CTECH – The Latest Israeli Technology and Innovation News
VC 83North, investor of ironSource and Payoneer, raises new $550 million fund. The Israeli firm, which will take its assets under management to $1.8 billion, has registered 21 exits in all, including six over the past two years. Read more
Shashua’s Digital Bank eyeing $100 million funding round. The investment is set to provide the bank with the additional funds it requires ahead of its launch next year and be conducted according to a valuation of several hundreds of millions of dollars. Read more
Three Israeli companies join forces to help underrepresented citizens improve cyber skills. Cybint and the 8200 Alumni Association adopted myInterview to video screen and select participants for a cybersecurity boot camp. Read more
Cynerio raises $30 million to secure medical and IoT devices in hospitals and health systems. The Israeli startup is aiming to become the healthcare industry’s go-to cybersecurity and asset management solution. Read more
4 Israeli companies among winners listed as Gartner 2021 Cool Vendors. Apiiro, VOOM, Run:AI, and Lightrun were all listed among other global companies. Read more
Salto raises $42 million just six months after previous round. The Israeli startup, which aims to streamline day-to-day efforts of configuring applications, has raised $70 million in less than seven months. Read more
Apex Group acquires Israeli administration service provider Tzur Management. Apex Group will be adding 90 employees to its team of
4,200 in 46 offices. Read more
Jewish-Arab Coexistence | “Give Arab youth role models so they can see they can do anything.” AppsFlyer CEO Oren Kaniel believes in meetings between youth and role models. “If you do good by one kid they will then pass it along.” Read more
Israel: The land of milk, honey, and tech accelerators. Entrepreneurs can benefit from joining one of Israel’s many accelerator programs – but choosing one is easier said than done. Read more
Explorium raises $75 million led by Insight Partners to expand data science platform. The Israeli startup, which announced its $31 million series B just 10 months ago, has doubled its customer base and more than quadrupled its revenue since the outbreak of Covid-19. Read more
Cybercrime startup ThetaRay raises $31 million led by JVP and BGV. The Israeli company’s solution enables the world’s largest banks, financial institutions, and businesses to mitigate the risk of money laundering, terrorist financing, human trafficking, and narco-trafficking. Read more
Interview | PatenSee’s imaging device spots health abnormalities with the touch of a button. The medical device startup’s product scans kidney dialysis patients’ arms, using artificial intelligence to detect risks to fistula. Read more
WalkMe files for Nasdaq IPO, reveals $157 million annual revenue. The Israeli website navigation company is believed to be targeting a $4 billion valuation. Read more
Jewish-Arab Coexistence | “Israel is a unicorn powerhouse. Why aren’t Israeli Arabs part of it?” Imad Telhami, Founder and Chairman of Babcom Centers, believes equality in education and joint job centers are crucial in the effort to reach peace between Arabs and Jews. Read more
“Arab integration must also take place in politics, not just in economy.” “The conditions for equality for Israeli-Arabs are not ripe,” says Orni Petruschka, a former high-tech entrepreneur and now the co-chairman of the Abraham Initiatives, “but despite the low we are in, chances of rehabilitating our society are better than ever.” Read more
Intel Israel CEO: Diversity brings business resilience and a competitive advantage. The company, which has about 14,000 employees including hundreds of Arabs has built workers’ communities and runs programs in different languages. Yaniv Garty, the CEO: Between the flames, we do a lot to promote coexistence and cooperation. And this is the direction we will take once things calm down. Read more
“Coexistence is real when it’s year-round,” says SodaStream CEO Eyal Shohat. Shohat recommends not mixing politics and business. “Every day we should be working on living together,” he says. Read more
“The human factor in high-tech should represent the diversity in the population.” Efi Cohen, co-founder of Datorama and CEO of Salesforce Israel’s R&D center, thinks equal representation in tech will foster coexistence. The key, he says, is in a geographical layout that will better suit the Arabs. Read more
Opinion | A global perspective: how individual empowerment can transcend hatred. “The conflicts get the attention but there are ample places here where hi-tech is truly bringing sides together,” writes Robert Cohen. Read more
Opinion | What should Israelis learn from MIT’s Product Management program? Taking lessons from MIT, Matan Ravid shares how Israelis can shift their focus from traditional MBA occupations to Product Management to help increase the number of innovative, international leaders coming from Israel. Read more
Fashion startup Zeekit acquired by Walmart. The financial terms of the deal for the Israeli company that virtually dresses shoppers were not disclosed. Read more
SpliSense secures $28.5 million in funding to advance mRNA-altering pipeline for treatment of CF. The Israeli startup was founded by Prof. Batsheva Kerem, a renowned geneticist from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and its technology is based on her research. Read more
