CTECH – Latest Israeli Technology and Innovation News
Salt Security to join Unicorn club after reaching $1.5 billion valuation. Alphabet’s independent growth fund CapitalG is believed to be among the investors in the $120-150 million round by the Israeli API security startup which has tripled its valuation in just seven months. Read more
Israeli companies send nanotechnology cancer treatment experiment to space aboard SpaceX. The drug, developed in Israel by Ayana Pharma, will be tested under zero-gravity conditions after being launched last week in a smart laboratory belonging to Israeli company SpacePharma aboard Elon Musk’s Falcon 9 launcher. Read more
To sell or not to sell? Pileus’ CEO has his answer. Roni Karp “had more than a few sleepless nights over this decision,” but is certain the $28 million deal with Anodot was the right call. Read more
Education Nation? SeeMe’s new platform is taking tech to the classroom. The new app monitors the well-being and relationships of children in classrooms. Read more
Electric vehicle charging startup Driivz acquired for $200 million by
Gilbarco Veeder-Root. The Israeli startup develops and sells a cloud-based electric vehicle charging network management software currently used by over one million users. Read more
“Bezos, Musk, and Branson have high-level plans for space; so do we.” “The satellite industry is moving from a niche industry to center-stage,” says Dubi Lever, CTO of Gilat Satellite Networks, an Israeli provider of satellite-based broadband communications systems that is bringing about the next-generation of digital satellites. Read more
Israeli teenage entrepreneurs from the periphery show off their startups to Ambassadors from the UN. As part of the meeting, the ambassadors met with youths from the Unistream organization in Be’er Sheva, which aims to give students from the periphery and from all sectors equal opportunities to succeed in life. Read more
BiblioTech | CTech’s Book Review: Discovering the six principles of
persuasion. Aviv Canaani, VP Marketing at DataRails, shares his insights after reading “Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion” by Dr. Robert B. Cialdini. Read more
SentinelOne’s $2.5 billion takeover of Orca Security falls through after shares plummet. The cybersecurity unicorn was in advanced negotiations to acquire its fellow Israeli company in a cash and stock deal, but the recent drop in SentinelOne’s share price thwarted the takeover. Read more
Interview | “Climate change obstacles are all political, not technological.” “It’s no longer about denying the science because they can’t deny it. People can see it, people understand it’s happening. So this is one of the troubling new forms of denialism – denial that we have agency,” says Professor Michael Mann, one of the world’s leading climatologists. Read more
Israeli M&As reach $17 billion in 2021, jumping 70%. While the overall
value increased, the average value of each acquisition dropped by 18%. Read more
Appointments | Dynamic Yield’s Liad Agmon joining Insight Partners as Managing Director. “When I was offered to join Insight it was sort of like LeBron James asking a basketball player to join him at the Lakers – it’s a request you cannot refuse,” said Agmon. Read more
BiblioTech | CTech’s Book Review: Ahoy! What organizations can learn from a ship’s captain. Gal Oron, CEO at Zoomin, shares insights after
reading “Turn The Ship Around!” by L. David Marquet. Read more
Opinion | How to transform the Negev into an innovation and high-tech center. For significant change to occur, we need to think big and use resources that have not been used in recent decades, writes InNegev CEO Arnon Columbus. Read more
Redis Labs heading to Nasdaq at $4-5 billion valuation. The Israeli database software developer is targeting an IPO in May 2022 at a valuation that is more than double the $2 billion at which it raised its Series G round in April of this year. Read more
Mastercard to acquire Israeli personalization platform Dynamic Yield
from McDonald’s. The payments powerhouse will be paying an undisclosed
fee to the world’s leading global foodservice retailer for the company
it acquired for $300 million in 2019. Read more
Intuit acquiring API security startup Imvision for $50 million. The
Israeli company, founded in 2014, has developed a full lifecycle security platform that enables enterprises to automatically discover, test and protect their APIs. Read more
PlainID raises $75 million in Series C led by Insight Partners. The
cybersecurity company offers an online authorization system that allows companies and organizations to monitor user identity and control web access in real time. Read more
Team8 and Deloitte launching fintech collaboration. The aim for the
relationship is to facilitate the use and development of innovative technologies for financial services and reduce the risks associated with startups through proactive and early engagement with customers. Read more
“Israel has the upper hand when developing innovative tech for smart cities.” “Data that is gathered through technology and used to power
smart cities and mobility is already having an effect on the insurance industry,” said Dina Pasca-Raz of KPMG Israel during a Calcalist panel. Read more
Ness set to acquire DXC Technology’s Israeli IT services for $65
million. The merged group will have a total of approximately 5,000 employees and managers who will work on hundreds of projects in all sectors of the economy. Read more
BiblioTech | CTech’s Book Review: “Dare to Lead” by Brené Brown.
