productions use. CEO Khaled Zbidat: “Streamers need to focus on their viewers and playing well.” Read more
Appointments | ThoughtLeaders hires Felix Vaisman as VP of R&D. The former VP of R&D at SimilarWeb will be responsible for leading innovation through the expansion of data coverage, the development of new tools, and scaling ThoughtLeaders’ platform. Read more
Opinion | Vetoes are a weapon of mass destruction, and it is up to
investors to prevent them. “Investors cannot wait on the sidelines expecting for updates from a young person on whom they catapulted $50
million, complain when updates don’t come, and treat the matters being raised for approval like Simon Cowell observing a contestant on X-Factor,” writes Nimrod Vromen. Read more
Mind the Tech NY | “People were talking about the mass exit from New York but economic prosperity is returning.” Said Anat Katz, who serves as Economic Minister at the Israel Economic Mission to the USA – East
Coast, during Mind the Tech New York 2021. Watch full video
“We like to call ourselves the Space X of weather-tech.” Said Shimon
Elkabetz, co-founder and CEO of Tomorrow.io, at Calcalist and LeumiTech’s Mind the Tech New York 2021 conference. Watch full video
“API’s expose a lot of holes to attackers, and that’s where we come
in.” Said co-founder and CEO of Salt Security Roey Eliyahu during Mind
the Tech NY 2021. Watch full video
“The internet is maybe the greatest database ever created.” At
Calcalist’s Mind The Tech, Omri Orgad, Managing Director at Bright Data stresses the importance of alternative data. Watch full video
Avo: “We will be in every major state in the U.S.” Avo, an online convenience store for employees, promised big things for their future at Calcalist’s Mind The Tech conference. Watch full video
Qumra Capital explains process behind list of Israeli startups to
watch out for. Speaking at Mind The Tech in New York, Managing General
Partner Boaz Dinte revealed the Israeli companies we should be paying attention to in the next year. Watch full video
Cybersecurity startup XM Cyber acquired for $700 million by Schwarz
Group. The Israeli company, founded in 2016 by former Mossad head Tamir Pardo, Noam Erez, and Boaz Gorodiski, has developed a technology that simulates organized cyberattacks on companies to help them improve their defenses. Read more
Insurtech startup Vesttoo raises $15 million Series B at $300 million
valuation. The funding, which comes just three months after a $6 million Series A round, will drive expansion of Vesttoo’s Insurance-Linked Program (ILP) offering, a security-based investment portfolio, as well as its fully digital marketplace for insurance-based risk transfer and investments. Read more
Shield-IoT raises $7.4 million Series A to secure IoT networks.
Founded in 2017, the Israeli startup addresses the escalating proliferation of IoT cyber threats to devices, data, critical services and infrastructure. Read more
Outbrain acquires video intelligence AG for $55 million, first purchase since Nasdaq IPO. The Israeli company will integrate the Swiss firm’s contextual and machine learning technology which enables media owners to enhance user engagement and monetization by adding relevant video content to articles. Read more
OurCrowd becomes first Israeli VC to receive official UAE license.
