CTECH – The Latest Israeli Technology and Innovation News
Israeli cybersecurity startup Orca achieves unicorn status with $210 million series C. “The way to become the biggest cloud security company is to be out there and that is expensive and requires funds,” said Orca CEO Avi Shua. Read more
UAE’s largest bank partners with Gloat to launch internal ‘Talent Marketplace’. Gloat’s talent marketplace combines consumer-grade user experience with leading AI to help match individuals to the best opportunities within their company. Read more
Interview | BrainsWay aims to treat Covid-caused depression by “jumpstarting” brain. The Israeli medical device company’s noninvasive technology streams electrical currents to patients’ scalps to help those struggling with depression or other neurological disorders. Read more
Kaltura targeting valuation of at least $2 billion in Nasdaq IPO, co-founders all set for multi-million paydays. The amended prospectus of the Israeli-founded video creation and distribution company revealed CEO Ron Yekutiel is in for a $15 million windfall. Read more
AI SaaS investigation company Voyager Labs partners with Microsoft. “We are extremely proud that the Voyager Labs suite of solutions, featuring VoyagerInsights, the new investigation platform, is now also available on Microsoft Azure,” said CEO Avi Korenblum. Read more
Israel’s BlueGreen Water deployed in South Africa to improve drinking water. It is estimated that 62% of South African water bodies are subject to toxic algal blooms. Read more
How an Israeli turned Covid-19 into a million-dollar win for medical supplies. After hearing about a virus that emerged from China, Omri Shafran and his partner made the move to protect Americans at home. It paid off. Read more
Employer Branding | For Lightricks, attracting talent means taking them away from the Tel Aviv bubble. Now that offices are opening up again, the Jerusalem-based company had to find ways to convince employees to travel the distance. Read more
Gmail, Chrome, other Android apps crash, Google fixes problem after seven hours. The problem was caused by a system component called Android System WebView that lets Android apps display web content. Read more
Google to expand Israeli operations with new hardware development center. The tech giant is set to recruit hundreds of employees under new VP of Engineering for server chip design Uri Frank. Read more
Entrée Capital and F2 Venture Capital crowned as most active VC funds in Israeli tech. Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, the number of first investments in 2020 soared to 620, a seven-year record. Read more
A day before elections, hacked details of millions of Israeli voters exposed online. The operator of voter-management app Elector says hackers are trying to extort him. Read more
Building tech company Veev becomes the first private firm to be listed on TASE UP. The company, which offers an automated panelized building process, raised approximately $100 million. Read more
Techies Paradise? Olim share their stories of relocating to Israel.
The last year may have been unprecedented, but two employees from The Floor share what it’s like to come to Israel from overseas in the year of the pandemic. Read more
Ramon.Space powers Technion-launched nanosatellites into space aboard Soyuz rocket. The satellites are equipped with the company’s high-functioning LEON processors and will be used to monitor emergency signals from ships, planes, and hikers. Read more
OurCrowd and Waterfund launch $50 million partnership for agtech and water projects in the Middle East. The partnership will dedicate the funds to 15 separate projects that are related to water-investment products in the region. Read more
Axis Security completes $50 million series C for remote app access solution. Spark Capital, an investor in Twitter, Tumblr, and Slack led the company’s second funding round in six months. Read more
Israeli company Kindite set to improve video call security after RingCentral acquisition. Kindite’s technology will be deployed across RingCentral’s global end-to-end platform. Read more
Israel-based Inneractive sold for a second time in five years. The Israeli-founded adtech company was sold to Digital Tribune as part of the acquisition of parent company Fyber. Read more
Israeli industrial cybersecurity company SCADAfence raises $12 million. The funding round was led by JVP and joined by Rapid7 after SCADAfence tripled both its revenues and customer base over the last year. Read more
Paz backs out of a deal to install charging stations after dispute.
Israeli energy company intended to pay NIS 24 million to acquire 50% of EV-Edge, but cancelled the deal after dispute over day-to-day management of the subsidiary company. Read more
IronSource shareholders and employees on their way to a $1.5 billion payday. The company will raise $2.3 billion at an $11 billion valuation through a SPAC merger with Thoma Bravo. Read more
“Think twice about whose money you take”: 21 tips for aspiring unicorns. Lior Handelsman took part in turning SolarEdge into a $15 billion company and offers some advice for ambitious entrepreneurs. Read more
Tel Aviv Stock Exchange gearing up for its first SPAC offering. The founders of the Excellence Nessuah investment house are in advanced negotiations with the Israel Securities Authority to make Israel the second country after the U.S. to enable Special Purpose Acquisition Companies. Read more
Nanomotion’s ‘precision motion’ technology aims to revolutionize emergency drones. Today, distance and precision are a tradeoff in drones during rescue missions. Israel’s Nanomotion wants to change that. Read more
Moovit to help Israel’s citizens navigate to polling stations on Tuesday. In Israel’s unprecedented fourth election in two years, Moovit is helping boost turnout to combat voter fatigue. Read more
Israel’s RevitalVision expands its vision technology to U.S and Europe. The technology can help young children and adults with lazy eye by stimulating the brain’s visual cortex. Read more
Interview | One executive’s journey from an Arab village in the Galilee to Silicon Valley. Ziyad Hanna began his career as a construction worker, then a high school teacher, and now is Corporate VP at Cadence, one of the world’s largest software companies. Read more
Israel missed a unique opportunity to dig itself out of the tech job hole. Instead of isolating people, the state should have used the time to upskill them, says CEO of tech training company Elevation. Read more
