May 7, 2015 | The Internet content recommendation service Outbrain announced that it will appoint Yuval Ben-Itzhak to the position of CTO. The appointment comes as Outbrain nears its public offering on Wall Street. Outbrain was founded in 2006 by Yaron Galai and recommends content to a number of publishers including CNN, Le Monde and ESPN.
News Briefs
May 07, 2015
Outbrain Appoints New CTO Ahead Of IPO
May 07, 2015
Market Tech Acquires Stucco Media For $34.5M
May 7, 2015 | Israeli billionaire Teddy Sagi’s company Market Tech announced that it will acquire the ecommerce marketing company Stucco Media for $34.5 million in cash and shares. Market Tech, which now owns and manages Camden Markets in London, reportedly acquired Stucco Media to boost its online capabilities in mobile marketing and customer management. Stucco Media was founded in 2012 by Guy Weiss and Itay Itzhaki.
May 06, 2015
UHaifa Prof. Wins $1.3M Grant
May 6, 2015 | Dr. Shlomo Wagner in the Department of Neurobiology at the University of Haifa has been awarded a prestigious grant from the Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP). Together with three other research partners from universities in the US, Germany and France, Dr. Wagner was awarded a grant of $1.3 million to be split between the four researchers. The aim of the team’s study is to decipher the action mechanism in the brain of the hormone oxytocin which is responsible for social communication. The HFSP is an international organization, funded mainly by the European Union (in which the United States also participates) that awards grants in the fields of the natural sciences to research teams integrating investigators from different countries and various disciplines.
May 06, 2015
SolarEdge And Tesla To Partner On Powerwall Battery
May 6, 2015 | SolarEdge Technologies and Tesla Motors, the creator of electric cars, have teamed up to create a solution that will allow for grid and photovoltaic integration. The power solution will be used in Tesla’s new home battery solution called the ‘Powerwall’. In order to storage solar energy for use in the home, SolarEdge will apply its DC optimized solution together with Tesla’s automotive-grade energy storage technology. SolarEdge was founded in 2006 by Guy Sella, Lior Handelsman, Yoav Galin, Meir Adest and Amir Fishelov.
May 06, 2015
CodersClan Raises $820K In Seed Funding
May 6, 2015 | The Tel Aviv-based company for outsourcing coders, CodersClan announced that it raised $820,000 in seed funding. Investors in the round included CrunchFund, Entree Capital, Kima Ventures, the founders of Wix, Quixey, ClarityRay, UpWest Labs and The Junction. CodersClan was founded in 2013 by Uri Ezra and Dror Cohen.
May 06, 2015
Medi-Tate Raises $2M
May 6, 2015 | The Israeli medical device company Medi-Tate announced that it raised $2 million in a round led by Xenia Venture Capital. Medi-Tate specializes in the development of treatments of urethra and prostate diseases. Medi-Tate was founded in 2007 by CEO Ido Kilemnik and Rami Biran.
May 06, 2015
Teva Completes $3.2B Acquisition Of Auspex
May 6, 2015 | Teva Pharmaceutical Industries announced that it has completed its acquisition of Auspex Pharmaceuticals for $3.2 billion. Teva will acquire Auspex at $101.00 per share with hopes that the acquisition will increase Teva’s revenue and central nervous system franchise. Teva was founded in 1901 and is currently headed by CEO and President Erez Vigodman.
May 06, 2015
Borderfree To Be Acquired For $395M
May 6, 2015 | The Israeli ecommerce company Borderfree is set to be acquired by Pitney Bowes for $395 million. Borderfree is headquartered in New York but has its development offices in Tel Aviv. Borderfree was founded in 1999 by Yuval Tal in Israel under the company name FiftyOne, a forex site for retailers.
May 06, 2015
Cybereason Raises $25M In Series B Funding
May 6, 2015 | The Israeli cybersecurity company Cybereason raised $25 million in Series B funding, $10 million of which came from Lockheed Martin. The round, led by Spark Capital, also saw participation from previous investors CRV. The current round brings total funding in Cybereason to $30 million. Cybereason was founded in 2012 by Yossi Naar, Lior Div and Yonatan Amit.
May 06, 2015
Impact First Invests In CatalystAgTech
May 6, 2015 | The Israeli investment firm Impact First Investments (IFI) announced that it will invest in CatalystAgTech. CatalystAgTech is an Israeli company developing technology that seeks to minimize the environmental impact of agrochemical products. The amount of the investment was not announced. IFI is the first Israeli investment firm that specializes in leverage local technology and innovation to create global social impact.
May 05, 2015
Ori Inbar Joins Cimagine’s Board Of Advisors
May 5, 2015 | Cimagine Media, the creators of a 3D visualization platform using augmented reality technology, announced that Ori Inbar will join the company’s board of advisors. The CEO and founder of AugmentedReality.org, a global non-profit that aims to harness AR technology for the advancement of humanity, Inbar is considered by many to be an expert in AR and its applications. Cimagine was founded in 2012 by Amiram Avraham, Ozi Egri, Nir Daube and Yoni Nevo.
May 05, 2015
Israeli Chef Alon Shaya Wins James Beard Award
May 5, 2015 | The Israeli-born chef Alon Shaya is this year’s winner of the James Beard Foundation award for the southern region of the US. The award is considered a prestigious honor for any chef, and though he has been nominated in the past, this is the first time that Shaya has been selected as the winner. The executive chef of Domenica in New Orleans, Shaya founded the restaurant together with John Besh in 2009.
May 05, 2015
Screenz Wins ‘Best TV App’ At TV Connect Awards
May 5, 2015 | The global cross-media and next-generation production company Screenz won “Best TV App” at the TV Connect Industry Awards in London. The TV Connect Industry Awards are one of the premier social events in the Connected Entertainment industry with attendees such as SKY, Akamai, Virgin Media and T-Mobile. Screenz was founded in 2012 and is headquartered in Ramat Gan.
May 05, 2015
Google Acquires Scheduling App Timeful
May 5, 2015 | Google acquired Timeful, the scheduling solutions provider, for an undisclosed amount. Google will reportedly integrate Timeful’s platform, that helps users organize their tasks according to their goal, in Google’s Apps, though a stand-alone application will remain available. Timeful was founded by Jacob Bank, Dan Ariely and Yoav Shoham.
May 05, 2015
KitCut Launches Visual Mashups For FB Messenger
May 5, 2015 | The app formerly known as SlipNote has relaunched its brand under the name KitCut, a visual mashup creator for use on Facebook’s Messenger. Like SlipNote, KitCut enables its users to create visual “mashups” including pictures, text and doodles. The app is now available for download on the App Store and is fully integrated with Facebook Messenger. KitCut was founded by CEO Ohad Assoulin.
