Tel Aviv at sunset, Israel
Israel Tech Startups and Innovations: Weekly Roundup November 23 – 29 2024
New Startups / VC Funding
I-EcoGuard: Israeli Arab Entrepreneurs Revolutionize Sustainable Greenhouse Farming Technology
With all of the talk about Israel Startup Nation people forget that Israeli Arabs are also an integral part of the Israeli high-tech sector. I-EcoGuard is an Israeli agritech startup founded by Israeli Arabs focused on developing innovative solutions for sustainable and efficient greenhouse farming. Their core technology is a smart greenhouse cover that utilizes nanotechnology to autonomously regulate temperature, creating an optimal growing environment for crops… Read More Here
Israeli Tech Startup Pyramid Analytics Transforms Business Intelligence Solutions
Pyramid Analytics is an Israeli startup that offers a business analytics platform. The firm raised $50 million in new financing from funds and accounts managed by BlackRock Capital Investment Advisors, LLC (“BlackRock”).
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Founded in 2008 by CEO Omri Kohl, CTO Avi Perez and Herbet Hochman, Pyramid Analytics declares that its Decision Intelligence Platform delivers a “frictionless decision-making environment that tames the chaos” created by data silos and a proliferation of self-service analytics tools. By uniquely combining… Read More Here
Israeli Cloud Backup Startup Eon Reaches $1 Billion Unicorn Valuation
Eon, an Israeli startup that offers a “next-generation cloud backup solution,” has hit the coveted “Unicorn” status – a valuation for a startup of $1 billion or more. Israeli business publication Calcalist got the scoop, reporting that the firm hit a $1 billion valuation just six weeks after it first emerged from stealth at the start of October.
Cloud Backup Posture Management is a critical aspect of ensuring data security and resilience in cloud environments. It involves assessing… Read More Here
Appcharge: Israeli Startup Revolutionizes Mobile Gaming with Direct-To-Consumer Platform
Appcharge is an Israeli startup that has developed a Direct-To-Consumer platform for mobile game publishers. The firm raised $26 million in a Series A round of funding led by Creandum. Appcharge previously raised $5 million in seed funding.
A Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) platform for mobile games is a digital marketplace that allows game developers to sell their products and services directly to players, bypassing traditional app store intermediaries like Apple’s App Store and Google Play Store.
The ongoing antitrust litigation against Apple and Google has underscored the significance of direct-to-consumer (DTC) strategies within the industry, sparking a much-needed discourse on publisher autonomy and control. Regardless of… Read More Here
Mergers and Acquisitions
PepsiCo Acquires Full Ownership of Hummus Maker Sabra in Deal with Israel’s Strauss Group
PepsiCo has announced that it will acquire the remaining 50% stake in Sabra and Obela from Israel’s Strauss Group, making it the sole owner of both companies. Sabra and Obela are currently 50/50 joint ventures between PepsiCo and Strauss Group, focused on producing, distributing, and selling refrigerated dips and spreads. The deal is worth approximately $244 million, depending on exchange… Read More Here
Other Business Stories
Interest Rates Hold Steady: Bank of Israel Keeps Rate Unchanged at 4.5%
The Monetary Committee of the Bank of Israel decided to leave the interest rate unchanged at 4.5%
“In view of the continuing war, the Monetary Committee’s policy is focused on stabilizing the markets and reducing uncertainty, alongside price stability and supporting economic activity,” said the Bank of Israel. “The interest rate path will be determined in accordance with the convergence of inflation to its target, continued stability in the financial markets, economic activity, and fiscal policy.”
