CTECH: Latest Israeli Innovation & Technology News Dec. 2 2025
Secretive Israeli startup Moonshot Space raises $12M, unveils electric launcher for hypersonic and orbital missions. Led by an Iron Dome veteran, JFrog co-founder and ex–Foreign Ministry Director, Moonshot Space has assembled a mix of defense engineers, diplomats, and space-program veterans. Read more
Apax acquiring online marketplace Yad2 for $950 million, beating out Blackstone. Deal follows rapid progress in London talks and marks Apax’s return to a platform it once lost. Read more
Aqua Security lays off staff weeks after management shake-up. The cyber company is firing dozens of employees as new leadership launches restructuring aimed at long-term stability. Read more
The new logic behind today’s oversized Israeli Seed rounds. “Starting off with tens of millions of dollars and a high valuation you will need to grow into, isn’t a feature or a bug but rather a strategy. And, both founders and VCs should be fully aware of what it implies,” writes Judah Taub, Managing Partner at Hetz Ventures. Read more
LeanCon raises $6 million Seed to accelerate AI-driven pre-construction planning. Startup doubles its target as investors back technology that compresses months of planning into minutes. Read more
Israeli drone startup Heven hits $1 billion valuation in $100 million round led by IonQ. Quantum computing company deepens its push into Israel’s defense-tech sector, adding its senior executive to Heven’s board and expanding its regional footprint with a recent investment in Classiq. Read more
Akamai CEO: “We won’t buy out of panic around GenAI.” Tom Leighton says the company’s Israeli cyber arm is powering its fastest growth, but warns that discipline, not hype, will guide future acquisitions. Read more
One Zero seeks $60-90 million as investors push back on its $360 million valuation. Institutional investors cite heavy losses and a newly revealed SAFE clause giving Amnon Shashua a steep discount. Read more
IDF expands iPhone-only policy after security review, leaving Android devices outside military channels. The decision reflects a belief that iPhones pose a lower hacking risk than Android models previously used by officers. Read more
Israel tops its region in global talent ranking, but political instability drags score down. INSEAD index places Israel 23rd worldwide, highlighting world-leading R&D strength alongside severe weaknesses in stability and immigrant tolerance. Read more
The women turning a blood sample into a map of the depressed brain. Tel Aviv-based NeuroKaire is using “brain-in-a-dish” models to personalize antidepressants, and is now shifting from years of research to full-scale commercialization in Israel and the U.S. Read more
Entrée Capital raises $300 million, lifting total AUM to $1.5 billion. The firm expands its Seed and late-stage strategy as Avi Eyal predicts a shakeout among companies failing to transition to AI. Read more
Israel to deploy Iron Beam within weeks as laser interceptor clears key trials. Rafael reports record quarterly results, a soaring $22 billion backlog, and rapid global expansion as demand surges for its defense technologies. Read more
Israel eyes $3 billion Wiz windfall to strengthen economy and cut deficit. Finance Ministry says one-time revenue from Google’s acquisition of Wiz could reduce debt while supporting 2026 growth targets. Read more
Israel Innovation chief: AI, chips and quantum are now national-security assets. “Israel must understand that it is entering an era in which national technology programs must be part of its political and security strategy,” said Dr. Alon Stopel, Chairman of the Israel Innovation Authority. Read more
After raising more than $40M, Mentee demonstrates practical use case for humanoids. Two V3 robots complete a multi-step logistics task autonomously, showing progress toward commercial deployment. Read more
From defense autonomy to tunable chiplets: Intel-backed Ignite DeepTech unveils new cohort. Program leaders say the war is pushing founders toward technologies with military and civilian crossover value. Read more
The ‘$20 million exit’ that was really a $200,000 asset sale. Simtex investors learn the truth as disclosures reveal a far smaller deal than the one touted online. Read more
“Most teams are building under the radar,” says UpWest Partner Lia Cromwell. Lia Cromwell, Partner at UpWest, speaks to CTech about the state of Israeli startups, the funding outlook for 2026, and the role AI is likely to play. Read more
Google TPU momentum spurs talk of a post-Nvidia future. A sudden improvement in Gemini performance fuels speculation of a long-awaited shift in AI infrastructure. Read more
Blockchain unicorn Paxos acquires Fordefi for over $100 million. The U.S. firm plans to expand its Israeli R&D hub as it integrates Fordefi’s institutional wallet technology serving 300 financial institutions. Read more
With support from Wiz founders and Shlomo Kramer, Clover raises $30 million for AI-driven product security. With multimillion-dollar revenue already in hand, the Israeli startup embeds AI into developer tools to automate work traditionally handled by stretched security teams. Read more
Ondas acquires Roboteam for $80 million as U.S. group deepens Israeli buying spree. The ground-robotics deal follows this month’s $225 million purchase of Sentrycs as Ondas accelerates its system-of-systems strategy. Read more
Mapping the Israeli gaming ecosystem with 143 companies and $3.65 billion in published exits. A new sector report reveals the scale, maturity, and emerging global reach of Israel’s fast-growing gaming industry. Read more
What loans did Armis and Tipalti take and who else is borrowing? Hercules Capital’s disclosures provide a rare view into debt levels at some of Israel’s best-known startups. The U.S. lender’s growing presence reveals how founders are navigating delayed IPOs and pressured valuations. Read more
Nice puts Actimize up for sale at a $1.5-2 billion price tag. Despite contributing nearly a third of operating profit, the division is being offloaded to help fund the company’s costly shift into AI-driven customer-service software. Read more
McAfee acquires MineOS app for tens of millions as demand for consumer privacy tools accelerates. The consumer privacy tool will be folded into McAfee’s protection platform as MineOS shifts fully to its AI-driven enterprise offering. Read more
After Tenable exit, Indegy founders raise $20M Seed for Opti to tame access sprawl. Investors are betting on an intelligence layer that helps enterprises understand and automate the relationships among users, systems and permissions. Read more
Solebit veterans raise $10M Seed for Blast Security to make prevention the new cloud standard. The platform aims to move enterprises beyond alert fatigue by testing and enforcing every change before deployment. Read more
“AI without data is like a car without gas.” Playtika CTO Uri Rubin added at the Calcalist Gaming Conference: “You need at least a year of historical data on everything players do, and you need it for millions of players, otherwise AI can’t produce insights.” Read more
