S&P to affirm Israel rating after Netanyahu guarantees firm to halt judicial overhaul. The prime minister was involved in talks with the representatives of the rating agency and promised that the judicial coup would not get passed in its original form. Read more

Pulling the plug: Growth funds halt investments in Israel. In the last 8 months, the local and foreign growth funds made almost no new investments in Israel. “Investors made it clear to me that during this period they were not investing and I had to fire dozens of additional employees,” said one senior entrepreneur. Read more

Similarweb laying off another 6% of staff, falls short of estimates. The digital intelligence company is parting with another 60 employees after firing 130 last November. Read more

Mossad and Shin Bet eyeing employees from struggling Israeli high-tech sector. Security agencies are trying to get legislation passed that will help them offer contracts that can compete with the private sector. Read more

Vesttoo raising Series D at $1.5-2 billion valuation. R&D partnership Sure-Tech recently sold its shares in the fintech startup at a reduced $785 million valuation, despite the company being in the midst of a funding round that will see it retain its unicorn status. Read more

UVeye secures $100 million Series D for automated vehicle-inspection systems. The Israeli startup offers vehicle-inspection systems based on AI, computer-vision and machine-learning technologies that detect vehicle damage and mechanical issues. Read more

8fig nets $40 million in equity and $100 million in debt to fund online sellers. The Israeli startup provides e-commerce businesses with bespoke funding plans that are optimized according to their supply chain and cash flow needs. Read more

AudioCodes laying off up to 10% of staff. The Israeli Nasdaq-listed company will part ways with around 80 of its employees (6%) immediately, and will lay off up to 10% over the coming year. Read more

Porsche and Mobileye to collaborate on ADAS solutions. Porsche plans to offer in future models automated assistance and navigate-on-pilot functions based on the Mobileye SuperVision technology platform. Read more

More than half of new Israeli startups registered abroad in Q1 of 2023. According to a new report, some 56% of new Israeli startups choose to register abroad in the first quarter of the year, with an additional 49 companies in the process of transforming into American firms. Read more

Qualcomm acquiring auto-chip maker Autotalks in $350-400 million deal. Autotalks is a fabless semiconductor company developing vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communications that are designed to reduce collisions and improve mobility. Read more

Surgical robotics startup Momentis cutting 60% of team one year after $1 billion SPAC fell through. Momentis, formerly Memic, which develops robotic-assisted surgery solutions, is laying off 70 of 120 employees. Read more

“This is the teenage phase of AI. Tools with extraordinary power that are completely unreliable.” Gary Marcus, one of world’s foremost AI experts, recognizes the positive potential inherent in technology, but warns that we must urgently develop regulations against the spread of disinformation. Read more

Dehorned: Fintech startup Vesttoo loses unicorn status. R&D partnership Sure-Tech, which purchased about 4% of the fintech company Vesttoo two years ago, sold the remaining 2% of its holding last week at a company valuation of $785 million. The partnership achieved a return of 1,500%, but Vesttoo, which raised $80 million in funding last October at a value of a billion dollars, said goodbye to its unicorn status. Read more

“Israel must position itself as one of the three leading AI powers in the world,” says former Prime Minister Bennett. In a long Twitter post, Bennett stressed the significance of AI and the important role Israeli high-tech should play in its development. Read more

AppsFlyer CEO: “ChatGPT is a crazy revolution, more defining than the iPhone.” Oren Kaniel, the co-founder of the Israeli unicorn, believes that the biggest companies in the world will go through radical changes due to the AI revolution: “Many companies could face a disruption that I’m not sure they are ready for.” Read more

War of the labor market: ChatGPT vs Juniors. The artificial intelligence tools that exist today are already changing the job market as they are able to perform tasks performed by workers at the beginning of their career and thus threaten to replace them. Nevertheless, for now it seems that juniors are not in danger, with a new study showing that they are actually the main beneficiaries of the use of AI at work. Read more

Anodot laying off 20% of team in second round of layoffs. The Israeli business monitoring startup is parting ways with around 15 of 80 employees after firing 35 people last July. Read more

Cleantech startup Tipa acquires Bio4Pack in $8 million deal. The Israeli startup is purchasing the European compostable packaging company to expand its portfolio. Read more

Boarding Pass | Admonis’ efforts to automate e-commerce activity. The company has raised $1.6 million to help companies manage and automate their e-commerce activity in one place and update information in their systems in real-time. Read more