April 21, 2015 | The developers of a financial social network, eToro announced that it has expanded its recent funding round to $39 million in total. The funding round, originally announced in December as valued at $27 million, saw late participation from CommerzVentures GmbH, the venture capital arm of Commerzbank. To date, eToro has raised a total of $70 million. eToro was founded in 2007 and is headed by CEO Jonathan Assia.
News Briefs
April 21, 2015
eToro Expands Funding Round To $39M
April 21, 2015
GamEffective Raises $3M In Series A Funding
April 21, 2015 | The enterprise gamification developer GamEffective announced that it raised $3 million in Series A funding. The round was led by Vernit Systems together with existing investors 2B Angels and Shaked Ventures, among others. GamEffective was founded by Gal Rimon in 2012.
April 21, 2015
Abramovich Leads $30M Funding Round For Music Messenger
April 21, 2015 | Roman Abramovich has led a $30 million investment round in the Israeli-created music-sharing startup Music Messenger. Abramovich himself contributed $15 million to the round, as well as well-known members of the music industry, David Guetta, Nicki Minaj, Tiesto, will.i.am and Gee Roberson, a number of whom also participated in the previous funding round. Music Messenger was founded by CEO Oded Kobo, Shai Azran, David Strauss and Uzi Refaeli.
April 21, 2015
AltaIR VC Announces $30M Fund For Startup Investment
April 21, 2015 | The venture capital firm AltaIR Capital announced that it is raising $30 million to invest in Israeli high-tech companies, according to “Globes.” The fund is led by managing partner Igor Ryabenkiy and has made up to 80 investments in companies all over the world since it was founded. To date, the company has made up to 13 investments in young Israeli startup companies.
April 21, 2015
Report: Teva To Pay $512M In Class Action Suit
April 21, 2015 | According to a “Reuters” report, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries has agreed to pay $512 million in a class action suit. The suit claims that a Teva-acquired company Cephalon “used anticompetitive settlements to delay generic versions of its wakefulness drug Provigil.” Also according to “Reuters,” “the settlement is the largest ever to be paid to consumers over allegations of delaying generic drugs, according to a motion to approve the settlement filed Friday in Philadelphia.” Teva was founded in 1901 and is headed by Erez Vigodman.
April 21, 2015
i24news To Join Drahi’s Larger French Network
April 21, 2015 | Media mogul Patrick Drahi has announced that Israeli news network i24news will become part of the media company he founded in France. i24news’ broadcasting network launched in Israel in July 2013 in English, Arabic and French.
April 21, 2015
Report: Blackberry To Acquire WatchDox
April 21. 2015 | According to reports, the mobile phone manufacturer Blackberry will acquire Israeli file-sharing security company WatchDox. Sources close to the company reported to “Globes” that Blackberry would pay as much as $100 million for the acquisition of WatchDox. In addition, “Globes” reports that Blackberry will establish a research and development center in Israel that will be based on the acquisition of WatchDox. WatchDox was founded in 2008 by CEO Moti Rafalin and VP of Product Noam Livnat.
April 21, 2015
Dentsu Aegis Acquired Israeli Ad Co. AbaGada
April 21, 2015 | The Israeli advertising company abaGada was acquired by Japanese advertising giant Dentsu Aegis. According to a “Globes” report, the company was acquired for between $60-90 million. This is the first acquisition made by Dentsu Aegis in Israel, with the company operating in the country under the name Carat Israel. abaGada was founded in 2010 by three former employees of Google Israel: CEO Eyal Chen, Kobi Frakental and Gil Jones.
April 20, 2015
Amdocs Seeks Out More Central Israeli Headquarters
April 20, 2015 | Technology company Amdocs has notified its employees that it is looking for a new location in the center of Israel. The company reportedly explained the move, from its Ra’anana location to a more central location, as part of its desire to improve the work environment. The company is reportedly looking into opening an office in the central and Sharon regions. Amdocs was founded in 1982 by Morris Kahn and Boaz Dotan.
April 19, 2015
Report: Persian Gulf States Express Interest In Israeli Cyber Security Solutions
April 19, 2015 | According to reports in “Globes,” Persian Gulf states have met with the managers of a cyber security and intelligence company in Israel. The meeting reportedly took place at the first international conference on homeland security, the Interpol World 2015 held recently in Singapore. Fourteen Israeli companies specializing in cyber security and related industries attended the event.
April 19, 2015
IASH And Royal Society Sign Research Collaboration Agreement
April 19, 2015 | The Israel Academy of the Sciences and Humanities and the Royal Society of England have signed an agreement to further collaborative research. The agreement, which was made possible by a donation from the Kohn Foundation, will cover a five-year exchange program including five fellowships to be named by the Royal Society Kohn International Fellowships. The agreement was signed at the Royal Society by its president Sir Paul Nurse and Prof. Ruth Arnon, President of the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities.
April 16, 2015
Matomy Acquires 70% Stake In Avenlo
April 16, 2015 | Matomy Media Group announced that it acquired a 70 percent stake in the Canadian performance email marketing and targeting company Maven Marketing Group. Operating under the name Avenlo, Matomy still has the option to acquire the remaining 30 percent of the company within the next three years. Sources close to “Globes” estimate the acquisition amount at $17.6 million. Matomy Media Group was founded in 2007 by Adi Orzel.
April 16, 2015
Foamix Raises $60M In Secondary Offering
April 16, 2015 | The Israeli biomed company Foamix Pharmaceuticals announced that it raised $60 million in a secondary NASDAQ offering. Foamix is the developer of a foam-based delivery method for dermatological products and drugs. Foamix was founded in 2003 by Dov Tamarkind.
April 16, 2015
Israel Official Founder of Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank
April 16, 2015 | The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) announced that Israel has been approved as one of the banks 57 founding members. The goal of the AIIB, a Chinese initiative, is to provide financial infrastructure for development projects in Asia. The establishment of the bank is set to be completed by the end of this year.
April 16, 2015
Leviticus Cardio Raises $1.5M From Private Investors
April 16, 2015 | The Trendlines Group portfolio company Leviticus Cardio announced that it raised over $1.5 million from private investors. The company will reportedly use the funds to commence its “first-in-man” feasibility study with the unique Coplanar Energy System. Leviticus Cardio is a medical device company founded in 2008 dedicated to improve the clinical outcome for patients implanted with a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) for impaired cardiac function.