“Daring to lead is about being brave enough to embrace leadership that exposes fear and uncertainty,” says Finastra’s Oren Marmur. Read more
Opinion | Is space mining legal? “If we want space mining to have a happy ending, its important that we adequately resolve the open legal questions while also creating new laws and regulations that will both incentivize beneficial mining,” writes Dov Greenbaum. Read more
Yossi Vardi: “You cannot expect to succeed if you cannot take a punch.” One of the forefathers of Israel’s tech ecosystem explains why luck is so important to entrepreneurs and why he likes to bring up his own glorious failures. Read more
VC Aleph raises new $300 million early-stage fund. The venture capital
fund, which took its assets under management to over $830 million, has invested in the likes of Lemonade, HoneyBook, JoyTunes, Melio,
NextSilicon, and Anodot. Read more
Mobileye CEO Shashua escapes helicopter crash with light wounds. The serial tech entrepreneur was treated for his wounds at Herzliya Airport after refusing to go to hospital following the helicopter’s crash landing. Read more
Israeli scientists develop VR platform for uncovering errors in
intensive care units. DecideVR’s virtual reality device helps medical professionals discover and treat errors in medical treatment in real-time in hospital intensive care units. Read more
“We had three options, go home, fundraise or sell the company. We did not go home.” After a $17 million investment vanished, Pico CEO Asaf
Nevo opens up on what not many will. “There is an unbalanced situation
between startups and investors.” Read more
Appointments | Cyberstarts VC hires Armis Security executive Curtis
Simpson. Simpson will serve as Chief of Product Market Alignment, overseeing cyber products and helping align them with the market prior to launch. Read more
Opinion | Unlock the power of those ‘annoying’ investor updates.
Rather than viewing them as a burden, you should view them as a tool with endless potential, writes Tal Zackon, Principal at F2 Venture Capital. Read more
CTalk | How Gong’s platform helps teams with their soft skills.
Speaking at the Unicorn Conference, Amit Bendov, Co-Founder and CEO of
Gong.io, explains how its tech can help humans with their interactions. Watch full video
Amdocs Ventures: “There’s more technology here than almost anywhere else in the world.” Moshe Friedman, Head of Amdocs Ventures, talks about what the corporate venture firm looks for in its investments. Watch full video
Can D-ID be the face of the Metaverse? Speaking at Unicorn Forum, Gil Perry, Co-Founder and CEO of D-ID, explains how the company is in a perfect strategic position for the next stage of the internet. Watch full video
How can Unicorn founders overcome Impostor Syndrome? Nimrod Vromen, Founder and CEO at Consiglieri and Partner at Yigal Arnon & Co.,
discusses the loneliness of Imposter Syndrome at the Unicorn Forum. Watch full video
Greeneye raises $22 million for AI crop protection. The Israeli startup utilizes AI and deep learning technology to transform the weed and pest control process in agriculture, reducing up to 90% of herbicide and chemical usage. Read more
How to compare the value of your startup options offers? Whether you
are deciding between job offers, or hold options as startup employees, understanding how to calculate the value of options is crucial. TLV Partners’ Shahar Tzafrir is calling for entrepreneurs to be more transparent with their workers and explains to employees what to lookout for. Read more
Mobileye announces first autonomous on-demand service in Paris.
Employees from Galeries Lafayette will be able to order a ride to work using the Moovit app four days a week. Read more
Appointments | Namogoo hires two new executives to support global
expansion. Sari Brosh Rechav was appointed as COO and Yaron Schechtman
was named SVP of Global Sales at the company that helps websites prevent their potential paying customers from getting distracted by third-party offers, coupons, or discounts. Read more
A Day in a Life | The beer brewer helping SeaLights make life easier
for software engineers. Elhen Shmailov, a Backend Developer, loves the people and the work at SeaLights, which even brands his home-brewed beer. Read more
Opinion | 5 main factors that must be considered when choosing a UAE free zone. “The importance of choosing the right free zone for your
business can look intimidating at first, but this decision can have a huge impact on the growth and success of your business,” writes Nitzan Ben-nun, a Tech and System senior associate at Herzog Strategic. Read more
CTalk | “What we are building is the Google Maps for the human immune system.” Speaking at the Unicorn Forum, Noam Solomon, CEO of Immunai, outlined an exciting prospect for the future of human health. Watch full video
CTalk | Trax: “Technologies like Amazon Go will not succeed.” Speaking at the Unicorn Forum, Joel Bar-El, Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of Trax Retail talks about the revolution of shopping in a digital
world. Watch full video