“The welcome recognition by the Abu Dhabi regulatory authorities will enable us to create venture funds based at ADGM to invest in technology startups and projects in the UAE and across the region,” said Dr. Sabah al-Binali, OurCrowd’s UAE-based venture partner. Read more
Interview | “I heard ‘no’ on electric cars countless times.” Dr. Prabhakar Patil was one of the early visionaries of modern electric cars when he ran Ford’s hybrid cars project in the 1990s. He is now advising Addionics, an Israeli startup that seeks to improve the existing batteries. Read more
Lightricks to build an 8,600 square feet R&D center in Haifa. The company has already started hiring for the new center which will be headed by Idan Megidish. CEO Zeev Farbman said the move “will allow us to reach a large population located in the north of the country.” Read more
Mastercard and Enel X open FinSec Innovation Lab in Be’er Sheva’s
Hi-Tech Park. Five companies were selected to take part in the program from more than 100 applications. Read more
Svix raises $2.6 million in pre-Seed funding with the help of Y Combinator. The company provides a Webhooks-as-a-Service platform to
trigger API notifications. Read more
Appointments | Intel Capital names Yoni Greifman as its third Director of Investments. Greifman will be coming from Uber Israel, where he served as General Manager. Read more
Mind the Tech NY | How Israel’s real-life defense creates cyber
powerhouses. Yoni Shohet, Co-Founder and CEO of Valence Security, spoke at Mind The Tech about Israel and its ability to produce cybersecurity companies. Watch full video
“One of the top security risks is organization friction.” Speaking at Mind The Tech, Orca Security’s CEO and co-founder Avi Shua discusses how it keeps companies safe. Watch full video
“Financial services are very important parts of our lives that are
being transformed.” Prashant Fuloria, CEO of Fundbox, spoke about how
the internet changes our lives. Watch full video
“Israeli tech has a significant role in bringing New York back to
life.” The New York Israel Unicorn party at Margalit Startup City in New York brought together some 400 notable entrepreneurs, executives and investors to talk tech and enjoy some music and drinks. Read more
“Hardware is becoming obsolete, and we’re seeing far more optimization.” Said Asaf Ezra, co-founder and CEO of Granulate during
Calcalist’s Mind the Tech 2021 conference. Read more
“Companies are looking for solutions like ours that help them save
money.” Said Oded Zehavi, co-founder and CEO of Mesh Payments, during
an interview at Calcalist’s Mind the Tech New York 2021 conference. Read more
“As cybercrime rises, we’ll see more organizations create security
operations centers.” Said Uri May, co-founder and CEO of Hunters.AI, a
cybersecurity platform, during Calcalist’s Mind the Tech New York 2021 conference. Read more
Mind the Tech NY 2021
“We think Israel is the best place to invest in cybersecurity.” Said
John Brennan, a partner at YL Ventures, during a panel on cybersecurity alongside Orca Security CEO Avi Shua and Google Cloud CISO Phil Venables. Watch full video
“Israel has a legacy of building some of the most disruptive technologies in the world.” “There’s not really a lot of countries who have that commitment to disruption, and Israel is really a leader in that space,” said Jay Jacobs, Head of Research and Strategy at Global X during the Mind the Tech 2021 conference. Watch full video
Insight Partners: “We think the trend of Israeli tech is really positive.” Managing Director Teddie Wardi spoke at Mind The Tech about how Startup Nation is so attractive to investors. Watch full video
Interest rates, geopolitical threats and climate crisis are all market
disruptors, says Head of Technology at KPMG Israel. Investors and
companies need to look out for potential market disruptors such as climate change, the shortage in the workforce, and more, said Dina Pasca-Raz, Head of Technology at KPMG Israel during the Calcalist Mind the Tech New York 2021 conference. Watch full video
“80% of cyberattacks were new unknown threats.” Deep Instinct CTO Nadav Maman said we are approaching a time where “humans alone will not be able to deal with the size of information and amount of complexity and attacks staged.” Watch full video
Startup success dependent on team, says Viola Growth. Natalie Refuah,
General Partner at Viola Growth, spoke at Mind The Tech about how teams account for nearly 90% of its investment choices. Watch full video
“The best way to prevent a drop in market share is to invest as early
as possible.” Founder and Managing Partner of Vine Ventures Eric Reiner was speaking during the Mind the Tech NY 2021 conference. Watch full video
LeumiTech CEO: For companies raising capital, “the cost of debt
becomes negligible.” Timor Arbel-Sadras spoke at a roundtable panel during Mind the Tech NY 2021 alongside head of International and tech banking at Bank Leumi USA, Ori Kaufman-Gafter, and industry leaders. Watch full video
Aura Air: “Millennials are starting to be pickier on their indoor
environments.” Speaking at Mind The Tech, Aura Air America CEO Roei Friedberg highlights how younger workers want cleaner offices. Watch full video
8fig raises combined $50 million in Series A for fintech platform
providing flexible funding. By analyzing and validating each seller’s growth trajectory, the Israeli startup delivers adaptable funding on more attractive terms without taking equity. Read more
Sedric raises $3.5 million for fintech compliance platform. The Israeli startup’s AI-powered platform monitors every customer engagement and auto-detects high-risk interactions to ensure compliance. Read more
U.S. pharma giant West to invest in Israeli incubator MEDX Xelerator. “Israel is well known as one of the world’s centers of medical innovation and MEDX’s senior management has a proven track record,” said Scott Young, VP of Research at West. Read more
Opinion | Are smart contracts actual contracts? “Maybe, smart contracts can promote a new theory of contracts that would encompass not only smart contracts, but other contracts as well,” writes Dov Greenbaum. Read more
Mind the Tech NY 2021
“Israel is the engine of innovation.” “The startup dream is open to
all. If at first you do not succeed, in Israel we say: try again,” said former Israel President Reuven Rivlin during the American-Israel Friendship League and Israeli Mapped in NY event at the Nasdaq marking Israel Day. Read more
Carl Eschenbach: We will help Israeli companies reach $100 billion
valuations. Speaking at a panel during Mind the Tech NY 2021 that included Salt Security CEO Roey Eliyahu, the Sequoia Capital Partner discussed his firm’s faith in the cybersecurity company. Watch full video
“Finance is a people industry so focus on building those connections.”
