CTech’s Daily Israeli Tech News Roundup
WeWork relaunches forgotten 2011 accelerator-type program WeWork Labs. Leaf, long-awaited home cannabis farming box, to start shipping in coming months
WeWork relaunches forgotten 2011 accelerator-type program WeWork Labs. Within the next six months, the company plans to open WeWork Labs programs in Brazil, India, Korea, China, Israel and in several cities in the U.S., offering courses, mentorship, and collaboration opportunities to early-stage startups. Read more
WeWork space. Photo: Orel Cohen Leaf, long-awaited home cannabis farming box, to start shipping in coming months. The Leaf automated home cannabis growing box looks like what would happen if Apple started making refrigerators. Around 1,500 units, currently priced at $3,000, have been sold. Shipping is expected to begin in April or May. Read more
Fake Mossad Twitter handle sells fake Mossad swag. Launched in September 2016, @TheMossadIL gained notoriety when it trolled American pro-Palestinian activist Linda Sarsour. Now it has an online shop selling “Mommy’s Little Spy” Mossad onesies. Read more
Visa opens technology scouting outpost in Tel Aviv. Seeking to tap Israeli fintech companies, Visa added Tel Aviv to the cities in which it operates a startup collaboration lab—an office space where startups can try and integrate their technology with Visa's payment system and reach retailers using Visa payments worldwide. The company already operates similar labs, dubbed by the company “Innovation Studios,” in cities including Berlin, San Francisco, New York, London, Singapore, and Dubai. Read more
With new CEO, plastics company plans online marketing push. Privately-held Keter Plastic, an Israel-based manufacturer of resin-based household products, announced the appointment of Alejandro Pena as CEO. Mr. Pena’s appointment is part of the company’s plan to focus on the U.S. market, where it expects to see the most growth, and a plan to generate more online sales, the company’s outgoing CEO Jonathan Koldony said in an interview with Calcalist Monday. Read more
Communication cyberdefense startup Perception Point raises $8 million in Series A round. Perception Point’s cloud-based service detects and blocks cyber-attacks coming through emails. The company previously raised $2 million in its seed round. Read more
Swedish online payments company Klarna shuts down Tel Aviv development center. All 31 of its employees in Tel Aviv were offered the opportunity to remain with the company and relocate to one of its Swedish or German offices.
Nasdaq-listed Stratasys collaborates with SIA Engineering on Singapore aerospace 3D printing facility. The joint venture will offer design, engineering, certification support and production services to global customers. Read more
