May 31, 2015 | Oramed Pharmaceuticals, an Israeli company developing an insulin pill for diabetics, announced this week that it submitted a study protocol for its Phase IIb trials with the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA). The drug, tentatively named ORMD-0801 is an orally ingestible insulin capsule for the control and treatment of diabetes. It’s expected that the pill will change the face of current diabetes treatments. Oramed was founded in 2006 and is headquartered in Jerusalem.
News Briefs
May 31, 2015
Oramed To Begin Advanced Trials On ‘Insulin Pill’
May 28, 2015
Discovery Italia Acquires Keshet’s ‘Trade Up’
May 28, 2015 | Discovery Italia has acquired Israeli media company’s show “Trade Up,” a game show in which participants can win a new car by answering trivia questions. This is the first ever collaborative effort between Keshet and Discovery. “‘Trade Up’ was one of the most brilliant and original formats at the most recent MIP, and this is our first deal with Keshet, one of the most interesting creative houses,” said Laura Carafoli, SVP of content and programming for Discovery Italia. The Italian version of “Trade Up” will begin airing in Italy this fall.
May 28, 2015
Citi Bank Announces Mobile Challenge Winners
May 28, 2015 | Citi Bank announced the top innovations from the Citi Mobile Challenge in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The Israeli Bitcoin startup GetGems was selected as the “Most Visionary Social Media Startup,” allowing for instant payments across social platforms from mobile apps. In addition, nFrnds, a startup that hopes to bring mobile connectivity to the unconnected, was selected within the MasterCard competition, which is supported by Citi Bank.
May 28, 2015
Report: ARM To Acquire Sansa Security For $80M
May 28, 2015 | According to reports in “TheMarker,” ARM is in talks to acquire the Israeli Internet of Things (IoT) startup Sansa Security for $80 million. Their assessments assert that in the coming weeks and the acquisition is set to be valued between $75-80 million. If the deal goes through ARM will most likely establish a research and development ARM in Israel through Sansa Security. Sansa Security, formerly known as Discretix, was founded in 2000 by Gal Salomon.
May 28, 2015
Nexar Raises $4M
May 28, 2015 | Nexar, a platform that hopes to influence how people drive, announced that it raised $4 million in a funding round led by Aleph Venture Capital. In addition, Slow Ventures, a fund that was set up by former Facebook employees, as well as angel investors participated in the round. Nexar collects information about you and drivers around you to help prevent accidents and to suggest ways that users can improve their driving. Nexar was founded by the former manager of Yahoo’s Creation Innovation Center in Israel, Eran Shir.
May 28, 2015
Mapi Pharma Raises $10M
May 28, 2015 | The Israeli pharmaceutical company developing a drug for the treatment of multiple sclerosis, Mapi Pharma, announced that it raised $10 million in funding. Shavit Capital Fund led the round together with participation from Mapi CEO and Chairman Ehud Marom. Mapi is a developer of MS drug Copaxone and their version of the drug is administered once a month, in comparison to other delayed-release versions of the drug. Mapi Pharma was founded by Marom in 2008.
May 28, 2015
Israeli-US Team Win USAID Award
May 28, 2015 | A joint desalination project shared by researchers in Israel and Texas won Honorable Mention at the USAID competition. A $125,000 prize grant was awarded to the joint Israeli-Texan team who hope to soon build a groundwater treatment plant in Jordan. The teams responsible for the research came from the Technion Israel Institute of Technology in Israel and the University of North Texas.
May 28, 2015
Impact First Invests in Intendu
May 28, 2015 | Impact First Investments (IFI) announced that it has invested in Israeli startup Intendu, a company developing technology to improve cognitive rehabilitation. Intendu’s solution hopes to help those suffering from brain dysfunction train their brain with adaptive video games that involve physical activity that include games and other multi-tasking activities. Impact First Investments is a member of Pitango Community Ventures and is headed by Chairman Yair Safrai and co-founder Cecile Blilious.
May 28, 2015
GE Holds Cybersecurity Hackathon In Israel
May 28, 2015 | General Electric (GE) held a cybersecurity hackathon for Israeli startups earlier this week. The event was held together with Tel Aviv University and included a competition with prizes. In addition, “Globes” reports that GE is currently in the process of expanding its Israel operations, particularly at it’s Herzliya research and development center.
May 27, 2015
Orbotech Receives $8M Order
May 27, 2015 | Orbotech announced that a major Pacific printed circuit boards manufacturer has placed a order worth $8 million. The order comprises multiple units of Orbotech’s leading Direct Imaging systems, including the newly launched Paragon Ultra™ 300 and the Nuvogo™ 800. Orbotech, based in Yavne, Israel, was founded in 1981 by Dr. Shlomo Barak.
May 27, 2015
EverCompliant Raises $3.5M In Series A Funding
May 27, 2015 | The Israeli provider of cyber risk intelligence and merchant fraud detection services, EverCompliant announced that it raised $3.5 million in Series A funding. The round was led by Carmel Ventures, Nyca Partners and Joey Low from Star Farm Ventures. The company reports that it will use the funds to further develop its product suite MerchantView and to accelerate its global expansion. EverCompliant was founded in 2007 and is headquartered in Rishon Le Zion.
May 27, 2015
TAU And Mumbai College Sign MOU
May 27, 2015 | The Chief Minister of the Indian state of Maharashta Devendra Gangadharrao Fadnavis visited Tel Aviv University last month to sign a memorandum of understanding for academic and research collaboration. Through the agreement, TAU and the Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS) in Mumbai, India hope to see further collaboration, especially in the fields of agriculture, information and communications technology and defense manufacturing.
May 27, 2015
Ubimo Raises $7.5M In Series B Funding
May 27, 2015 | The Israeli location-based marketing startup Ubimo announced that it raised $7.5 million in Series B funding. The round was let by Pitango Venture Capital together with OurCrowd and Yahoo Japan Capital, the first investment by the latter investor in an Israeli startup. The new funding brings total funding Ubimo to $9.5 million so far. Ubimo was founded by Udi Graff and Ran Ben-Yair in 2012.
May 27, 2015
Report: Pitango To Raise Seventh Fund
May 27, 2015 | According to a “Calcalist” report, Pitango Venture Capital will raise a seventh round worth $250 million. Pitango will reportedly use the funds to invest in early-stage startups in Israel. The report stipulates that the fund is still in its early fund-raising stages, mainly from existing investors and large institutions. Pitango Venture Capital was founded in 1993 by Rami Kalish, Aharon Dovrat and Chemi Peres.
May 27, 2015
ConteXtream Acquired By HP
May 27, 2015 | HP announced that it will acquire Israeli software-defined networking company ConteXtream. Though the terms of the deal were not disclosed, it’s expected to a be a large acquisition. ConteXtream was founded in 2007 by CEO Nachman Shelef and Sharon Barkai.
