CTech's Monday Roundup of Israeli Tech News

Airbnb faces sanctions in Texas over settlements ban; Via’s Tel Aviv public transport service to launch in late March

Airbnb faces sanctions in Texas over settlements ban. In November, Airbnb announced that it will be removing "approximately 200 listings" in Jewish settlements in the West Bank from its website. Read more

Airbnb's CEO Brian Chesky. Photo: Bloomberg

Via’s Tel Aviv public transport service to launch in late March. Founded in 2012, Via operates in 32 cities across 11 countries, offering different modes of operation in different places. In November, the company announced its intention to launch the service in Tel Aviv. Read more

 

Possible indictment may give Netanyahu’s rival an edge, polls show. According to two surveys conducted after Israel’s attorney general announced his intention to indict Netanyahu, a coalition led by Netanyahu’s Likud may fall short of gaining the necessary majority to form a government. Read more

 

Online payment company Payoneer looking to raise money in 2019. The company has recently held several meeting with bankers and has already chosen an investment bank with whom to discuss the different options, the person said. Read more

 

Eurovision ticket sale halted due to "irregularities." Israel’s National Broadcaster Kan detected attempts to interfere with the ticket sales, raising suspicions that hundreds of the most expensive tickets were sold exclusively to media and sports executives instead of the general public. Read more

 

Cannabis producer Cannbit snags THC research pioneer Raphael Mechoulam. Mechoulam is a professor at the Institute for Drug Research at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and is the subject of a 2015 movie documentary called The Scientist. Read more

 

Taboola acquires unit from mobile marketing service provider Celltick. 30 of Celltick's employees will be joining Taboola's news division following the deal. Read more

 

Dead Sea salt and za’atar infused chocolate maker wants to make it big in Japan. Israeli boutique chocolatier Ika Cohen’s products are known for their unusual tastes that include olive oil, Dead Sea salt, basil, and za’atar, a spice herb native to the Middle East and often used in Palestinian, Israeli, and Lebanese dishes. Read more

 

PayPal cutting workforce in Israel as part of global reorganization. The company has summoned 30 of its 250 Israeli employees for a pre-termination hearing on Monday. Read more

 

Predictive analytics startup Mintigo raises $7 million. Mintigo develops an online predictive analytics platform designed to identify the items a specific customer is most likely to buy. Read more

 

Cyber intelligence company IntSights appoints new chief revenue officer. Founded in 2015 by Israeli military intelligence units veterans, IntSights develops a database that aggregates threat intelligence and provides organizations with tailored threat analyzes. Read more