May 18, 2015 | The Chinese-Israel capital fund Infinity Private Equity will hold a $100 million stake in Chinese company Baozun following its revised prospectus on NASDAQ. Infinity Group invested a few million dollars into Baozun a number of years ago and currently holds up to 6.6 percent of its shares. Baozun seeks to issue the offering $12-14 at a company valuation of $1.8-2.1 billion. Infinity Group invests in a large portfolio of Chinese companies that it believes it has the potential to become market leaders, and was founded in 1993.
News Briefs
May 18, 2015
Infinity Group To Hold $100M Stake In Chinese Company
May 18, 2015
888 Places Bid To Acquire Bwin
May 18, 2015 | The Israeli-founded online gambling company 888 Holdings has placed a bid to purchase Bwin.Party Entertainment Holdings. Bwin has a larger market cap than 888, the former with a £800 million market cap and the later with a £600 million market cap, which leaves it up to Bwin’s shareholders to determine if they will sell their shares. Previously, Bwin merged with UK company PartyGaming in 2011. 888 Holdings was founded in 1997 by Avi and Aaron Shaked and Shay and Ron Ben-Yitzhak.
May 18, 2015
Frutarom Acquires BSA For $35.6M
May 18, 2015 | The Israeli flavorings and special ingredients company Frutarom announced that it has signed a deal to acquire 95 percent of Investissements BSA for $35.6 million (42.75 million Canadian dollars). This is Frutarom’s fifth acquisition this year as the company seeks to expand to North America and India. BSA is the developer of flavorings for processed meats and convenience foods. Frutarom was founded in 1933 by Yehuda Araten and Maurice Gerzon.
May 18, 2015
BGU President To Be Honored By Queen Of England
May 18, 2015 | Buckingham Palace announced that Ben Gurion University of the Negev President Prof. Rivka Carmi will be honored by the Queen of England. Prof. Carmi will receive an appointment of an honorary Commander of the Order of the British Empire for her work to deepen scientific and academic relations between the UK and Israel. Prof. Carmi is the first woman to serve as president of an Israeli university and is the co-chair of the UK Israel Science Council since it was founded in 2010.
May 18, 2015
Pfizer To Cooperate With Prof. Ido Bachelet
May 18, 2015 | The international pharmaceutical company Pfizer will cooperate with the laboratory of Bar Ilan University Prof. Ido Bachelet in the production of his “DNA robots”. Prof. Bachelet has developed a unique method by which he is able to produce DNA molecules that can be “programmed” to research certain locations in the body and to carry out minor procedures. “This is Pfizer’s first cooperative venture with someone in Israeli higher education. The technology is fairly new for a drug company, but Pfizer has agreed to take up the challenge and support this technology, in the hope that it will make a contribution to the company at the proper time,” BIU R&D CEO Orli Tori told “Albawaba”.
May 18, 2015
Alibaba Uses Visualead’s Dotless QR-Codes
May 18, 2015 | The Chinese Internet giant Alibaba will partner with Israeli startup Visualead to launch a new QR-code format. The new QR-code format and design hopes to create “superior connectivity experiences for offline to online transactions,” through what are called “dotless visual codes”. The new design of the codes allows publishers and retailers to make them colorful or contain company logos that will cover over 90 percent of the code’s surface. Alibaba will use the dotless codes to launch its “Blue Stars” platform for product engagement and anti-counterfeiting. Visualead was founded in 2012 by CEO Nevo Alva, CTO Itamar Friedman and CPO Uriel Peled.
May 17, 2015
TheraCoat To Raise $20M Before IPO
May 17, 2015 | The Israeli developer of treatments for urinary tract diseases, TheraCoat seeks to raise more than $20 million before it issues its public offering in New York. TheraCoat, which has created a gel technology that allows anti-cancer drugs to stick better to the bladder wall, plans to seek a company valuation of about $200 million in its IPO, which it hopes will take place sometime this year. TheraCoat was founded in 2004 and is headquartered in Ra’anana.
May 17, 2015
Germany Donates €2.5M To Bauhaus Preservation
May 17, 2015 | Germany will donate 2.5 million euros ($2.8 million) over a period of ten years towards the preservation of Tel Aviv’s “White City”. The donation marks the 50th anniversary of Israeli-German relations and the funds donated will preserve the largest collection of Bauhaus-style architecture in the world. The funds will go towards preserving at least 2000 of the 4000 Bauhaus structures in Tel Aviv, as well as towards the construction of a preservation center in the Max Liebling House.
May 14, 2015
Sanofi To Scout For Israeli Companies
May 14, 2015 | The French pharmaceutical company Sanofi reports that it has hired an Israeli scout to earmark potential biomedical companies. The scout, Nurit Tweezer-Zaks, will seek out ventures for the French company in Israel, Head External Innovation Operations Adam Keeney reported to “Globes”. Sanofi was founded in 2004 and is headed by Olivier Brandicourt.
May 14, 2015
AFI Group Sells Shares In Times Square Building
May 14, 2015 | The Africa Israel Investment Group announced that it will sell its 50.1 percent stake in the Times Square Building in New York. Their share of the building will be sold for $295 million to Jared Kushner, Donald Trump’s son-in-law. Africa Israel was founded in 1934 and is controlled by Lev Leviev.
May 14, 2015
Bram Industries Establishes Savannah Plant
May 14, 2015 | The Israeli plastics manufacturer Bram Industries announced that it will open a US manufacturing plant in Savannah, Georgia. The facility will be located at the Georgia Commerce Center and will be constructed with a $3 million investment. The plant will supply up to 60 new jobs in Savannah. Bram specializes in the development, manufacturing and marketing of plastic products.
May 14, 2015
Frutarom Acquires Portion Of Sonarome For $17.2M
May 14, 2015 | One of the world’s 10 largest companies in the flavors and fine ingredients sector, Frutarom announced that it acquired a 60 percent stake in Sonarome Private. Frutarom acquired the stake in the Indian company for $17.2 million at a company value of $28.6 million. The purchase agreement between the companies includes the option for Frutarom to acquire the remaining balance of shares in the company. Frutarom was founded in 1933 Yehuda Araten and Maurice Gerzon.
May 14, 2015
Matrix Acquires OnO Apps
May 14, 2015 | The Israeli mobile app developer OnO Apps was acquired by Matrix. Matrix plans to integrate OnO App’s services into its platforms providing financial and technological solutions. OnO Apps was founded in 2009 by Orr Kowarsky, Nimrod Bar-Levin and Oded Oron.
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May 14, 2015
BGU Inaugurates Rothschild Cube For Social Action
May 14, 2015 | The Ben Gurion University of the Negev and the Rothschild Caesarea Foundation announced the launch of the Rothschild Cube – Center for Effective Social Action. The Rothschild Cube promises to be a first-of-its-kind social simulator. The Rothschild Cube acts as an incubator of social action and guides social entrepreneurs from the initial planning stages to the implementation of the concept, providing managerial and financial tools, up-to-date knowledge, professional mentorship and personal empowerment.
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May 13, 2015
Happify Raises $5M
May 13, 2015 | Happify, the online services that assesses users’ happiness levels, announced that it raised $5 million in new funding. The round was led by Mangrove Capital Partners and Bridge Builder Collaborative. In addition, Happify announced that it has passed the 1.2 million user mark, with the app rated within the Top Ten Grossing Apps. Happify was founded in 2013 by Ofer Leidner and company CEO Tomer Ben-Kiki.
