July 5, 2014 | The Israeli developer Moishe Mana announced that he would pay $32 million for the acquisition of the former Justice Building in Miami, Florida. Mana has acquired the property from the New York-based company Columbus Properties, managed by John DiMarro. It is still unclear how Mana, who controls Park Reality Enterprises, will use the space.
News Briefs
July 05, 2015
Moishe Mana Pays $32M For Miami Property
July 05, 2015
Sanara Ventures To Invest $26.5M In Israeli Health Tech
July 5, 2015 | Teva Pharmaceutical Industries and Philips Healthcare will reportedly invest up to $26.5 million in Israeli medical device and health innovation startups over the next eight years through their joint fund, Sanara Ventures. Sanara Ventures has already invested in two Israeli companies, Kaleidoscope Medical, which has developed a system to shield against X-ray radiation during catherterisation procedures, as well as MGD, which creates a portable device to measure lung function in patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). Sanara Ventures was established this year and is headed by its Chief Executive Assaf Barnea.
July 05, 2015
Czech Republic Sends Scientific Diplomat To Israel
July 5, 2015 | The Czech Republic will send a scientific diplomat to Israel to encourage cooperation in research and scientific investigation between the two countries. Delana Mikolášová, of the North Africa and Middle East Department of the Czech Foreign Ministry, will take up the post this fall. Mikolášová will work to establish contacts with Israeli scientists, research institutions and innovative companies with the goal of promoting relations and the exchange of knowledge between the two countries. Mikolášová will hold the position in Tel Aviv for two years.
July 02, 2015
NYPA And mPrest Receive Joint Grant
July 2, 2015 | The New York Power Authority and the Israeli software development firm mPrest were awarded a $900,000 grant to develop a system that can rapidly detect malfunctioning power transformers. The funding comes from the BIRD Foundation. “Power transformers are among the most costly assets in the electric grid, so research in this area is critical,” said Gil C. Quiniones, NYPA president and CEO. mPrest was founded in 2003 by Eli Arlazoroff and is headquartered in Petach Tikvah.
July 02, 2015
Minute Raises $4M For New Video Viewing Experience
July 2, 2015 | The Israeli video technology company Minute announced that it raised $4 million in new funding and launched a new online video viewing experience. The Minute Project is an Android and web application that applies big data analytics and crowdsourced data to detect the most viral part of online videos, turning them into Vine clips. Minute was founded in Tel Aviv in 2013 by Amit Golan, Erez Eliad, Maoz Melamed and Nick Laniado.
July 02, 2015
Elbit Completes Acquisition Of NICE Cyber, Intel Divisions
July 2, 2015 | Elbit Systems has completed the acquisition of NICE Systems cyber and intelligence divisions. The divisions will now become a part of Elbit’s division Cyberbit, the cyber subsidiary managed by Adi Dar. The deal between Elbit and NICE was valued at up to $158 million. NICE Systems was founded in 1986 as Neptune Intelligence Computer Engineering by seven Israeli military colleagues.
July 02, 2015
Mapal Green Energy To Issue London IPO
July 2, 2015 | Israeli company Mapal Green Energy has submitted an initial document to issue an IPO on London’s AIM Stock Exchange. The company reportedly plans to raise £2-3 million (approx $3.1 million) at a company value in the low tens of millions of dollars, according to “Globes”. Mapal Green Energy develops systems to reduce the cost of sewage purification and was founded on Kibbutz Yagur by CTO Hanoch Magen and CEO Zeev Fisher.
July 02, 2015
Playtech Acquires Ava Trade For $105M
July 2, 2015 | Israeli billionaire Teddy Sagi’s company Playtech Holdings announced that its subsidiary TradeFX will buy Ava Trade for $105 million. Ava Trade is a contract-for-difference foreign exchange broker that was founded in 2006. Playtech is a gambling software development company that was founded in 1999.
