July 29, 2015 | Viber announced that it will acquire the Israeli mobile game developer Nextpeer for $9 million. Nextpeer is a service that allows users to add multiplayer features and social layers to any game. Viber hopes that the acquisition of Nextpeer will help increase engagement with its Viber Games service and allow users to discover new content on its platform. Nextpeer was founded in 2011 and is based in Tel Aviv.
News Briefs
July 29, 2015
Viber Acquires Nextpeer For $9M
July 29, 2015
SHL Telemedicine Acquired For $210M
July 29, 2015 | The Chinese investment group Shanghai Jiuchuan Investment has agreed to acquire SHL Telemedicine for $120 million. SHL, which is a Tel Aviv-based company, hopes that its acquisition by the Chinese investment firm will help it roll out its medical technology products in other countries besides where it currently operates, namely in China. SHL Telemedicine was founded in 1987 by Yoram Alroy.
July 29, 2015
Gett Announces Flower Delivery Feature
July 29, 2015 | The taxi-hailing company Gett announced that it will now deliver flowers in an attempt to compete with Uber. Gett will work with the Zer4u Network in Israel, allowing users to order flowers for NIS 149 through the Gett app. Soon, the app will have a button called GettFlowers that will allow users to order flowers through the application. Gett, which was previously known as GetTaxi, was founded in 2010 by Shahar Waiser and Roi More.
July 29, 2015
IAI Receives Grant To Create Drone Fuel System
July 29, 2015 | A research and development grant has been awarded to the Israeli company Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and the Florida company Cella Energy to create a fuel system for an unmanned aerial vehicle, colloquially known as a drone. The grant was awarded by Space Florida and MATIMOP as part of the Florida-Israel Innovation Partnership Program. IAI was founded in 1953 by Al Schwimmer and Shimon Peres.
July 29, 2015
Aiber Networks To Establish Data Center In Finland
July 29, 2015 | The Finnish-Israeli startup company Aiber Networks has signed an agreement with the Finnish city of Tampere to build a new high security data center in the city. Aiber has already raised about two million euros and plans to raise up to 100 million euros in order to see the center completed. The main investor in the scheme is Daniel Levin, Aiber’s chairman of the board and CEO. Building work on the center, located inside a cave, has already begun. Aiber Networks is cloud platform solutions provider.
July 29, 2015
Kibbutz Revivim Establishes First Kibbutz Accelerator
July 29, 2015 | Kibbutz Revivim in the Ramat HaNegev region is Israel’s first kibbutz to launch a startup accelerator. The accelerator will be called Hamadgera and the first batch of startups will begin their three-month acceleration program in October. In addition to the startup mentorship, the kibbutz accelerator will also offer complementary residential accommodations on the kibbutz for the participating startups. The accelerator will be opened to early-stage startups in Internet and mobile with the founders receiving a variety of services, including business and marketing consultation. Kibbutz Revivim was founded in 1943 and is a major plastics manufacturer for the automobile industry.
July 29, 2015
Playtech Earns £75M From Labrokes-Gala Merger
July 29, 2015 | Following the announcement that two online gambling companies, Labrokes and Gala Coral, will merge, Playtech, which provides solutions to the companies saw its market share surge to $4.7 billion. Making £75 million (approx. $117.6 million) as a result of the deal, Teddy Sagi’s Playtech will continue to serve both companies following the merger. Playtech, an online gambling software company, was founded in 1999 by Teddy Sagi.
July 29, 2015
Intel And Micron Reveal Breakthrough In Memory Tech
July 29, 2015 | Intel and Micron unveiled the 3D XPoint technology today, a huge breakthrough in memory processing technologies. Currently under production, the 3D XPoint is the first new memory category in 25 years, since the introduction of NAND flash in 1989. The technology is likely to be used soon in telephones, cameras, computers and more to process larger amounts of data at faster-than-ever speeds. Intel has R&D facilities located in Israel as well as its largest chip manufacturing plant.
July 29, 2015
Frutarom Acquires Scandia For $6M
July 29, 2015 | The Israeli specialty flavors and fine ingredients company Frutarom announced that it will acquire the Florida-based company Scandia for approx. $6 million. Scandia specializes in the field of citrus for leading global customers in the flavor, food and beverage markets. Frutarom is one of the ten largest flavors companies in the world, and was founded in 1933 by Yehuda Araten and Maurice Gerzon.
July 28, 2015
Merck Acquires Israeli Startup cCAM
July 28, 2015 | Pharmaceuticals giant Merck has agreed to acquire Israeli startup cCAM Biotherapies for $95 million in cash, and up to an additional $510 million, contingent upon certain milestones cCAM is set to reach. Founded in 2010 by Dr. Tehila Ben-Moshe and Dr. Gal Markel, cCAM Biotherapeutics develops immunotherapies to treat cancer.
July 28, 2015
Tel Aviv’s Startup Ecosystem Is No. 5 In The World
July 28, 2015 | The 2015 Startup Ecosystem Report, published by startup data benchmarking company Compass, has ranked Tel Aviv, Israel, as the fifth best startup ecosystem in the world, after Silicon Valley, New York City, Los Angeles and Boston. “Tel Aviv is a prominent startup ecosystem in the global landscape,” according to the report. Israel’s capital Jerusalem made it to the top 50 list.
July 28, 2015
Report: Trendlines Preparing For $100M IPO In Singapore
July 28, 2015 | Israeli startup incubator Trendlines is preparing for an initial public offering on the Singapore Stock Exchange, which would value the company at $80-$100 million, according to a TheMarker/Haaretz report. Founded in 1993 by Todd Dollinger and Steve Rhodes, The Trendlines Group invests in and develops innovation-based businesses in the life sciences, cleantech, IT and security industries.
July 28, 2015
Sapiens Acquires Inessco for $9.1M
July 28, 2015 | Sapiens International Corporation, an Israeli provider of software solutions for the insurance industry, has signed an agreement for the acquisition of Insseco, a Polish software provider that operates in the same industry, for $9.1 million. Founded in 1982 by Tsvi Misinai, Sapiens is headed by Roni Al-Dor and is traded both on NASDAQ and on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange.
July 27, 2015
First Israeli Life Sciences Delegation Headed To Tokyo
July 27, 2015 | The first Israeli business delegation will arrive tomorrow in Tokyo as part of an agreement on research and development cooperation signed between Israel and Japan last year. According to the Israeli Ministry of Economy, the delegation will include representatives of Israeli life sciences firms, such as Can-Fite BioPharma, EyeYon Medical, and Kamada.
July 27, 2015
Report: Outbrain Raises $50M
July 27, 2015 | The Israeli content recommendation platform Outbrain has raised $50 million in a private financing round led by private equity firm Susquehanna, according to a Calcalist report. Outbrain was founded in 2006 by Yaron Galai and Ori Lahov.
