Upcoming Israeli High-Tech Events & Webinars by IVC
Ramon SpaceTech 2021 (Jan 25)
Dubai Global Partnership Series: Israel (Jan 26)
Current and Future Israel-U.S. Collaboration in Homeland Security (Jan 26)
Innovation & Technology for Israeli EnergyTech Ecosystem (Jan 26)
Building Bridges: Strengthening Startup Links Between Israel and Singapore (Jan 27)
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
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Breakthrough in Parkinson’s Disease: Israeli Scientists Discover New Therapeutics Scientists at the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev have discovered that a promising therapeutics protein called BMP5/7 could slow down or even halt the progression of Parkinson’s disease (PD).
Israeli Startup CorNeat Has Brought Eyesight to the Blind – Literally. CorNeat Vision, an Israeli startup that develops biomimetic implant technology, has successfully restored the vision of a 78-year-old man who had been blind for 10 years. The procedure was performed at the Rabin Medical Center in Israel.
Israel’s K Health Starts 2021 with $1.4 Billion Valuationץ Startup Nation starts 2021 with yet another billion-dollar valuation. K Health reached this milestone after raising $132 million in a Series E round of funding.
Vaccination progress. 27% of Israelis (2.4 million) have had their first Covid vaccination and rollout to the over-40s has begun. Numbers of seriously ill over-60s have fallen by a third and the reproduction rate is below one. Finally, Sheba hospital’s Professor Amnon Afek highlights how Israel’s experience can help the world.
AI monitors progress of Covid patients. Israel’s Zebra Medical has previously adapted its AI imaging analysis platform to detect Covid-19 infection in the lungs. Now it can chart Covid-19 as it progresses in the lungs, to help decide if the patient needs ICU, ventilator, or can be discharged.
Ventilators for California. Israel’s Inovytec is to provide 1,500 of its advanced portable Ventway Sparrow turbine mobile ventilators to Californian hospitals. The ventilators are lightweight, durable, affordable, low maintenance and enable invasive and non-invasive ventilation for adults and children.
3D-printing to repair spinal cords. Israel’s Matricelf has extended its 3D-printing platform for tissues and organs to producing spinal cord implants. The patient’s own cells are re-engineered into stem cells and eventually into a spinal tissue implant that isn’t rejected. Human trials are planned to begin 2023.
Monitoring coma patients. Israel’s BrainWatch Tech is developing a device that will continuously check a coma patient’s pupils for their reactions to light stimulus. Over a million patients suffer severe brain injury each year. Reaction to light signifies brain stem activity. No response suggests urgent medication or surgery.
Israeli Martech Startup Humanz Helps Social Media Influencers
This platform helps influencers promote themselves through “micro-influencer campaigns.” The company just raised $3 million in a seed round led by NGN Partners and Buffet Group.
Helping kids grow. Israel’s Nutritional Growth Solutions is expanding globally. Independent Medical Co-op (IMCO) will distribute NGS’ Healthy Height product to the US market. NGS is also selling to the Chinese market via Alibaba’s online Tmall; and NGS has just acquired the KidzShake brand.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
More awards at CES 2021. Israel’s Vayyar and Tactile Mobility also won honors at the virtual Consumer Electronics Show CES 2021. Some 43 Israel companies presented. New to this newsletter are Talamoos (Netflix recommendations), Gamitee (Group travel bookings), and EyeNet (road collision protection).
Covid protection for nursing homes. Israel’s Pangea is to deploy its smart nursing home solution in areas impacted by Covid-19. The multi-sensor solution integrates thermal imaging, video analytics, AI, and biometric access controls to protect the health, security, and safety of its residents.
Contest to feed the world. Israel-based Adama Agricultural Solutions and non-profit GrowingIL have launched a competition for Israeli agtech startups devise solutions to increase farmers’ crop yields in environmentally friendly ways. The prize is a field test, funded by Adama.
Helping new developers to Swimm. It always takes weeks for new members of an IT team to understand previously written code. Not anymore, as Israel’s Swimm tightly links tutorial-style documentation to a project’s codebase, thus continuously documenting the code. Much easier for new developers.
A robot that can hear. Tel Aviv University researchers at its Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology have developed a new technology that can give hearing to robots. The new device which is called “Ear-On-A-Chip” uses the ears of a locust to work.
