News Briefs

December 23, 2013 | American Billionaire Warren Buffet has donated $10 million to Haifa’s Rambam Healthcare Campus, as announced by Israeli businessman Eitan Wertheimer. The announcement was made during the Hospital’s 75th anniversary event. Buffet is one of the world’s wealthiest people, with a personal fortune estimated at $59.1 billion.

[sharethis-inline-buttons]

December 23, 2013 | Israeli startup Evolita, which develops BI platforms for small and medium businesses, has raised NIS 2 million. The funds were raised in a financing round led by the Israeli Office of the Chief Scientist.

[sharethis-inline-buttons]

December 23, 2013 | Israeli cleantech company Mapal Green Energy has signed an agreement with Britain’s largest water provider, Thames Water. According to the deal, Mapal will provide its bubble aeration technology water purification system to use in various regional and municipal water systems.

[sharethis-inline-buttons]

December 23, 2013 | Israeli mobile security company Zimperium, which develops security solutions for smart devices, has raised $8 million in a financing round led by Sierra Ventures. The company says it will use the funds to develop its mobile intrusion development system.

[sharethis-inline-buttons]

December 23, 2013 | Israeli company Waste To Products (WTP) is in talks with the government of Georgia, to build eight recycling plants in the Eurasian country. “Calcalist” reports that the deal is estimated at NIS 1 billion and that each plant will be constructed with a €25-35 million investment.

[sharethis-inline-buttons]

December 23, 2013 | The Israeli Office of the Chief Scientist (OCS) has received a NIS 250 million bump. Before the bump, the office, in charge of government grants to Israeli startups, had its lowest budget since 2007. However, after the funds were added, the budget is almost as high as last years, totaling at NIS 1.55 billion (aprrox. $440 million).

[sharethis-inline-buttons]

December 19, 2013 | Yesterday, the startup event Elevator World Tour, a part of the International Startup Festival, was held in Tel Aviv for the first time. 100 Israeli startups were selected to pitch their ideas during an elevator ride in the iconic Azrieli Towers, in an attempt to convince the judges that their idea is worth investing in. The winning pitch was given by MobileOCT, which developed a device for early detection of Uterine Cancer. The startup will now represent Israel in the international even to be held in Montreal.

[sharethis-inline-buttons]

December 19, 2013 | International telecommunication giant Cisco is joining the supporting team for the nazTech accelerator in Nazareth. The accelerator, aimed at aiding Arab-Israeli startups, was founded by MATI- Nazareth Business Development Center, the Nazareth Business Incubator Center, and PresenTense.

[sharethis-inline-buttons]

December 19, 2013 | Israeli startup Moovit, which developed an app that uses crowdsourcing to help users plan travel-routes using public transportation, has raised $28 million. The financing round was led by Sequoia Capital with participation from existing investors. The company has raised $31.5 million to date.

[sharethis-inline-buttons]

December 18, 2013 | Israeli startup Rounds, which developed a video platform for shared watching of content, has announced that it is launching an HD Facebook and in-app chat service, co-developed with American conference call giant Vidyo. The Israeli startup has also announced that it has raised an additional $5 million from existing investors.

[sharethis-inline-buttons]

December 18, 2013 | Israeli company LabStyle Innovations, which developed Dario, a cloud-based mobile medical platform for monitoring blood sugar levels, has announced the launch of its app. The app synchs up with glucometers and enables data to be easily transferred to the user’s iOS device. The app was launched in the UK, Australia and New Zealand.

[sharethis-inline-buttons]

December 18, 2013 | Israeli stem cell company Pluristem Therapeutics is moving forward with the agreement reached with Korean company CHA Bio & Diostech signed last June. The two companies have agreed on a strategic partnership which will also include a $10.4 million mutual investment via share swap.

[sharethis-inline-buttons]

December 17, 2013 | A new study published last week by the New England-Israel Business Council (NEIBC), estimates the contribution of Israeli entrepreneurs to the economy of the state of Massachusetts. According to data gathered, Israeli entrepreneurs and companies have created a total value of $12 billion, which accounts for 2.9 percent of Massachusetts gross state product.

[sharethis-inline-buttons]

December 17, 2013 | Israeli company Orbotech has announced that it has received initial purchase orders totaling approximately $10 million for its Aurora PECVD thin film deposition system from leading solar panel manufacturers. Deliveries on these orders are expected to commence in the first half of 2014.

[sharethis-inline-buttons]

December 17, 2013 | Israeli company NICE Systems has announced that its product Situator Express has been named the Best Intelligent Video Solution in the Government Security News (GSN) Homeland Security Awards. The GSN awards acknowledge the outstanding achievements of security vendors and government agencies at the federal, state and municipal levels.

[sharethis-inline-buttons]