CTECH The Latest Israeli Innovation and Technology News
Pecan AI raises $66 million from Insight Partners, Google, to automate predictive analytics. The Israeli startup’s proprietary AI algorithms optimize and train predictive models to get effective results as
quickly as scientifically possible. Read more
Torii raises $50 million led by Tiger Global for automated SaaS
management platform. The Israeli startup’s platform automates the discovery, spend optimization, operations and compliance of SaaS. Read more
Blyp raises $4 million in Seed to help online retailers maximize their
data. The online platform automatically analyzes multiple data sources of SMEs using AI and Machine Learning. Read more
Amdocs introduces unlimited vacation policy, registers record revenue. The extra days will be given in coordination with the direct managers and they can be anything from a few single days for errands and up to a week or more for a family visit or any other need. Read more
Whatslly merges Salesforce and WhatsApp to tackle new-age sales
tricks. The startup integrates the two popular platforms to help salespeople maintain relationships and follow federal compliance laws. Read more
Police confirm for the first time: There have been irregularities in
the use of NSO software. Ministry of Justice orders the establishment of an investigation team that will submit conclusions within 5 months. Read more
Israeli tech unicorns are coming to the Super Bowl. Gong.io and
monday.com will advertise during the NFL sporting celebration, with each ad costing an estimated $5 million to air. Read more
“The transition to the cloud turns every company digital and increases the risk of cyberattacks.” Merav Bahat, Co-Founder and CEO of
cybersecurity company Dazz, was speaking during a panel on the future
of the cyber field alongside Roey Eliyahu, Co-Founder and CEO of Salt
Security, Ofer Ben Noon, Co-Founder and CEO of Talon Cyber Security,
and Ety Spiegel Hubara, Co-Founder at Orca Security. Read more
“Israeli Innovation has the power to fight both climate change and the global water crisis.” Eran Pollak, co-founder and CEO of N-Drip, noted
that “N-Drip’s is introducing the revolution of precise irrigation based on Gravity alone the solution also includes an agricultural information and management system that uses precise sensors, an artificial intelligence system and a mathematical model.” Read more
Opinion | Want to attract and retain the best employees? Shine light
on your Employer Value Proposition. “Without realizing their mistake,
countless organizations use inefficient employer brands and aim to be “the best.” Perhaps due to a lack of awareness or thought about what “best” actually means?” writes Aviv Weizmann of Natural Intelligence. Read more
Appointments | Incredibuild appoints Regev (Reggie) Yativ as CRO.
Yativ will bring more than 25 years of experience leading expansion
million. Founded in 2020, Spectral’s developer-first approach to security focuses on code safety and trust, fast code scanning, and simple developer experience. Read more
Global talent strategy to be part of every company, says Deel CEO.
Deel, which has developed a global payroll and compliance system, raised $425 million at a $5.5 billion valuation last October. Read more
Cybersecurity startup Island officially comes out of stealth with
almost $100 million in financing. The startup’s enterprise browser
includes built-in security control and governance for corporate applications and data. Read more
Forescout acquiring Israel’s CyberMDX for $80 million. CyberMDX
develops healthcare cybersecurity solutions delivering visibility and threat prevention for medical devices and clinical networks. Read more
Cybereason targeting Wall Street IPO at over $5 billion valuation.
Cybereason, which was founded in 2012 by three Israeli partners, Lior Div, Yonatan Striem-Amit and Yossi Naar, was valued at roughly $3 billion when it raised $275 million from investors last year. Read more
Rapyd completes acquisition of Hong Kong’s Neat. The purchase of Neat
enables the Israeli Unicorn to offer customers company incorporation in Hong Kong, business accounts, credit cards, and payments services from a single platform. Read more
Electreon entering U.S. market with wireless EV-charging in Michigan. The Israeli alternative energy startup will deploy its system in the
heart of the automotive industry: Detroit. Read more
“Effect of cyber attack on Gold Bond will last for weeks,” warns
expert. The group which operates terminals as well as a robotic logistics center in the port of Ashdod announced the shutdown of most of its computer systems following a cyber attack. The company’s annual report did not mention a cyber attack as a potential threat to its operations. Read more
Iranian hackers suspected of breaking into defense company Rafael’s systems. The hackers, who belong to the Iranian regime-supported
“Moses Staff”, uploaded to the Darknet examples from Rafael’s database
and offered up the stolen data for 100 bitcoin. Read more
Appointments | Salesforce appoints Efrat Rapoport as Head of
Salesforce Israel R&D Center. Rapoport joined Salesforce in 2019 after
it acquired Bonobo AI, where she was one of the founders. Read more
Talon raises another $17 million for browser-based cybersecurity
solution. The Israeli startup recently released TalonWork for Mac and said that it is already up and running in dozens of companies, including some of the largest employers in the U.S. Read more
Israeli tech entrepreneurs setting aside 1.8% of shares for social
causes. The 1point8 initiative has been adopted by the likes of Amnon
Shashua, Gigi Levy-Weiss, and Elie Wurtman. Read more
Israeli startup Elevation launches SME training program in the UAE.
