February 22, 2015 | Reports were confirmed that Check Point, the Israeli software company, will acquire the cybersecurity firm Hyperwise for “tens of millions of dollars.” Initial reports had suggested that Check Point, which is headed by CEO Gil Shwed, acquired Hyperwise for up to $80 million, however the exact amount of the deal could not be confirmed. The company stated that it did not believe that the acquisition would affect its financial results. Shlomo Kramer, who is one of the co-founders of Check Point together with Shwed, is an investor in Hyperwise.
News Briefs
February 22, 2015
Confirmed: Check Point Acquires Hyperwise For ‘Tens Of Millions’
February 22, 2015
Tel Aviv Marathon To Use Pic2Go Tagging Tech
February 22, 2015 | At this year’s Tel Aviv Samsung Marathon, which is set to be held at the end of the month, technology from the Israeli startup Pic2Go will be used during the sporting event. The company will operate its 2D barcordes on the marathon runner’s uniforms to make sharing photos on social media easier. Over 35,000 people are set to participate in the event, which is being held for the fourth year in a row, and Pic2Go’s patent-pending technology to automatically tag participants.
February 22, 2015
Tikal Networks To Raise $7.7M In AIM IPO
February 22, 2015 | The Israeli IP and call center designer, Tikal Networks hopes to raise £5 million (approx. $7.7 million) on London’s AIM stock exchange, according to reports. “The Independent” reports that the company hopes to raise £5 million at a company valuation of £16 million, after money. The offering is being handled by Grant Thornton. Tikal Networks’ founder, Doron Dovrat, was the first Israeli to float a company on London’s Alternative Investment Market (AIM), his then-venture called Dmatek, which was later sold to venture capitalists for £53 million in 2008. Tikal Networks was founded in 2004 and serves 45 major companies has well as 20,000 individuals, on average.
February 19, 2015
WeWork Opens Work Space In Herzliya
February 19, 2015 | WeWork, the popular shared work space, announced the official opening of its space in Herzliya. The building will house about 450 new WeWork members and includes ten meeting rooms, two kitchens, a large boardroom, enclosed office spaces, as open desk areas. The office, which just recently opened, has already reached full occupancy. WeWork was founded in 2010 by Adam Neumann and Miguel McKelvey, and is headed in Israel by Benjy Singer.
February 19, 2015
Uber Expands Series E Fund To $2.8B
February 19, 2015 | Uber, the popular car service application, announced that it raised a whopping $2.8 billion in Series E funding. The company raised $1.2 billion in December at a company valuation of $40 billion from undisclosed investors, by “New York Times” reports suggest that the company expanded their Series E round to raise a total of $2.8 billion. The company, which was founded in 2009 by Travis Kalanick and Garrett Camp, plans to use the funds to continue investing in expansion, especially to Asian regions. Uber opened an office in Tel Aviv and began its transportation service late last year.
February 19, 2015
Apple To Hire 49 New Employees For New Office
February 19, 2015 | The international technology giant Apple will open its largest R&D center outside of the US in the Israeli city of Herzliya Pituach next week, and as part of the opening will be hiring approximately 49 new employees. According to a “Globes” report, Apple Israel is hiring at its Herzliya and Haifa offices. The Herzliya office will span over 12,500 square meters and will house nearly 800 employees.
February 19, 2015
Nyotron Raises $10M In New Funding
February 19, 2015 | The information security company Nyotron Information Security announced that it received a $7 million investment from Meir Shamir, the owner of Mivtach-Shamir Food Industries. In addition, existing company investors have committed $3 million to the same funding round. Paranoid, Nyotron’s cybersecurity software is designed to protect against sophisticated cyber attacks at a national level. Nyotron was founded by Nir Gaist.
February 19, 2015
SkyGiraffe Raises $3M In Series A Funding
February 19, 2015 | The Israeli enterprise mobility developer SkyGiraffe announced that it closed a $3 million Series A funding round. The round was led by Trilogy Equity Partners together with 500 Startups. According to the company, the funding will be used to invest in increased sales and marketing, as well as to expand the company’s US operations and accelerate product development. Founded by CEO Boaz Hecht and VP of R&D Itay Braun in 2012, and is headquartered in Menlo Park, California, with a research and development center in Ramat Gan, Israel.