Lowering the cost of autonomous cars. The technology of Israel’s Brodmann17 allows AI systems to use inexpensive, low power computer chips. It is now aiming the software at ADAS Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems) manufacturers. It could bring autonomous cars to the mass market.
Elon Musk promotes Israeli startup. A video featuring Israeli robotics startup BionicHIVE was recommended by none other than Elon Musk to his 42.5 million followers. He wrote “The robot future is coming” and the video “SqUID warehouse logistics robot by Bionic Hive” has since received 1.9 million views.
A good feeling about stress. Israel’s FeelIT has now launched its innovative stress-analysis nano ink product RetroFeel. The sensing technology prevents machinery damage and has attracted the attention of Germany’s Henkel Adhesive Technologies. It has just invested $5 million in the Israeli company.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Still an A+. Fitch Ratings has affirmed Israel’s A+ rating with a stable outlook, citing its “strong external finances,” diversified economy and “solid institutional debt.”
The rise of the Shekel. The strength of Israel’s economy is reflected in the high value of its currency. The Bank of Israel has announced that it will purchase $30 billion of foreign currency in 2021 to curb the rise of the Shekel and help keep Israeli exports competitive.
Israel’s wealth fund. The Tamar Partnership, extracting natural gas from Israel’s Tamar field, has begun making contributions to Israel’s Sovereign Wealth Fund. The fund ensures that some profits of Israel’s natural gas bonanza are spent on strategic projects for the nation’s benefit and will provide around $300 million a year.
Wizz Air to launch Tel Aviv Abu Dhabi route. Hungarian low-cost airline Wizz Air is launching Tel Aviv – Abu Dhabi flights from 12 Feb. Daily flights are planned from 1 Mar. In Dec, 67,000 passengers flew from Israel to Dubai on four airlines – flydubai, Arkia, Israir and El Al. Wizz will be the first to fly to Abu Dhabi.
Vertical farms for the UAE. Israel’s Vertical Field is certainly going in the right direction – up! Following its deal with a Ukraine supermarket chain two weeks ago, it is now partnering Emirates Smart Solutions and Technologies (ESST) to deploy its vertical farm system in the UAE.
Helping millions learn to play instruments. Since the beginning of the pandemic, Israel’s JoyTunes has been downloaded some 10 million times. Its app Simply Piano is listed as one of Apple’s ‘Editor’s Choice’ in its App Store and voted Best App in Google Play.
4th carmaker invests in UVeye. Hyundai is the latest carmaker to invest in Israel’s UVeye, joining Toyota, Honda, and Volvo. Hyundai wants UVeye’s sensors and camera-based inspection technology for the automatic external inspection of vehicles, on its production lines as well as for used car sales activities.
A tiny Unicorn. Israel’s Nano Dimension launched on the Nasdaq in 2016 but has only recently become a popular stock. Its share price has risen, even as it raised some $332 million of funds. The company now has a market valuation of $1.4 billion, giving it the financial status of a “Unicorn”.
Sportstech innovation lab. Swiss-based Infront, provider of business services to sport organizations FIFA, UEFA, FIBA etc., has opened an innovation laboratory in Israel. Infront Lab is partnering Israeli companies WSC Sports, Minute.ly, and Videocites and says it will invest at least $1 million in Israel.
Courtesy of the good news from Israel
IVC’s Israeli Tech news:
Israel-Dubai Partnership Will Launch a $100M Debt Investment Fund for Tech Companies Across the Region
Liquidity Capital and Vault Investments partner to fuel ECC entrepreneurship, create global success stories leveraging proven cutting-edge technology.
Trax plans New York IPO at $2 billion valuation, Israel layoffs
The retail analytics and inventory management company says the Israel layoffs are part of restructuring after five acquisitions.
UVeye Secures Strategic Investment from Hyundai Motor Company
Developer of high-tech vehicle-inspection systems now has raised more than $40 million to expand globally – Honda, Toyota and Volvo are among the Israeli company’s major automotive partners.
Israeli startup SixAI signs strategic partnership in South Korea
Ran Poliakine’s company signed an agreement to form a joint venture (JV) with major South Korean semiconductor test solutions provider, ISC, and tech-focused investment company, Yozma Group Korea.