Also in view of the continuing war, the Bank of Israel’s Monetary Committee’s… Read More Here
Israel Startup Nation’s TechAir to Initiate Flights in January
Israeli tech sector’s new airline, TechAir, has initiated its first operational phase by registering flight routes for the upcoming quarter. On Monday, the company completed initial route registration for services spanning January through March. Simultaneously, the High-Tech Forum finalized a preliminary agreement with a European partner for a comprehensive wet lease arrangement, which includes a Boeing 777 aircraft complete with crew, maintenance, and associated operational… Read More Here
IPOs and Unicorns
Banking Giants Morgan Stanley and UBS Back Israeli Fintech Unicorn Capitolis
Capitolis is an Israeli fintech startup and a unicorn, helping to create safer and more vibrant capital markets. The firm raised another $20 million in investment including $5 million each from new investors Morgan Stanley and UBS.
Capitolis joined the coveted unicorn club in March 2022 with a $1.6 billion valuation after a $110 million Series D round of investment co-led by top fintech investors Canapi Ventures, 9Yards Capital, and SVB Capital. A unicorn is a… Read More Here
Politics
Israeli Government Bans State Advertising in Haaretz Newspaper on Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi’s Initiative
During its weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday, the government of Israel unanimously approved a proposal by Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi that no government body pay for advertising in Israel’s Hebrew daily newspaper Haaretz or have any contact with the paper. The government charges that Haaretz publishes items harmful to Israel’s security. Meanwhile, Karhi is also promoting the abolition of Israel’s Supreme Court… Read More Here
Report: Before Oct. 7 Netanyahu Ignored Hamas Threat and Rejected Assassination Plans for Top Terror Leaders
In a scathing condemnation of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s Channel 12 News reported that he knew – or at the very least should have known – that the Hamas terrorist organization was planning a massive attack before it occurred. On October 7, 2023, Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists murdered more than 1,000 people, including children, overran and destroyed a number of kibbutzim and IDF (Israel Defense Forces) bases. Entire families were wiped out, many burned alive, and more than 200 people were taken… Read More Here
Archeology/History
Ancient Egyptian Treasure: Young Israeli Girl Finds Prehistoric Amulet Dating Back to 1500 BCE
A young archaeologist has made a remarkable discovery! 12-year-old Dafna Filshteiner unearthed a 3,500-year-old Egyptian amulet during a family trip near Hod Hasharon. This ancient artifact will be showcased at the Jay and Jeanie Schottenstein National Campus for the Archaeology of Israel.
Twelve-year-old Dafna Filshteiner was hiking near the ancient site of Tel Qana in Hod Hasharon when she made a surprising discovery: a 3,500-year-old Egyptian… Read More Here
Science
Marine Conservation Breakthrough: Healthy Reef Transplants Boost Coral Recovery, Israeli Scientists Find
A new study by Bar-Ilan University has brought renewed hope to coral reef conservation. Researchers have successfully improved coral health by transplanting healthy reef ecosystems to damaged reefs in the Red Sea. This innovative approach could revolutionize coral reef restoration efforts worldwide.
The study, just published in the journal Nature Communications, was led by Dr. Natalie Levy and Prof. Oren Levy from Bar-Ilan University’s Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, in collaboration with Prof. Ezri Tarazi of… Read More Here
Forensic Seismology Breakthrough: Tel Aviv University Study Reveals Seismic Signals Preceding October 7th Hamas Attack
Researchers from Tel Aviv University‘s Porter School of the Environment and Earth Sciences have uncovered critical seismic evidence that preceded the October 7th terrorist attack. The study provides unprecedented insights into pre-attack movements by analyzing data from three seismic stations in southern Israel.
The groundbreaking research detected unusual seismic signatures approximately 30 minutes before the assault. Specifically, the stations recorded weak but… Read More Here
Scientific Breakthrough: Weizmann Researchers Uncover Nocturnal Health Hazards
A groundbreaking discovery from the Weizmann Institute of Science has shed light on the mysterious timing of health conditions like asthma and heart attacks. The study, from Prof. Gad Asher’s laboratory at the Weizmann Institute of Science’s Biomolecular Sciences Department and published in Cell Metabolism, reveals that a key component of our circadian clock regulates our body’s response to oxygen. This finding offers a potential explanation for why these conditions often strike in the early morning hours… Read More Here
