News Briefs

Xenia Venture Capital Ltd. and Van Leer Ventures Jerusalem Ltd. have decided to place a joint bid in the tender for establishing an Incubator in Jerusalem. Xenia is a VC owned by private investors while Van Leer Ventures is owned by Dutch philanthropy group Van Leer.

[sharethis-inline-buttons]

American company Net Optics, founded in by Israeli Eldad Matityahu, plans to construct a development center in the Israeli town of Rosh Ha’Ayin. According to Israeli financial magazine “The Marker”, the center will employ 20 workers and will focus on developing monitoring solutions for organizational networks. The Israeli center is the second Net Optics facility outside of the US, the first one being a development center in Australia.

[sharethis-inline-buttons]

The FDA has granted Israeli company Atox Bio’s tissue infection treatment AB103 fast track status. AB103 is designed to treat Necrotizing Soft Tissue Infections. The company will begin testing on 40 patients, suffering from the condition, which causes severe infection to the skin. There is currently no approved treatment for the condition.

[sharethis-inline-buttons]

Motorola Solutions Inc. and Israeli fund Indigo Strategic Partners have invested $4 million in Agent Vi, an Israeli company which develops analytic tools for video surveillance. The capital will be directed towards setting up American sales-offices and developing its next-generation product.

[sharethis-inline-buttons]

Israeli company Viber Media Inc., which develops apps for free calls and text messages, reported yesterday that it had passed the 100 million users milestone. The company is active worldwide, with offices in Israel and Belarus.

[sharethis-inline-buttons]

Steve Balmer will attend the company’s “Discovery” and “Think Next” events on November 5th, several days after the launch of Windows 8. This will be Balmer’s second visit in Israel, the last one being in 2008.

[sharethis-inline-buttons]

The Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics reported yesterday that Israel tops the OECD in investment in R&D as a percentage of GDP. According to the bureau, Israel invested 4.3% of GDP in R&D in 2010, passing countries such as Japan, Finland, South-Korea, Denmark, Germany and the US.

[sharethis-inline-buttons]

During the HTIA conference held in Jerusalem today, Israeli president Shimon Peres, along with Dr. Rafi Gidron, Founder and Chairman of Israel Brain Technology, announced a $1 million dollar prize to individuals or team throughout the world who can demonstrate an extraordinary accomplishment in braind technology. President Peres has said: “Deeper understanding of how the brain operates will enable us to better understand ourselves.”

[sharethis-inline-buttons]

TechMer, an Israeli company which specializes in communication systems for security and rescue forces, has won a bid to deploy smart communication systems in the World Trade Center’s main building, 1 WTC. The infrastructure set up by the company will allow security forces to communicate with one another, even under extreme conditions. The project’s cost is estimated at $11 million.

[sharethis-inline-buttons]

Paul-Rene Albertini, former VP of SONY Europe and chairman of Warner Music International, started raising capital for a new VC called Sushi Venture Partners, which will invest in Israeli startup companies. Albertini told Israeli financial magazine “Calcalist” that the company aims to invest $20m in 20 Israeli startup companies. The VC has already raised 10% of the capital.

[sharethis-inline-buttons]

Financial magazine “Forbes” ranks Israeli corporation Israel Chemicals Ltd. 60th in the world in terms of innovation. ICL specializes in producing fertilizers and other chemical compounds using minerals harvested around the Dead Sea.

[sharethis-inline-buttons]

Yamsafer, a website designed for Arab speaking tourists planning to visit the Middle East and northern Africa, is the first ever Palestinian startup to receive VC funding. The investment came from Sadara Ventures, a VC founded by Israeli Yadin Kauffman and Palestinian Saed Nashef, with the specific intent of funding Palestinian startups.

[sharethis-inline-buttons]

The Microsoft Corporation has inaugurated its innovation center located on the company’s compound in the city of Ra’anana. The center is one of 31 technology centers worldwide. Millions of dollars were spent on the center, which serves as a hub for developing and selling IT products.

[sharethis-inline-buttons]

ECI Telecom, an Israel-based global provider of next-generation network solutions, announced today that TMC, a global, integrated media company, has named its Apollo Optimized Multi-Layer Transport (OMLT) platform as a recipient of a 2011 Communications Solutions Product of the Year Award. TMC CEO Rich Tehrani said: “ECI was chosen to receive a 2011 Product of the Year Award for creating outstanding advancements in communications”.

[sharethis-inline-buttons]

The World Economic Forum has ranked Israel 8th overall in the world in the fields of innovation and sophistication. However, in the Global Competitiveness Index, Israel went from being 22nd last year to 26th this year.

[sharethis-inline-buttons]