Unicorns become essential breeding ground for new startups. Out of 89 Israeli unicorns, 46 have already given birth to a new generation of 207 startups, according to a report by Accel and Dealroom. Read more

RedDress raises $26 million to heal chronic wounds with product created from patient’s own blood. The company has developed an autologous, point-of-care wound management solution that creates an in-vitro blood clot from patients’ own whole blood. Read more

Western Digital lays off 7% of workforce in Israel. The hard drive manufacturer is parting ways with 60 of its 800 employees in the country. Read more

LA confidential: What’s a Hollywood producer doing on the board of NSO’s parent company? Calcalist has learned that Hollywood producer Robert Simonds, whose 30 movies made a combined $6 billion at the box office, is listed as one of the two directors, along with Omri Lavie, at Dufresne Holding, NSO’s parent company. What’s the movie mogul’s motive? Read more

Cloud company Qubex wins StartUp+ competition. The startup, which is building a platform that allows companies to adjust the size of their cloud to their actual consumption, was followed by Faireez, a platform that offers task-based cleaning services for homes by connecting cleaners with property management companies. Read more

Qualcomm cuts 5% of jobs in Israel. The chip giant is laying off around 30 employees in the latest in a series of cutbacks at the company. Read more

Travel insurtech startup Faye lands $10 million in Series A. Faye’s protection can cover travelers’ flights, hotels, health, luggage, and even their pets. Read more

“Israelis are good at creating something from nothing, but the Japanese will take it from two to ten.” Eyal Agmoni, Chairman of Chartered Group, spoke to Calcalist ahead of the Israel-Japan conference in Tokyo next week. Read more

“I think AI is perhaps the biggest revolution since the invention of the internet.” Tal Barnoach, General Partner of VC firm Disruptive, was speaking ahead of the finals of Calcalist and Poalim Hi-Tech’s 2023 StartUp+ competition. Read more

Opinion | Got a cyber crisis? Meet the breach coach. Cyber crises should be approached quickly, but not rashly. Breach coaches – corporate lawyers joining forces with cyber crisis experts, provide a comprehensive solution that also enjoys attorney-client privilege. Read more

Israeli biotech phenom puts death knell on cancer. At 44, Gal Markel is a biotech bulldozer. After a $95 million exit, the professor of immunology serves as the Deputy Director General of Beilinson Hospital and the Director of the Davidoff Cancer Center, and is also involved in five startups. Now he has raised around $33 million to establish the Samueli Institute, researching ways to help the immune system eradicate cancer cells. Read more

“Israel was the first to emerge from the pandemic, but will be the last to emerge from the global tech crisis.” Sivan Shamri Dahan, Managing Partner of Qumra Capital, was speaking at a special conference in the Knesset led by high-tech industry organizations opposing the judicial overhaul. “If 10,000-20,000 high-tech workers leave Israel there will no longer be a high-tech industry here,” noted Professor Eugene Kandel. Read more

“Our mission is to turn the State of Israel into an AI superpower.” Defense Ministry director-general Eyal Zamir also revealed that steps to harness rapid AI evolutions include the formation of a dedicated organization for military robotics in the ministry, and a record-high budget for related research and development this year. Read more

Google’s new passkeys will require more than your fingerprint to keep you safe. The threat to your information is still rampant despite a new era of password protection, says Perception Point CTO. Read more

Opinion | Are down rounds the new layoffs? “With 2023 shaping up to be the year of down rounds, what is the potential impact on the Israeli tech ecosystem, and how can founders avoid being part of this trend?” writes Eyal Bino, Founding Partner of 97212 Ventures. Read more