CTECH – Latest Israeli Technology and Innovation News
Israel’s first unicorn generation is becoming an unstoppable herd.
monday.com’s record-breaking IPO represents a shift in how Israeli companies are viewed and treated. Now, they need to prove they can manage the high expectations. Read more
For Israel’s proptech sector, the foundation lies in the BRICKS.
BRICKS is helping connect young startups with conservative real estate companies in need of innovation. Read more
Agtech company SupPlant raises $10 million to boost development of sensor-less irrigation system. The Israeli startup is aiming to have over 2 million smallholder farmers in Africa and India utilizing its new technology in 2022. Read more
Resolve.io acquires Israeli IT automation company Ayehu for an estimated tens of millions of dollars. “By joining Resolve, with its backing by Insight Partners, we can now turbocharge our innovation and journey toward making automation available for everyone via SaaS,” said Gabby Nizri, co-founder and CEO of Ayehu. Read more
Pixellot partners with Supersport to broadcast South African sports.
“Families’ sports experience will never be the same,” said Pixellot CEO Alon Werber. Read more
The tech ventures that made new Israeli PM Naftali Bennett a millionaire. Bennett’s path to the Prime Minister’s office is complete, a route that included a successful and lucrative career in Israeli tech. Read more
“I believe that every application on the planet will be smarter or irrelevant.” Sisense CEO Amir Orad joins CTech to talk about the future of work in a data-driven world. Read more
Insurance powerhouse Sompo signs strategic collaboration with Parametrix to insure e-commerce stores. The Israeli startup, which specializes in insurance policies in the event of cloud-based crashes or downtime, plans to provide service to millions of customers in Japan and the Far East over the next few years. Read more
Tech’s most unique positions: From AI-created art curator to microbiome scientist. Israel’s diverse and imaginative tech environment created rare opportunities for non-tech professionals. Animators, musicians and scientists find themselves in places they could have never imagined. Read more
Opinion | How video games helped me realize my sexual identity.
“Gaming made me feel confident and empowered. And in many ways, I think that’s part of the magic that video games have and why we love them so much,” writes Overwolf’s Developers Community Manager Gal Alperovitch. Read more
Opinion | For enterprise SaaS in the TASE, the time is now. Gitter outlines three main reasons why Glassbox chose to trailblaze a “second” path for growth-stage Israeli software companies. Read more
monday.com hits Nasdaq at $6.8 billion valuation. The work operating system completed the highest valued IPO in Israeli history on Thursday, raising $574 million. Read more
Bernard Arnault, world’s richest man, invests in cybersecurity startup Wiz. Arnault’s investment in the Israeli startup was joined by that of Howard Schultz, former CEO and Chairman of Starbucks, and helped take total funding in the company to $350 million in just one year. Read more
The Israeli finance management sector is not ready for all the new rich techies. As funding and SPACs create thousands of newly rich people across the country, Karen Schwok has concerns about how the sector will respond. Read more
Glassbox raises $100 million at a half-billion valuation in Tel Aviv Stock Exchange IPO. The Israeli company experienced accelerated growth during Covid-19 and believes TASE offering will be a stepping stone for future Nasdaq IPO. Read more
Analysis | The big funds discovered Israel and launched the local tech scene to new heights. We are only halfway through 2021, but this can already be declared as a record-breaking year for Israeli tech companies who raised more than $10.5 billion. Read more
Kubernetes troubleshooting platform Komodor comes out of stealth with $21 million Series A. The Israeli startup’s platform streamlines Kubernetes troubleshooting by offering a unified view of all events across the entire stack, providing developers, operations, and on-call teams with context and actionable insights. Read more
Diptera.ai raises $3 million is Seed to battle mosquitoes against each other. The company is democratizing the SIT method of tricking mosquitoes into mating with sterile partners. Read more
New in Cinema City’s theaters: Tadiran’s advanced technology air purifiers. A trial held by Tadiran and Cinema City in the cinema theaters with an audience found that the company’s Air Care 02 technology purifies about 90% of air pollutants. Read more
Opinion | 100 deals and more than $7B in global funding in Q1 2021: 3 key differentiators of winning healthcare AI startups. Building successful AI startups in healthcare requires understanding the unique challenges of the technology. Healthcare founders and investors should acknowledge this ‘special recipe’. Read more
Israeli tech companies shatter 2020 fundraising record in under six months, raising $10.5 billion. According to data compiled by Start-Up Nation Central, 2021 has already also set a record for the number of investments in Israeli startups of over $100 million, with 30 having been completed so far compared to 21 mega-rounds throughout all of 2020. Read more
Voiceitt launches speech recognition app for people with speech impairments. The app can also be integrated with Amazon Alexa to help operate smart home devices. Read more
Monogoto raises $11 million for cellular IoT connectivity platform.
The Israeli startup has developed an API-driven Infrastructure-as-a-Service platform designed to enable cellular connectivity with existing enterprise IT infrastructure. Read more
Biotipac wins Women of AgriFood Nation 2021. The company, led by Ifat Hammer, develops technology to extend the shelf life of fresh food products. Read more
Minute Media preparing for $1 billion IPO. The Israeli-founded startup developed a platform that enables sports fans to create unique content and now controls five media brands, including popular American media outlet The Players’ Tribune. Read more
Don’t have a cow: Imagindairy introduces animal-free dairy products.
