News Briefs

Sadara Ventures, a Palestinian-Israeli owned VC, has invested $1 million in Palestinian startup Souktel. The Palestinian startup operates a job seeking websites available to basic cellphone users. According to Souktel, it has already made some 20,000 connections between job seekers and businesses.

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Moovit, an Israeli startup which developed an app for planning trips using public transportation, has launched in New York City. The company’s mobile app synchronizes your phone’s GPS with public transportation schedule and offers the best route available, and also relies on social tools to help you avoid crowded routes.

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Israeli cleantech company TACount, which developed technology to detect bacteria in water within minutes, has won the Water Export Technology Revolution Competition. The company’s technology may also be used to detect bacteria in food, electronics and cosmetics.

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Facebook has chosen Israeli company AppsFlyer to be one of seven companies to monitor mobile advertising efficiency on its network. The Israeli company will monitor advertising being done with Facebook’s Mobile App install Ads, which was launched by the social giant two months ago.

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Three months after reporting its 100 million user milestone, Israeli VoIP company Viber has announced another significant milestone, by reaching the 140 million user mark. In addition, the company reports an accelerated growth rate, with 400,000 new users every day.

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Israeli startup Mogobe, that operates a virtual world for children, has announced that it has raised $750,000, in a financing round led by BRM. Financial magazine Calcalist reports that this concludes a $3 million financing round for Mogobe. In addition, the company reports 100,000 active users on its Russian network, launched two months ago.

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65 years after their initial discovery, the legendary Dead Sea Scrolls are now available online for anyone who wishes to read them. The online digitized Dead Sea Scrolls Digital Library is a joint project by the Israel Antiquities Authority and Google. The scrolls are available in their native languages of Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek, and also in English.

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Israeli data security startup Aorato has announced a successful series A financing round, raising $1 million. The round was led by VC Glilot Capital Partners, which invests mainly in data and cyber security companies.

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Israeli company EXAI, which offers a website building platform for small businesses, has announced that it has raised $3 million. The company also launched a new platform for converting Facebook pages to websites. EXAI has raised $15 million to date.

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A team of Israeli researchers from Hadassah Medical Center has achieved a significant breakthrough in the treatment of Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria (PNH), a rare, potentially life-threatening disease, which causes paralysis. The team has identified the gene responsible for the condition and developed an experimental treatment which saved the lives of four children suffering from the disease, some of which have also regained the ability to walk.

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Israeli social TV startup Stevie has announced that it has raised $1.5 million from Chinese billionaire Li Ka-Shing’s VC Horizon Ventures. The company launched a new iPhone app for its service, to go along with the existing iPad, Windows 8 and web versions.

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3GSolar, an Israeli company which manufactures cutting-edge technology photovoltaic cells, has announced that it has raised $2.5 million from Chinese real estate giant HuaXiang Group. The investment is the Chinese company’s first in an Israeli company.

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Chinese electric technology manufacturer Qixing, from the province of Shandong, will invest $30 million in Israeli VC Pitango‘s fund, Pitango 6. Financial magazine “Calcalist” reports that the investment will go towards Pitango’s goal of raising $200-250 million for its latest fund.

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Israeli pharmaceutical giant Teva has agreed to establish a joint venture with South Korean pharmaceutical company Handok. Teva will have a 51 percent stake in the venture, and will be in charge of manufacturing and supplying medicine. Handok will market, sell and distribute the products. The South Korean pharmaceutical market is estimated to be worth $14 billion.

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Israeli software giant Magic Software Enterprises has announced that it has signed a three-year, $1.5 million deal with a leading unnamed British financial establishment. The Israeli company will supply licenses for its AppBuilder software and maintenance services.

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