Survey: Israeli startups raising funds faster, no longer dependent on relocating. “We are seeing what the new world of Israeli tech will look like after Covid-19,” said Tzahi Weisfeld, VP and general manager of Intel Ignite. Read more
Israel Aerospace Industries CEO says it can assist the IDF in confronting Gaza threat. Boaz Levy, the new CEO of the IAI, comments on the current flare-up and how his company registered a 23.5% income bump despite the pandemic. Read more
Israeli companies Stor.ai and Trax partner to simplify online orders for U.S. retailers. The partnership will provide grocers with access to Trax’s on-demand crowd marketplace. Read more
Birthright circumvents security and health travel restrictions. Young Jews, who will visit Israel through Birthright, will enjoy a separate set of restrictions to those agreed on by the Tourism and Health Ministries. Read more
Zero-trust security company Wandera acquired for $400 million. The cybersecurity company founded by brothers Roy and Eldar Tuvey has been bought by Jamf, a provider of Apple enterprise management solutions. Read more
Fintech startup Stampli raises $50 million in series C. Stampli develops a complete AP automation platform that brings together accounts payable communications, documentation, and payments. Read more
Ex-Salesforce execs raise an additional $20 million for insurtech startup Planck. The Israeli company provides an AI-based data platform for commercial insurance and works with top U.S. insurance companies to increase premiums while reducing loss and expense ratios. Read more
SimilarWeb shares to hit NYSE at company valuation of $1.8 billion. The Israeli company, which develops tools to analyze customer behavior online, is set to raise approximately $180 million. Read more
Team8’s VisibleRisk raises $25 million series A. The Israeli startup leverages Moody’s expertise in risk measurement and Team8’s expertise in cybersecurity technologies to develop next-generation methods for assessing and mitigating enterprise cyber risk. Read more
Japan’s NTT Corporation opening innovation lab in Israel. The Fortune 100 company that generates $100 billion in annual sales and operates in 80 countries is hoping to collaborate with Israeli companies and academia to develop cutting-edge technologies in various fields. Read more
Opinion | The atrocities of Jack’s Twitter. Bombs are falling on Israel and its enemies are tweeting celebrations – a far cry from the ban of the U.S president just four months ago. Read more
Cisco to acquire Israeli startup Sedona for an estimated $100 million. Sedona’s integration into Cisco’s platform creates the world’s first system, which transforms a multi-layered, multi-producer infrastructure into a single network controlled by a central controller. Read more
Israel’s Verbit acquires U.S. caption company VITAC for $50 million.
VITAC specializes in real-time transcription, with its clients including the biggest broadcasters in the world and most of the leading cable networks in the U.S. Read more
Fintech startup Lili raises $55 million series B. The Israeli company has doubled its number of clients to 200,000 over the past six months and took its total funding raised over the past year to $80 million. Read more
Facebook could face fine after failing to report mergers in Israel.
Israel’s Competition Authority announced that it is considering imposing approximately $1.8 million in financial sanctions on Facebook, pending a hearing. Read more
Interview | The Israeli scientist who is bringing Google’s Moonshot Lab to Tel-Aviv. Google is setting up its “radical” lab outside the U.S. for the first time, and the project’s Head of Strategy Dr. Adi Aron Gilat, is moving back to Israel to find the right people to join. Read more
All-star lineup of tech founders joins Qumra Capital mentorship program for growth phase entrepreneurs. “For years, the Israeli tech culture was ego-driven. The sentiment was that everybody knew everything and didn’t need any guidance. I am glad to see that this attitude is changing,” said Micha Kaufman, CEO of Fiverr. Read more
Cybersecurity startup Cycode raises $20 million from Insight Partners. The company plans to use the funds to accelerate growth in securing enterprise DevOps tools such as source control management systems, build systems and cloud infrastructure. Read more
Bank of Israel presents a glimpse at the ‘digital shekel’. The bank published a model draft detailing a possible issuance of a “digital shekel,” which will be transferred to the public by financial intermediaries, won’t require an internet connection, and can be exchanged for actual cash. Read more
UltraSight raises $13 million, bringing AI guidance for cardiac ultrasounds anywhere. The company helps healthcare providers, even those not trained in sonography, to use ultrasound imaging. Read more
Pagaya training data scientists for deprived tech sector. The 16-week training program will take place in the company’s offices in Tel Aviv. Read more
Ronen Nir to no longer be involved in new Viola investments. Nir, a managing partner at the venture capital firm, will remain active with past investments. Read more