Google, the UAE Ministry of Economy, and Elevation are teaming up to launch the “SkillUp Embark” program that will train small and medium-sized businesses in marketing their products online. Read more
“Aviram Awards – Tech for Humanity” narrows field of finalists to 14.
Established by The Aviram Family Foundation and Forbes, the competition showcases reality-changing projects in the Middle East and North Africa, and will award a half a million dollar prize to the winner. Read more
CTalk | Accenture: “Startup Nation is very evident and prominent in
digital health.” Speaking ahead of Innovation Week, Gali Halpern Wienerman from Accenture discusses Israel’s place in the growing digital health space. Read more
Opinion | Why my combat service is at the heart of my success as a
high-tech manager. “The service path of the combat soldier provides a
formative experience that’s hard to emulate in the non-combat setting,” explains Lt. Col (res.) Moshe Lipsker, Israel General Manager and SVP of Global Product Development at Imperva. Read more
Opinion | Five skills every employee needs in the age of AI. “We
should all be looking for ways to harness our unique human capabilities and cultivate soft skills that will become all the more important for the future of work,” writes Hisham Abdulhalim PhD., Intuit Israel AI and Data Chief of Staff. Read more
lofty valuations may seem like a reason to party, they’re also a turning point as some employees are realizing their options’ value may decrease, and prefer to work elsewhere. Read more
\Pet healthcare platform The Vets raises $40 million in Seed funding.
The startup’s veterinarians bring pet care directly to pet owners in-home, providing full diagnostics including blood workup and capturing vitals. Read more
The Israeli startup treating the silent theft of sight. BELKIN Vision is using automated laser surgery to tackle glaucoma, a disease that can lead to irreversible blindness. Read more
“Going down this path of startups really takes somebody who doesn’t
have fear.” Following his appointment as Chairman of the Board of Sepio, Lane Bess joins CTech to discuss his journey from startups to outer space. Read more
Sustainability is space’s newest frontier. “Space tech startups can’t
raise Seed funding without demonstrating that they can make a buck,” says AxiomSpace director, as companies look to create more sustainable dual-use technologies. Read more
Fintech startup Bizi raises $7.5 million Seed funding to offer SMBs
credit lines. The round was led by Israeli-founded fintech company BlueVine, whose technology will be used by Bizi. Read more
CTalk | Salesforce “is a platform for success” for entrepreneurs.
Speaking ahead of Calcalist’s Innovation Week, Bar Israeli, Salesforce’s Strategic Advisor EMEA, discussed the ways the company can help entrepreneurs. Read more
S&P won’t make progress in 2022, says Blackstone VC. Even though the market has fallen in January, Byron Wien, Vice Chairman of Blackstone’s Private Wealth Solutions group, doesn’t believe it will lead to a recession. Wein was talking at the Sohn’X Tel Aviv Investment Conference held in partnership with Calcalist. Read more
Opinion | Could volunteering be the key in competition for tech
talent? “Could it be that generation Y, who constitute most of today’s workforce, expect something totally different from a company activity than a concert by a successful singer?” asks Elad Blumenthal, CEO of OneDay Social Volunteering. Read more
“Fireblocks is ‘the one’ of the crypto industry”. In an exclusive interview, Fireblocks CEO Michael Shaulov discusses the cryptocurrency security company’s incredible ascent to an $8 billion valuation following Thursday’s $550 million Series E. Read more
Sensi.ai raises $14 million Series A for virtual care management platform. The Israeli startup is developing an AI-powered in-home virtual care agent, aiding long-term care providers to help seniors age in the comfort of their own homes. Read more
A year after being hacked, cybersecurity startup Portnox raises $22
million Series A. The Israeli company also announced the appointment of Denny LeCompte as its new CEO. Read more
AI manufacturing startup Vanti Analytics raises $16 million Series A.
