Tel Aviv at sunset, Israel Startup Israel
Israel High Tech Scene August 3 – August 9
New Startups / VC Funding
Bill Gates Backs Israeli Startup Type One Energy in Groundbreaking Cold Fusion Investment
Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy Ventures led additional seed funding for Israeli startup Type One Energy, which is working to realize the dream of providing clean energy through the use of fusion technology. The latest funding was an additional $53.5 million, bringing its total seed round to approximately $82.5 million after the company previously raised $29 million.
Fusion energy is a promising, but still experimental, energy source that mimics the processes powering the sun and stars. It involves combining lighter… Read More Here
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Israeli Startup BAIBYS: Revolutionizing IVF with AI
BAIBYS is an Israeli startup that has developed an AI-powered system that autonomously selects optimal sperm for fertility treatments, aiming to significantly enhance success rates and reduce birth defects. The company closed a $4.5 million Series A funding round led by Firstime Ventures, with strategic participation from global pharmaceutical leader ROHTO. This latest investment brings the company’s total funding to $6.5 million, following a successful… Read More Here
Mergers and Acquisitions
Outbrain Acquires Competitor Teads: Israeli Tech Giant’s $1 Billion Deal Shakes Ad Industry
Outbrain Inc., an Israeli startup that offers content recommendations to businesses, is set to acquire its American competitor Teads. Outbrain will acquire Teads in an approximately $1 billion transaction, consisting of $725 million upfront cash and $25 million deferred cash, 35 million shares of common stock of Outbrain, and $105 million of convertible preferred equity.
According to Outbrain, the combination will create one of… Read More Here
Nvidia’s Acquisition of Israeli AI Startup Run:ai Faces DOJ Scrutiny
The acquisition of Israeli startup Run:ai by Nvidia, a chip maker best known for its video/graphics cards, may be in trouble. According to a report in Politico, the U.S. Justice Department is investigating the acquisition of the Run:ai by semiconductor company Nvidia on “antitrust grounds.” Politico cited five different anonymous sources it said had “direct knowledge of the matter” in its story… Read More Here
Other Business Stories
Israel’s Leviathan Gas Field to Boost Production with $429M Investment
Leviathan Israel offshore natural gas reservoir partners have announced a $429 million investment to significantly expand production. The decision follows approval from Israel’s Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure’s petroleum commissioner. The funds will be allocated to front-end engineering and design (FEED) for the expansion project, as well as the procurement of essential equipment.
Once completed, the Leviathan expansion… Read More Here
European Army Upgrades: Elbit’s $130M Iron Fist APS Deal with BAE Systems
Israel’s Elbit Systems has been awarded a $130 million defense contract to supply Iron Fist Active Protection Systems (APS) to BAE Systems Hägglunds. These systems will be integrated into the CV90 Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV) for an undisclosed European customer. The project is expected to span five and a half years.
The CV90 is a versatile and highly protected… Read More Here
IPOs and Unicorns
Placer.ai: Israeli Location Analytics Unicorn Reaches $1.5 Billion Valuation
Placer.ai is an Israeli startup and a unicorn that offers retailers location analytics and foot traffic data. The firm just hit a $1.5 billion valuation with a $75 million raise from existing investors in the firm.
Foot traffic analytics is the process of collecting and analyzing data about the movement of people in a specific area, typically a retail location or public space. It… Read More Here
Politics
Israel on Alert: Hezbollah Terror Group Expected to Attack Before Iran, Report
The Hezbollah terrorist organization based in Lebanon may be planning to launch a retaliatory attack against Israel before the Iranian government does, reported CNN. Hezbollah is funded and armed by Iran, which uses the group as a proxy for attacks against Israel. CNN cited two sources as saying Hezbollah might act on its own, regardless of whatever Iran chooses to do.
A Hezbollah attack could come… Read More Here
UNRWA Terminates 9 Employees Linked to October 7 Hamas Attack in Israel
The United Nations has finally acknowledged that Palestinians who work for UNRWA – the UN Relief Works Agency for Palestinians – are not only active members of the Hamas terrorist organization but also took part in the October 7 Hamas massacre of innocent Israeli civilians in which more than 1,000 people – including children and entire families – were murdered, with some even burned to death. Specifically, months after Israel revealed this fact to the world the organization admitted that nine UNRWA workers from Gaza took part in… Read More Here
Israeli Government Readies Jerusalem Bunker Amid Iran Threat Concerns
Israel’s Anti-terror General Security Service – known in Israel by its Hebrew acronym “Shin Bet” – is preparing a bunker in Jerusalem for the country’s top leadership in case of an expected Iranian attack. Israeli news website “Walla” reported that the Shin Bet prepared the bunker for the Israeli leadership to use for long periods of time if needed.
Journalist Ben Caspit reported that the bunker is, “equipped and supplied with all the means of command and control, connected to… Read More Here
Hamas Leader Muhammad Deif Killed: IDF Confirms Elimination
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed Thursday morning that Hamas terrorist leader Muhammad Deif was killed almost three weeks ago in an air strike. Since the attack that killed Deif there had been conflicting reports as to whether or not he survived it.
The IDF stated that in a joint operation with Israel’s anti-terror service the Shin Bet (General Security Service, on July 13, 2024, Israel Air Force fighter jets attacked an area in Khan Yunis in Gaza where Muhammad Deif was located… Read More Here
Science
Israeli Scientists Modify Cat Parasite to Deliver Drugs to Human Brain, Study Finds
In a groundbreaking collaboration, researchers from Tel Aviv and Glasgow Universities have genetically modified the ‘cat parasite’ Toxoplasma gondii to transport medications directly to the human brain.
The study was led by Prof. Oded Rechavi from the Department of Neurobiology and the Sagol School of Neuroscience at Tel Aviv University, together with his PhD student Dr. Shahar Bracha, and with Prof. Lilach Sheiner, an Israeli scientist and… Read More Here
