August 14th 2018 — Israel America Tech List
Tuesday Tech Update
It’s a sweltering August Tuesday here in Toronto. A little Israel America Tech List and an iced coffee may be all you need to cool down. We’ve got blockchain soccer, the future of bionic knee implants and more.
But first, a little action figurine from the notorious RBG, Ruth Bader Ginsberg. The kickstarter to make these things targeted $15k, and is now as of this writing up to $613k. If there was ever a question if she was a baller, I think it’s clear the people have spoken. Enjoy! Happy Tuesday.
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Stay In the Know
Reminiscent of the wave of sports teams that private equity execs and Russian oligarchs have bought over the last couple of decades, a blockchain entrepreneur has purchased for the paltry sum of $7 million the Beitar Jerusalem soccer club. This is the same team that renamed itself Trump after the President relocated the Israeli embassy. Seems the two might be a perfect fit. Source
The Israeli Council for Higher Education announced it had approved an investment of $123 million to fortify research programs in Israeli universities.This is an 83% increase on the previous 5-year plan. 90% of the funds will be used for lab equipment. Source
A 30-year old woman in Jerusalem earlier this month received a knee implant made of aragonite, a form of calcium carbonite, which is supposed to help regenerate her cartilage and bone over time. The implant was developed by the Israeli startup CartiHeal, which is conducting a global clinical trial of its technology and hoping to receive approval from the US Food and Drug Administration. The goal is to commercialize a product that could bring relief to millions of sufferers of cartilage knee pain within a few years. Source
The Israel Innovation Authority, the Ministry of Economy and Industry, and the National Cyber Directorate have announced a new $24 million, three-year program to boost Israel’s cyber industry. It will invest in technologies seen as having “game-changing” potential on a global level; it will support larger companies that are moving on from the development stage by funding pilot tests of their technologies with potential clients; and will boost resources to CyberSpark, the Israel Cyber Innovation Arena in Beersheba, to further strengthen its position as a global hub for cybersecurity. Source
In Other News
Israel Aerospace Industries, a 16,000 person publicly traded company founded by the late President Shimon Peres, is building a venture fund. The fund will operate for a decade and invest in five startups annually that are developing new technologies involving IAI’s core activity, such as space, navigation of drones, robotics, autonomous vehicles, electrical propulsion, micro and nano-satellites, and sensors.
The company intends to invest $500,000 to $1.5 million in each startup through the fund. Most of the money for the fund will come from IAI’s research and development budget. Source
Job of the Week
Today’s opportunities come in the form of two expanding companies.
Lightricks, the company that brought the world the selfie touchup app Facetune, now has a London office with opportunities both in the London and Tel Aviv offices. Click to see positions.
Bizzabo, a startup with cloud-based event planning tools, is growing rapidly and plans to hire another 30 people in the next year. There are sales, marketing, and engineering opportunities in New York and Tel Aviv. Click to see positions.
If you have a job or other opportunity of some kind, let me know and I will happily include it in future emails!Tech Deals
Dynamic Yield, an Israeli provider of personalized sales assistant software, raised $32 million in Series D funding led by Viola Growth. Axios
Carbyne (formerly Reporty), an Israeli public safety company announced the closing of $15 million in series B financing led by Elsted Capital Partners and joined by strategic investor Founders Fund. Among Carbyne’s other investors are former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak. Globes
Yotpo, an Israeli platform for e-commerce brands, has announced the acquisition of US startup Swell Rewards. According to sources close to the deal, the acquisition price is $16 million. Globes
Exabeam, a San Mateo, California-based cybersecurity company, it has closed $50 million in a Series D funding round led by Lightspeed Venture Partners. The round was participated by existing investors including cybersecurity investor Shlomo Kramer, Aspect Ventures, and Cisco Investments. Calcalist
Graduway, an Israeli alumni outreach startup, has acquired Gloucestershire, U.K.-based career mentoring software developer VineUp. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Calcalist
Air Doctor, an online marketplace for pre-vetted local doctors, announced it has raised $3.1 million from Kamet, a Paris, London and Tel Aviv-based insurtech incubator, a subsidiary of French insurance-focused holding company AXA SA. Calcalist
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