The recently appointed CEO of LeumiTech Timor Arbel-Sadras provided her predictions for the market and how young women can thrive in the finance sector where gender equality is uncommon. Watch full video
“Israel is the most dynamic market we look at.” Jon Korngold, the Global co-head of Technology Investing and Head of Blackstone Growth, told Calcalist’s Sophie Shulman. “You’ve got companies built for globalization from day one.” Watch full video
“We want to promote technologies and companies that do good, and build a better corporate culture.” New Era Capital Partners views ESG guidelines as crucial to helping companies start out, said Founding Partner Ziv Conen during Calcalist’s Mind the Tech NY 2021 conference. Watch full video
Akeyless CEO celebrates “phenomenal” year as cybersecurity concerns mount for enterprises. Speaking at Akeyless’ KeyConf, CEO and
co-founder Oded Hareven reiterated the need for cybersecurity and secret management tools. Read more
Avo CEO: “The current e-commerce model does not work.” Dekel Valtzer believes his company’s approach benefits both consumers and e-commerce providers alike. Watch full video
“People talk about how every company is a metaverse company.” Tal
Chalozin, Co-founder and CTO of Innovid, spoke at Mind The Tech NY about some of the plans for the video advertising platform. Watch full video
“There is plenty of data, but it is difficult to use it.” Metrolink CEO Asaf Cohen was speaking at a Grove Ventures’ roundtable during Mind the Tech NY 2021 alongside Active Fence’s Tomer Poran, General Atlantic’s Emmanuel Lagarrigue, and Navina AI’s CEO Ronen Lavi. Read more
Meet Snappy: New York’s fastest-growing company. Founder and CEO Hani Goldstein shares how her company achieved 800% growth in one year.
Watch full video
Versatile proves that contech is finally having its moment. Meirav
Oren, co-founder and CEO of Versatile, spoke at Mind The Tech about how investors have changed their minds about contech. Watch full video
Stoa raises $136 million for its iBuyer platform. The FlipOS platform
uses artificial intelligence to provide real estate investors with tools to fund, fix and sell their property. Read more
N-Drip completes $20 million Series B financing led by Granot, the
Kibbutzim’s investment arm. The Israeli company will use the funding
to expand its U.S. infrastructure and expand its operations in India. Read more
Crypto entrepreneur Moshe Hogeg arrested on fraud, sexual offences
charges. Hogeg, founder of blockchain companies Sirin Labs and Stox and the owner of soccer club Beitar Jerusalem, is suspected to have defrauded investors of tens of millions of dollars and is also facing charges for sexual offences. Read more
Anyword raises $21 million for marketing messaging platform. The
AI-based language optimization software analyzes billions of data points to create messages that according to the company show over a 30% lift in performance. Read more
XTEND raises $20 million Series A for drone operating system. The
Israeli startup’s human-guided, AR and AI-powered drone system enables
operators to safely perform extreme missions and is already deployed by the US DoD and the IDF. Read more
Israeli data security startup Laminar emerges from stealth with $32
million Series A. Founded by Unit 8200 veterans and four-time Google
Capture the Flag champions, the firm delivers data security and leakage protection for everything built and run in the cloud. Read more
Appointments | E-commerce consumer startup Karma appoints Mor Pesso Eblagon as CMO. Pesso Eblagon joins Karma after three years as the CMO of Israeli fashion brand Castro, and just one month after the startup raised $25 million. Read more
Mind the Tech NY 2021
“I can imagine Israeli megacorns sometime in the future.” Natalie
Refuah, a partner at Viola Growth, said about the Israeli ecosystem in a panel with Saagar Kulkarni of Stripes Group who added “Israel has been, aside from the U.S., the number one geography we invested in over the last three years.” Watch full video
CyberArk founder: “In order to breakthrough the initial funding stage you must maintain the company DNA.” “If I had to pinpoint one reason for the success of CyberArk it is the DNA and the high retention rate
of employees. How did we do that? We led by example,” said CyberArk
CEO Udi Mokady, speaking at Qumra Capital’s roundtable at Mind the
Tech NY 2021. Read more
What makes Israeli companies so attractive to American investors?