The Israeli startup’s no-code solution allows manufacturing teams to build and deploy predictive models within a day. Read more
“In 2022 we will see a lot of mergers, there won’t be room for niche
companies.” Yevgeny Dibrov, CEO of Armis, added that “we are approaching an era where there will be no room for niche companies that provide a small solution but rather platform companies that provide complete solutions for all the organization’s needs.” Read more
“Protection must be thought about from the very first line of code.”
Yifat Oron, Senior Managing Director of Blackstone Israel, added that “the machines that create the attacks are becoming automatic, and the machines that create the defense must also become automatic and much more agile and smart.” Read more
BRM Group to invest $30 million in Leumi’s Garage fund. The new fund, led by entrepreneurs Omer Nagar, Eyal Redler, and Shay Dan, is targeting a total of $160 million and will invest in startups in the fields of fintech, cybersecurity, data and AI. Read more
Opinion | A holistic solution for the Great Resignation. “Money and
conditions are no longer enough to keep workers for a long time. To cope with the trend, we need to adapt to the market and produce solutions that will touch on all areas of employment,” writes Dalit Krainer of Checkmarx. Read more
Firebolt joins Unicorn club with $100 million Series C at $1.4 billion
valuation. The Israeli startup, which develops a cloud data warehouse, has raised $269 million over the past 12 months. Read more
“Companies need people with real world education, not just Unit 8200 graduates.” Amitai Ratzon, co-founder and CEO of Israeli cybersecurity
unicorn Pantera, added that: “We want people who know how to take a cool product and translate it into the real world.” Read more
SiteAware closes $15 million Series B to streamline construction. The
Israeli startup’s purpose-built digital twinning technology verifies each installed element against the building plans in real time. Read more
DigitalOwl raises $20 million Series A for AI medical analysis
platform. The Israeli startup’s platform reads, summarizes, and analyzes medical records for insurance and legal companies to help them better combat fraud, underwrite new plans, execute claims, and build strong legal cases. Read more
Scribe Security raises $7 million Seed round to secure software supply chains. The Israeli startup is developing a platform that allows
organizations to develop, distribute, and maintain, code produced within the organization. Read more
Five-year $70 million tech and innovation program for Arab sector
launched by Ministry of Science, Innovation Authority. The funds will
be distributed to accelerators, angel investor groups, and incubators who are encouraging innovation in the Arab sector. “Incorporating the Arab sector in the high tech industry is a first-rate social, economic, and strategic need,” said Science Minister. Read more
The cleaning sector welcomes robots to disrupt its workforce. Robots
provided by Robotize are helping keep our buildings clean 24/7, fixing a worker shortage. Read more
Food security startups awarded almost $3 million in grants by Ministry of Agriculture, Israel Innovation Authority. BioFishency, Agrint
Sensing Solutions, Tosaf Compounds, ALTA, FruitSpec, and Salicrop were the six agro-tech startups selected for the program for their innovation aimed at ensuring continued regular supply of agricultural products. Read more
NSO subsidiary companies involved in intercepting drones and hacking IoT devices. A petition filed to the Tel Aviv District Court provides
a glimpse into the NSO Group’s widespread activities. Wayout is the most secretive of them all, and its founder is the group’s president’s brother. Read more
Opinion | Storage in Space? Why is it so complicated and how will
humanity benefit from it? “A satellite that costs millions of dollars may suddenly become ineffective due to a failure in the system’s storage. What is the value of an advanced satellite with a sophisticated camera if its images cannot be saved properly?” writes Smadar Strauss of Ramon.Space. Read more
CTech’s Book Review: The good, the bad, and the WEIRD. Sabo Taylor Diab, Co-Founder of Krystal Eight, shares insights after reading “The WEIRDest People in the World: How the West Became Psychologically Peculiar and Particularly Prosperous” by Joseph Henrich. Read more