February 19, 2015
WERPO Partners With African Center For Energy Policy
February 19, 2015 | The Israeli company generating energy from waves in the ocean, WERPO, announced that it will partner with the African Center for Energy Policy in Ghana. As part of the collaboration, WERPO reports that it plans to generate 500MW of electricity for the people of Ghana through the power the sea. The company has similar joint ventures with countries in the Caribbean and China. WERPO, which stands for Wave Electricity Renewable Power Ocean, was founded in 2014 and is headed by CEO and Director Daniel Naimi.
February 19, 2015
Miratech Establishes Tel Aviv Office
February 19, 2015 | The IT services and outsourcing company Miratech announced that it will be opening an office in Tel Aviv. Miratech already has 13 offices in eight countries. According to the company, the Tel Aviv office will be headed by the company representative David Arie and will be utilized to provide an extended basis for Miratech’s growth and impact across the region. Mr. Arie commented: “Tel Aviv offers a strong platform for developing deeper relationships with current and prospective clients throughout the Middle East. By opening an office in Tel Aviv, we are making Miratech’s expertise more available to the EMEA region.”
February 18, 2015
GAL Water Tech Sends Portable Desalinization Center To Marshall Islands
February 18, 2015 | The Israeli Foreign Ministry, together with GAL Water Technologies, will establish a portable desalinization center in the Republic of the Marshall Islands. Representatives from GAL as well as Foreign Ministry representatives attended an inauguration event of the portable unit to be shipped to the Marshall Islands that took place in Hadera, Israel. In addition, the Government of Israel will provide water-related health support to the Marshall Islands to the tune of $150,000. The Marshall Islands are a chain of 13 located in the Pacific Ocean near the equator.
February 18, 2015
Despite Reports, Tim Cook Will Only Arrive In Israel Next Week
February 18, 2015 | Despite reports that Tim Cook would arrive in Israel for the inauguration of Apple’s office, the CEO did not arrive. The opening of the office will reportedly occur next week, when Cook will arrive to inaugurate the company’s largest research and development center outside of the United States. As part of his visit in Israel, Cook will meet with leading figures of the Israeli high tech community, as well as former Israeli president Shimon Peres. The Israeli R&D center will be opened in the city of Herzliya Pituach, about 20 minutes away from Tel Aviv.
[sharethis-inline-buttons]
February 18, 2015
Report: Vidmind Acquired For $2.4M By Teddy Sagi
February 18, 2015 | According to a “Calcalist” report, Teddy Sagi’s group is in talks to purchase the Israeli company Vidmind for $2.4 million. The CEO of the company, Danny Peled, will continue to lead the company. In addition, Sagi’s group has earmarked $5 million to continue developing Vidmind’s business, which focuses on an over-the-top video experience, offering up and open platform. The company will continue to employ up to thirty individuals. Vidmind was founded in 2011 by Dov Brand, Ofer Herman, Dror Kraus and Danny Peled.
February 18, 2015
N-trig Fires 40 Employees Following Microsoft Acquisition
February 18, 2015 | The Israeli company N-trig, which was recently acquired by Microsoft, announced that it will fire forty employees as part its negotiations with Microsoft. The majority of staff fired comes from the sales, marketing and support departments of the company. Of the employees fired, 15 were based at the company’s headquarters in Kfar Saba, while the remainder worked out of the company’s offices in different locations around the world. Since the company was founded in 1999, it raised a total of $160 million in funding.
February 18, 2015
IceCure Medical Raises $5.5M In New Funding
February 18, 2015 | IceCure Medical, a novel Israeli company whose minimally invasive technology treats tumors, announced that it raised NIS 21.2 million (approx. $5.5 million) from Epoch Partner Investments. IceCure applies cyroblation methods, or conditions of extreme cold, to small malignant and benign tumors. The IceSense3 has achieved US Food & Drug Administration and CE approval for its methods. IceCure Medical was founded in 2006 by Didier Toubia and is headed by CEO Hezi Himelfarb.