Speaking at Calcalist’s Mind The Tech conference, Guy Franklin shares how his platform connects Israeli companies to investors in New York. Watch full video
“The innovation coming out of Israel is truly stunning,” says Fox
News’ Jennifer Griffin. Jennifer Griffin joined James Spiro at Calcalist’s Mind The Tech to discuss Israel’s shifting role on the global stage. Watch full video
Margalit: Israeli startups in New York “give the West Coast a run for
its money.” Erel Margalit spoke to James Spiro at Calcalist’s Mind The Tech conference to discuss the Israeli ecosystem in the Big Apple. Watch full video
“Build on what is working and not focus on what is failing.” Samer
Jassar, the director of basketball strategy and analytics for NBA champion the Milwaukee Bucks explained why, when using data, you should “choose the right problem” to solve to make the most impact. Watch full video
“10% of all unicorns are Israeli-made.” Israeli startups are scalable and concerned with making the world a better place, said Gideon Argov of New Era Capital Partners during Calcalist’s Mind the Tech NY 2021 conference. Watch full video
Erel Margalit to New York: Want to give the West Coast a battle?
Partner with Israel. Speaking with FOX News reporter Jennifer Griffin, the founder and executive chairman of JVP and Margalit StartUp City said: “We are creating a little kibbutz in Soho.” Watch full video
“Software is eating the world of television.” CTO and co-founder of
Innovid Tal Chalozin added at Mind the Tech NY 2021 that: “The television is having an iPhone moment.” Watch full video
“We saw a shift in the mindset of many companies, investors, and
corporations.” Itay Falb, a partner at KPMG Israel, was speaking in a discussion on the issue of scaling during the pandemic alongside Alon Bloch, the CEO of K-Health, Fireblocks co-founder Michael Shaulov, Snappy CEO Hani Goldstein, moderated by Dr. Nimrod Kozlovski. Watch full video
“If the high tech industry won’t be gracious in victory,” it can lose
what it gained. That is according to Dina Pasca-Raz, Partner and Head of Technology at KPMG Israel, who spoke at Mind the Tech NY 2021 and called on the industry to do more to counter global challenges. Watch full video
Overwolf raises $75 million from a16z to strengthen in-game creator
ecosystem. The Israeli company’s platform enables creators to build, distribute, and monetize in-game apps and mods. Read more
Nexar raises $53 million to create AI-digital twin of U.S. roads. The
Israeli company’s network of dash cam’s collect more images than any entity besides Tesla. Read more
Workiz raises $40 million Series C to innovate home service management. Founded by veteran locksmiths, the Israeli startup’s platform is used by home service companies to plan and keep track of jobs, schedules and payments. Read more
Cymbio raises $20 million Series B for digital commerce platform. The
Israeli startup provides brands a centralized platform to manage marketplaces, drop ship, boutiques, retail set-up and onboarding. Read more
Fort Ross Ventures announces $100 million first closing of late-stage
fund. The global VC firm has previously invested in numerous local companies, including eToro, Explorium and Granulate. Read more
Imagindairy closes $13 million seed round to advance animal-free
dairy. The Israeli startup uses natural precision fermentation to create true milk proteins. Read more
