CTECH: Latest Israeli Innovation & Technology News June 20, 2025
Startup Nation grounded: Inside the race home for Israel’s high-tech leaders stranded abroad. As Israel shuttered its skies in the wake of Operation Rising Lion, tech professionals have found themselves grounded in foreign cities, racing to return home through extraordinary means or holding the fort from afar. Read more
Weizmann Institute suffers over $500 million in damage from missile strike. Three key research buildings destroyed; rare materials and scientific samples lost. Read more
Former Mossad economic chief: Stop Iran by cutting this one lifeline. Dr. Udi Levy, former head of the Mossad task force Harpoon, reveals how cutting off Tehran’s oil revenues could cripple its military and terrorist networks. Read more
“Increase your exposure to Israel. Long-term, that’s the right move.” The CEO of Phoenix Investment House Avner Hadad believes that there are good reasons for the rise in the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange this week despite the war with Iran. Read more
Visby Medical raises $55M to bring lab-grade STI testing home. Israeli-founded startup’s FDA-cleared test delivers PCR results in 30 minutes. Read more
Vibe coding fever: Solo entrepreneur’s Base44 acquired by Wix for $80 million. 31-year-old Maor Shlomo built the viral AI app-maker as a side project that began last year during a post-reserve trip. Base44 only employs six people and hasn’t raised any external funding. Read more
“Catastrophic loss”: Inside the destruction of Weizmann’s research labs. Scientists scramble to save freezers, data, and years of research from missile-hit buildings. Read more
Israel manages missile interception economy amid ongoing Iranian barrages. With interceptor stocks under pressure, defense officials balance firepower with strategic conservation. Read more
Iran’s top crypto exchange hacked for $80M by Israeli-affiliated group. Predatory Sparrow escalates cyberwarfare with unprecedented breach of Nobitex. Read more
Intel overhauls engineering leadership amid deep factory layoffs. New customer and AI chip heads reflect strategic reset as restructuring reaches Israeli and global plants. Read more
Coralogix raises $115 million Series E at over $1 billion valuation. The round, which takes the Israeli startup’s total funding to $350 million to date, was completed before the start of the war with Iran. Read more
Fintech unicorn Tipalti acquires Statement for $35-45M to expand real-time cash flow management. The all-Israeli deal, signed amid the war with Iran, aims to enhance Tipalti’s capabilities in the financial management space. Read more
Intel to lay off up to 20% of global factory workforce. Sweeping layoffs at Intel’s foundry division signal a strategic shift, and could affect hundreds of employees in Israel’s flagship chip plant in Kiryat Gat. Read more
HR on the frontline: How Israel’s tech sector is managing crisis. Iran’s missile threat looms large, yet amid the terror and disruption, Startup Nation’s tech industry pushes forward thanks in large part to the HR leaders balancing emergency response, emotional support and business continuity under fire. Read more
Haifa oil refinery shut down after Iranian missile strike. The power plant that supplies electricity and steam to Bazan’s industrial complex was severely hit. Read more
“We made another investment the morning after the war with Iran began.” TLV Partners’ Shahar Tzafrir says Israeli startups are prepared, determined, and functioning without pause. Read more
“Outrageous and unprecedented”: Israel slams France over air show weapon ban. Israel accuses France of political censorship after last-minute order walls off Elbit, Rafael, IAI, and Uvision stands. Read more
War with Iran? Tel Aviv Stock Exchange shrugs, rises for second day. Investors weigh risks but bet on regional realignment, defense tech boom, and Israeli resilience. Read more
Economy under fire: Israel’s fiscal future hinges on war’s endgame. Defense costs soar while economists brace for slowed growth and widening deficits. Read more
Big tech is calling employees back to the office – but is that really the right move? “Remote work isn’t a magic fix, and it won’t suit every role or organization. But it’s far from a passing trend,” writes Yaniv Varochik, Founder and CEO of Aidey. Read more
How Iran’s fate could shape Israel’s economic revival—or ruin. Victory may bring prosperity, but a drawn-out war could trigger fiscal collapse. Read more
Cyberattacks against Israel surge 700% in two days, says Radware. According to the cybersecurity giant, the two days since June 12 have seen an “unprecedented wave” of malicious network activity targeting Israeli infrastructure. Read more
Laser beams and battlefield proof: Israeli arms firms sell their war story in Paris. Despite war with Iran and political pressure in Europe, Israeli defense firms arrive at the world’s biggest arms expo with real-world credibility. Read more
Intel to begin foundry layoffs in July, but uncertainty hangs over Israel amid wartime reality. July job cuts mark the start of foundry downsizing under Lip-Bu Tan, with Israel’s Kiryat Gat plant no longer immune. Read more
Will antitrust regulators kill Google’s $32B Wiz deal? The U.S. Justice Department is scrutinizing the acquisition, but that doesn’t mean it won’t go through. Read more
