CTECH – Latest Israeli Innovation and Technology News May 19, 2022
Masterschool announces $100 million Seed round to build network of tech career-training schools. The Israeli company, which had been bootstrapped since its founding in 2019, has developed a network through which tech creators and industry experts launch schools, teaching and mentoring students with a curriculum that prepares them for careers in tech. Read more
The wanted Mexican that is hiding out at the luxury home of the Rayzone group entrepreneur. Tomás Zerón, a former senior agent in the Mexican FBI, is wanted in his country on suspicion of torture and tampering with the investigation into the disappearance and murder of 43 students. He currently lives in the Neve Tzedek Tower in Tel Aviv together with David Avital, a shareholder in a subsidiary of Rayzone, which has operations in Mexico. Read more
12 professional podcasts every tech employee should have in their favorites. The Israeli tech community loves to consume and create podcasts. These are the local professional podcasts in English you shouldn’t miss out on. Read more
Imagindairy extends Seed round to $28 million for animal-free dairy solution. The Israeli startup has found a way to create animal-free milk proteins from microorganisms via proprietary precision-fermentation technology. The technology allows the production of a broad spectrum of dairy analogs, from raw milk to cheese, without involving animals. Read more
Code Ocean raises $16.5 million Series B for digital lab platform for computational scientists. The Israeli startup’s digital lab provides a consistent and secure environment to automate research in the cloud and guarantee fully reproducible research across scientific disciplines. Read more
The hits keep coming: Plummeting tech giants turn focus to profitability and streamlining in turbulent times. Following the collapse in technology stocks, the Israeli representatives on Wall Street changed their tone and began to talk about profitability and efficiency instead of glorifying growth. Read more
Appointments | Talon Cyber Security appoints former NSA Director Mike Rogers to lead board of advisors. Rogers, who served under U.S. presidents Trump and Obama and is a retired Navy Admiral, will help fuel the cybersecurity company’s go-to-market strategy. Read more
Melio appoints Sivanne Goldfarb as VP of Risk, Credit & Data Products. The former Meta executive will help lead Melio’s product team. Read more
Out of the Bubble | Saturas: “We are leading the in-tree intelligence revolution.” Anat Halgoa, Co-Founder and CEO at Saturas, joined CTech to discuss its device that can monitor the health and needs of trees.
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Spinal fusion doesn’t have to be such a pain in the back, says ZygoFix. Ofer Levy, CEO at ZygoFix, joined CTech to discuss its medical device that can help lower chronic back pain in adults. Watch full video
Avo closing business operations in Israel, cutting back on U.S. activity. After announcing earlier this month the firing of 500 of its 750 employees, the Israeli delivery platform is completely halting local business operations to focus on the U.S. market. Read more
Unit raises $100 million Series C at $1.2 billion valuation for banking-as-a-service platform. The Israeli startup helps accelerate time to market and enables companies to launch bank accounts, cards, payment, and lending products in weeks. Read more
A.Team raises $55 million Series A for product builders talent network. The Israeli startup has assembled a network of 4,000 product builders and works with over 250 companies to overcome hiring challenges by equipping them with expert, cloud-based teams to accelerate product development. Read more
Yandex wants to move its headquarters to Israel but has some conditions. Arkady Volozh, one of the founders of Yandex, wrote to the Israeli Prime Minister and three ministers telling them that he has decided to move the company’s headquarters to Tel Aviv. He is seeking special conditions for the company’s non-Israeli workers as he attempts to move the “Russian Google” away from Russia and the sanctions. Read more
Buildots raises $60 million for construction process AI solution. The Israeli construction tech startup has developed a technological solution that continuously compares the situation at the construction site with construction plans and project schedules. Read more
Investment firm Peak opening investment in high-tech startups to general public. The firm, which is led by former Technology Minister Izhar ShaI, has begun its operations in Israel and will allow local non-accredited investors to invest in local tech companies. Read more
Opinion | Skeptical shoppers: Overcoming Israeli hesitancy to online purchases. The startup nation fears buying online, but it has the potential to change according to Ariel Boucai, Marketing Director at Trafficpoint. Read more
Out of the Bubble | KiDEO’s mission to help school pupils with their language skills. Mahmoud Kinana, CEO at KiDEO joined CTech during Out of the Bubble to share the company’s plans for edtech in the coming years. Watch full video
OnTime: “There are whole worldwide populations facing a ‘convenience desert’.” Adi Paz, Co-Founder and CEO at OnTime, joined CTech to discuss the motivation behind her social delivery network platform.