The Israeli startup’s technology offers the same flavor, texture, and nutritional value as regular milk but without the animal. Read more
Game on: Buff Technologies aims to become the first publicly traded gaming company on TASE. Buff, which developed a platform that rewards users with Buff Points on their performance in different popular games such as Fortnite and Counter-Strike, is aiming to be valued at NIS 100 million despite concerning financial results. Read more
Stoke raises $15.5 million Series A for freelance management platform. The Israeli startup’s system aims to reduce the hassle of hiring, onboarding, tracking, and managing invoices while ensuring full legal and tax compliance. Read more
Ibex Medical Analytics granted ‘Breakthrough Device Designation’ by the FDA, fast-tracking its approval. The U.S Food and Drug Administration formally acknowledged its Galen platform and the potential benefit it has on American patients. Read more
Verbit reaches unicorn status with $157 million funding round. The AI-powered Israeli transcription and captioning startup is also planning a secondary round valued at $70 million in the near future and is targeting an IPO in 2022. Read more
Sweetwood Ventures announces new $120 million fund. The Israeli VC said it would be targeting investments in leading early-stage and growth-stage Israeli technology companies and also announced a new strategic partnership with Azimut Group, one of Europe’s largest independent asset managers. Read more
3 principles for managerial success, according to Nvidia’s Senior VP for Silicon Engineering. After 28 years at Intel and more than three at Nvidia, Shlomit Weiss is stepping down and sharing her lessons from a career spanning three decades. Read more
TripActions to open R&D center in Israel. The Israeli-founded company, which offers a travel planning, booking, and expense management system, fired hundreds of employees over the past year but recently “started hiring and growing rapidly.” Read more
Elbit awarded $16 million project to supply night vision goggles to UK Armed Forces. The new deal comes on the back of a $166 million contract from the UK Ministry of Defence for the Royal Navy Future Naval Training Program. Read more
Corning fires dozens of employees in Israel R&D center. The company, which provides in-building wireless solutions, has around 150 workers in Israel. It was built on the foundations of MobileAccess which Corning bought in 2011 for $180 million. Read more
Margalit Startup City Center back in full swing as New York tech scene reopens. Senior executives, investors and high-tech CEOs met for an in-person event titled “Startup City is Back”, marking a year since the establishment of the innovation center. “New York business is back in full force, and Israeli high-tech is making a significant contribution to this effort,” said Erel Margalit. Read more
Round B | Taking it one round at a time. Startups are forever counting down the time to their next funding round, but how can they prove to investors that they are deserving of more money? Read more
Opinion | Israel’s most important “natural” resource. Appropriate government support of early-stage startups will prepare the sector for future technologies and allow Israeli innovation to be at the forefront of the Israeli economy, writes Sagi Dagan, Head of the Growth & Strategy Division at the Israel Innovation Authority. Read more
“We will either crash or become Amazon.” Avo CEO Dekel Valtzer is a former Israeli tennis champion who went from hitting serves to shipping services. How did the startup he co-founded transform neighbors in New York skyscrapers and tech giants’ employees into a consolidated purchasing power? Read more
TailorMed announces $20 million investment. The company currently works with more than 50 hospitals and 200 clinics throughout America. Read more
Study: Israeli unicorns reach $1 billion valuation in an average 6 years. According to a report by Catalyst Investments, the average time it takes for Israeli tech startups to become unicorns has decreased by half in the past decade. Read more
U.S. Army to buy remote-controlled weapons from Rafael for $150 million. The Israeli defense company, along with its American partners, will supply the U.S. Army with APC “lethal” weapons positions. Meanwhile, a deal with the U.S. Marines for Iron Dome interceptors is in the works. Read more
Gong employees heading for $1 billion payday: “We celebrated for five minutes and moved on.” After becoming Israel’s most valuable private tech startup following a $250 million round at a $7.25 billion valuation, Gong’s CEO has even bigger dreams: “we can reach much more than $20 billion but the burden of proof is on us.” Read more
Opinion | Crazy competition for tech talent will come at a steep cost. With remote work becoming the new norm, Israeli companies will either need to shut down or start recruiting employees from abroad to cope with the impossible competition and surging salaries. Read more
7 Israeli fashion tech companies to help scratch your shopping itch.
These ‘Fashtech’ companies can help us buy the clothes we need as we leave lockdown. Read more
Can slow and steady win the startup race? Patrick Flesner, author of “Fast Scaling” sure thinks so. In an interview with Calcalist Flesner explains how big investments hurt startups and why investor funds only care about the winners. Read more
PayMe discreetly powering an SMB revolution. After helping over 60,000 small-and-medium-sized businesses in Israel realize their potential, the startup is taking its white-label fintech platform to Europe. Read more
SentinelOne revenue surging, but losses more than double year-on-year ahead of IPO. The Israeli-founded company’s sales jumped to $93.1 million in its most recent fiscal year, up 100.2% from fiscal 2020. However, the company’s loss surged to $117.6 million in fiscal 2021. Read more
Opinion | Business opportunities and leverage squandered in Israel-China foodtech relations. “That China is actively targeting the food and agriculture sectors in Israel makes one wonder if Israel has really capitalized on the opportunity,” writes Carice Witte. Read more