July 02, 2015
Global Innovation Awards Names Three Israeli Finalists
July 2, 2015 | Three Israeli startups will head to Beijing, China to vie for the $1 million prize as part of Shengjing’s Global Innovation Awards. The startups that were selected include Wayzers, a bank wiring solution, DiaCardio, a heart ultrasound technology and SecuriThings, a IoT protection platform. These startups will compete against American, European and Chinese companies for a $1 million grad prize, as well as the opportunity to earn an investment from a special $25 million fund established by the Shengjing Group. The Israel segment of the Global Innovation Awards was led by the leading venture capital firm, Jerusalem Venture Partners (JVP).
July 02, 2015
A.B. Dental Signs Partnership Agreement With Chinese Cos.
July 2, 2015 | The Israeli dental implant company A.B. Dental announced that it signed a triple partnership agreement to distribute its dental implants in China, Hong Kong, and Macau. The agreement was signed with Bybo Dental Group, the largest network of dental clinics in China, Dolphins International Dental Academy and Sino Integrity Company in Hong Kong. Each of these companies will invest millions of dollars to see that A.B. Dental’s products, like dental implants, prosthetics for oral rehabilitation, and imaging services are distributed in the region. A.B. Dental has its corporate headquarters in northern Israel and was founded in the 1990s.
July 01, 2015
Splacer Raises $1.4M In Seed Funding
July 1, 2015 | Splacer, the online marketplace for booking events, announced that it raised $1.4 million in a seed funding from Carmel Ventures together with angel investors. Splacer also announced the beta launch of their marketplace in New York City, providing the option to both private and commercial property owners to list their space online for events. Splacer was founded in Tel Aviv by architects Lihi Gerstner, Adi Biran and CTO Lior Ash.
July 01, 2015
Merck Plans To Expand Incubator, Hire More Israeli Employees
July 1, 2015 | The German company Merck KGaA plans to add an additional 250 employees at its two production sites in Israel. The pharmaceutical and chemical firm plans to add the additional employees once its acquisition of Sigma-Aldrich is approved. In addition, Merck has committed to investing up to 10 million euros ($11.1 million) in Israeli companies through its Merck Serono Israel Bioincubator. The incubator was established in 2012.
July 01, 2015
Klear Raises $1.5M
July 1, 2015 | The social media analytics provider Klear, formerly known as Twtrland, announced that it raised $1.5 million from Altair, GIG and TMT. In addition, the platform announced that they will rebrand as ‘Klear’, taking data from Facebook and Instagram, as well as Twitter. Klear has plans to integrate other social networks such as Pinterest, Google Plus and LinkedIn. The current funding round brings Klear’s total funding to $2 million since the startup was founded in 2012 by Noam Avigdor, Guy Avigdor and Eytan Avigdor.
July 01, 2015
Israel, Vietnam Vow To Expand Cooperation
July 1, 2015 | During a visit to Tel Aviv, Israel, Chairman of the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Economic Affairs Vuong Dinh Hue expressed his country’s desire to strengthen ties with Israel. In a meeting with Israeli Minister of Economy Aryeh Deri, Hue expressed his belief that the two countries have a huge potential for cooperation, especially as it pertains to the fields of science-technology, agriculture, security, trade and investment. Israel also agreed to share its experience in building startups and technology incubators.
July 01, 2015
Kingenta Leads Major Agricultural Partnership With Israel
July 1, 2015 | Kingenta Ecological Engineering Group announced the launch of a major agricultural partnership between Israel and China. The partnership is centered on technology that will provide integrated control and regulation of water and fertilizer and will consist of five medium to long-term projects that hope to affect the future of agricultural development. The projects include: 10 Sino-Israeli demonstration farms, the establishment of 100 agriculture service centers, sending a Chinese fact-finding mission to Israel, all with the hope of cultivating 100,000 leaders in global farming. Kingenta was founded in 1998 and is a Chinese high-tech firm devoted to farming technology, mainly as they pertain to fertilizers.