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How Brocali is fighting the ‘one size fits all’ approach to medical education. Speaking as part of CTech’s Out of the Bubble Series, Amin Ali, CEO at Brocali stresses the importance of varying education. Watch full video
Appointments | Centrical appoints Linat Polak-Mart as VP of Product. The percentage of women in the cloud software company’s top management has now reached 50%. Read more
Optibus becomes the first public transportation unicorn with $100 million Series D at $1.3 billion valuation. “This round will provide us with a significant runway and will also allow us to make acquisitions,” said CEO Amos Haggiag after the Israeli startup took its total funding to date to $260 million. Read more
Oracle CEO on market shakeup: “It is not the end of the world, it’s an opportunity.” Safra Catz, the CEO of technology giant Oracle, believes that the current crisis in the markets was predictable, and that it gives rise to business opportunities. Read more
Kissterra raises $10 million from Poalim Equity to improve insurance marketing and distribution. The Israeli startup develops a cloud-based operating system for managing the digital marketing and distribution of insurance companies. Read more
Out of the Bubble | “Israeli high-tech succeeded because we’ve learned the language they speak in Silicon Valley.” CTech’s ‘Out of the Bubble’ arrives in Misgav to discuss the benefits and challenges of working in Israel’s periphery. Watch full video
Solveat introduces herbal medicine in bar form. During a visit to Misgav, CTech had a bite of next-generation functional food in the form of a chocolate bar. Watch full video
“NFT market participants need a clear signal that the technology is not a new shady area.” Dr. Shlomit Wagman-Ratner, former Director-General of the Israel Money Laundering and Terror Financing Prohibition Authority (IMPA), was speaking at a conference focused on NFT regulation co-organized by Reichman University and M. Firon law firm. Read more
“Space tech is on the launchpad of exponential growth.” “We want to create a sustainable space economy for both life on Earth and beyond,” said TYPE5 co-founder Einat Berkovitch during SpaceTech Summit. Read more
Opinion | Cyber: The new frontier. “As technology evolves and the battle terrain changes, cyber criminals are quick to adapt and change their tactics, techniques and procedures accordingly,” writes Guy Caspi, CEO and Founder of Deep Instinct. Read more
“The Americans teach us order, we teach them to dare.” Nataly Kremer is the most senior Israeli in the American telecommunications infrastructure giant AT&T. As VP of Software Delivery Services and General Manager of AT&T Israel, she oversees 1,600 employees – most of them in the United States – from her office near Ben-Gurion airport. Read more
ProDrops secures $5 million Seed from Playtika for gaming and eSports collectibles product. The Israeli startup’s collection and trading card game allows gamers to connect with their idols off social media,
off-stream, and in-game while creating additional revenue streams for gaming content creators. Read more
The tiny satellites detecting and helping put out wildfires. Using its remote sensing Earth Observation technology, Terra Space Lab is working to detect fires before they explode. “We want to detect environmental events, and enable people to do something about them right away,” says CEO. Read more
Israeli innovation stopping food waste in its tracks. CTech talks to three Israeli startups using cutting-edge technology to tackle the global wastefulness of food. Read more
Israel to invest NIS 600 million in spacetech R&D. The Israel Space Agency and Innovation Authority want to double the number of companies and employees in space tech, and plan to launch a research satellite. Read more
Appointment | Medtronic Israel names Arik Corcos as its new Country Director. Medtronic has a market cap of over $137 billion and has been active in the Israeli market for many years, including the acquisitions of Israeli AI-powered nutrition platform Nutrino for $100 million in 2019 and the $1.6 billion purchase of Mazor Robotics in 2018. Read more
CTalk | “Companies that were at high valuations went down 50, 60, 70, or 80%.” Tal Barnoach, General Partner at Disruptive Technologies, discussed the current state of the market and how that impacts early-stage investments in Startup Nation. Watch full video
SQream: “We grew 10x last year in revenues and we are probably going to grow 4x this year.” Ami Gal, Co-Founder and CEO at SQream, spoke to CTech about its ambitious plans for the future. Watch full video
Cybersecurity “has real adversaries” that must be defeated, explains YL Ventures. Ofer Schreiber, Partner and Head of Israel Office at YL Ventures, spoke about cybersecurity and its challenges in the investment world. Watch full video
Opinion | VCs can also be startups – The emerging public VC model. “Public VCs enable the entire public to participate in the success of Israeli high-tech. Any person can buy LP units at any time, and in any amount, in a vehicle that in the past was open only to accredited investors,” writes Amir Blatt of Almeda Ventures. Read more
