CTech's Weekly Roundup of Israeli Tech News
NSO is the common link in international covert operation, report says; Four Israeli investors discuss the strengthening business ties between Israel and Germany
08:0415.02.19
Francisco Partners offloads Israeli surveillance company NSO. The co-founders and management team of Israeli surveillance company NSO Group have bought it back from majority stakeholder according to a valuation “just short of $1 billion," NSO said. Read more
The company was linked to international covert operation in a recent report by The Associated Press. Read more
NSO offices. Photo: Orel Cohen Opinion | Trade wars, autonomous car race pushing Tel Aviv and Berlin closer. In recent years, Berlin has attracted a great number of entrepreneurs that turned it into one of Europe's leading tech hubs, alongside London and Paris, writes Yifat Oron, the CEO of Leumitech, a subsidiary of Israeli Bank Leumi focused on serving tech companies. Read more
Yemeni Hot Sauce Zhoug Is 2019’s Spiciest Food Trend, Says Israeli Startup. Tel Aviv-based startup Tastewise offers a predictive food intelligence service that utilizes artificial intelligence algorithms. Read more
Wireless heart pump technology implanted in a patient for the first time. The technology, patented by Israel-based Leviticus Cardio, uses an external electromagnetic transmitter to charge an implanted battery, negating the need for a permanent and infection-prone exit wound. Read more
Interview | Ehud Barak has high ambitions for the cannabis market. “I have never inhaled, never exhaled, never tasted, and never smelled cannabis,” says the current chairman of a high-flying Israeli cannabis company and former Israeli prime minister. Read more
What Dan Ariely had to say to the Israeli government about carpooling. A year and a half ago, Israel hired behavioral economist Dan Ariely to look into ways to reduce traffic congestion in the country. His (non-final) conclusions: Israeli drivers are predictably irrational. Read more
Tel Aviv uses underwater concrete structures to increase marine biodiversity. The structures, developed by ECOncrete, are designed to accelerate the growth of marine plants and animals, including fish, coral reefs, seaweed, and sea anemone. Read more
Q&A | An overview of technology banking. Now serving over 5,000 startups in Israel, the U.K., and the U.S., Leumitech extends credit spanning from $20,000 to several hundreds millions of dollars to companies, according to CEO Yifat Oron. Read more
Interview | Fake content is less prevalent than people assume, says researcher. After looking at over 16,000 twitter accounts of registered U.S. voters, newly published research concluded that 80% of 2016 election-related fake news tweets originated with only 0.1% of the users, and were read by only 1%. Read more
M&A and IPO
Anchiano Therapeutics stock falls on Nasdaq IPO. Read more
Symantec acquires security startup Luminate. Read more
NYSE-listed New Relic acquires machine learning startup SignifAI. Read more
NYSE-Listed TAL Education Group acquires test-prep startup Ready4. Read more
India’s Lohia Group acquires aerospace parts manufacturer Light & Strong. Read more
Fiverr buys web content marketplace ClearVoice. Read more
Automated infographics startup Kamidoo acquired by Connatix. Read more
Startup funding
Taiwan's Chroma to pay $74 million for 20% of semiconductor company Camtek. Read more
Information security startup PerimeterX raises $43 million. Read more
Conversation analytics startup Gong.io raises $40 million. Read more
Payment startup Rapyd raises $40 million. Read more
Car safety startup C2A raises $6.5 million. Read more
Dallas Mavericks' Kristaps Porzingis backs injury prediction startup Zone7. Read more