Employer Branding | Intuit Israel: “We are at times referred to as the best-kept secret in the tech industry.” Intuit serves more than 50 million people and has 11,000 global employees, and yet Israelis probably haven’t heard of them. So how do they attract local talent? Read more
The Israeli startup helping fleets navigate the stormy waters of cybersecurity at sea. Cydome Security aims to provide a cyber solution to seamlessly safeguard the maritime IoT ecosystem. Read more
HR Post Covid | During Covid-19, OpenWeb’s managerial skills saw a change for the better. In a world of lockdowns and social distancing, the social network understood that its managerial tactics had to change. Read more
Yotpo raises $230 million to become Israel’s newest unicorn. The marketing platform aims to double its product and R&D team to offer a full suite of e-commerce solutions. Read more
Israeli blockchain security startup Fireblocks raises $133 million series C. BNY Mellon among the new investors in the company that raised a $30 million series B just four months ago. Read more
CBI plans to issue new SPAC to merge with Israeli life science company. The Israeli biotech giant plans to raise $100 million on Nasdaq to acquire a company that’s involved in advanced healthcare solutions. Read more
“Digitization is the key to our success,” Mercedes chairman says at Axis Tel Aviv event. This year’s Axis Tel Aviv conference focused on mobility, retail, fintech & cyber, and technology media. Read more
SPS selected to help Israelis navigate its one-of-a-kind Covid elections. Israel’s election, the fourth in two years, will take place on March 23. Read more
HR Post Covid | CommBox: “Everyone did their best to make Covid-19 work.” The company didn’t close its doors during Covid-19, but it still had to adjust to a life of social distancing and facemasks. Read more
Opinion | Everyone’s a winner when you match your core values to those of your employees. “The assumption that employees come to the high-tech market solely because of the benefits or choose the company with the loudest, most expensive campaign, has proven to be wrong,” writes Emil Fisher. Read more
Opinion | “It is high time to acknowledge water pollution and its eradication as a central agenda.” The time has come for an environmental revolution for the quality of our water sources and the best solutions are those offered to us by the brilliant Israeli mind. Read more
A unicorn on steroids: Wiz raises $130 million series B to reach $1.7 billion valuation a year after its launch. The Israeli cyber company raised the new round just three months after its $100 million series A. Read more
Viz.ai raises $71 million to expand AI healthcare solutions. The Israeli startup, which has developed deep learning and artificial intelligence-powered technology, is aiming to build on its deep learning model identifying signs of a stroke on brain CTs. Read more
Fortissimo Capital scores $140 million from sales of Incredibuild shares. Insight Partners to become controlling shareholder following the acquisition of holdings in the Israeli development acceleration platform. Read more
Israel Innovation Authority kicks off campaign to bring expat techies back to Israel. Facing a severe personnel shortage in the tech sector, Israel hopes to lure back emigrants with promises of job security and a cushy landing. Read more
Nofar Energy to acquire Tesla storage systems bolstering its renewable power capabilities. Chairman Ofer Yannay sees the arrival of electric vehicles as a game-changer for the entire energy sector. Read more
It’s a Deel: new card available for international teams and remote contractors. Deel Card gives remote workers a way to access and spend their funds with digital and virtual debit cards. Read more
Dovi Frances’ Group 11 announces new $120 million fintech fund.
Similar to its prior funds, Group 11 Fund V will invest primarily in Silicon Valley-based financial technology software companies often related to Israel through their founding teams and R&D centers. Read more
Israeli startup Vulcan Cyber secures $21 million series B for vulnerability remediation platform. Vulcan Cyber said it experienced 500% growth in annual recurring revenue (ARR) in 2020. Read more
Next Insurance partners with Amazon Business to expand its user base. “We believe the future of the insurance buying experience involves meeting customers where they already are,” says CEO Guy Goldstein. Read more
With eyes on delivery drone deployment, Israeli authorities conduct widescale tests. The skies got crowded as five private firms flew their drones to test the responses of a control room in Haifa, 56km away. Read more
Analysis | Is eToro really worth more than $10 billion? The Israeli fintech company, which officially announced its SPAC merger yesterday, generated gross revenues of $605 million in 2020 and believes it could reach $2.5 billion in 2025. Read more
HR Post Covid | During Covid-19, it’s important to “manage your energy,” says AllCloud. There are things we can control and things we can’t – AllCloud’s Noa Shomrony-Gal breaks it down for CTech. Read more
Partner and 8200 Impact are solving social problems through technology. Israeli cell phone company Partner and the 8200 Impact accelerator have partnered to solve social problems of equality, empathy, inclusivity, and doing good to help emerge from the financial crisis. Read more
Appointments | JVP introduces six new partners amid an expansion of global operations. Three women and three men named as partners and venture partners in the Jerusalem-based fund. Read more
Environmental Innovation | Capitalism is “the only answer to the environmental crisis.” Entrepreneur and international sustainability expert John Elkington shared his views at Calcalist’s Corporate Responsibility Conference alongside Dr. Talia Aharoni from the Tel Aviv University School of Management. Watch full video
Opinion | In a hyper-competitive recruitment landscape, an international internship will give you the edge. A word of advice to college students out there: Interning abroad is a huge leap, so take the chance and follow my lead. Read more
Opinion | Aggressive taxation is holding back crypto adoption in the Start-Up Nation. If Israel desires to become the ultimate tech-nation it has to offer a better taxation method for tech investors, including those in the crypto sector. Read more
