As Thanksgiving and the following holiday season inch ever closer, global business is being urged to act just a bit faster before the COVID permitting winter vacation season begins. eCommerce fraud security gains focus as shoppers’ favorite ‘Black Friday’, ‘Cyber Monday’, and Christmas shopping frenzies lay just around the corner.

This week, Israel’s tech ecosystem witnessed the birth of two new Unicorns with accompanying massive funding rounds. Israeli VC activity continued to heat up, adding an historical investment in an Emirati startup. Investments, partnerships, and innovation once again ignite another insightful week into the Israeli startup ecosystem. And for the cherry on top… A little nugget on how Zoom got its name and what it has to do with an Israeli company.

Investments

1. Ride Vision nabs $7M

Israeli startup Ride Vision, developer of collision-aversion technology for motorcycles, announced a $7 million Series A funding round. The investment was led by OurCrowd, with participation from YL Ventures, Mobilion VC, and Metagal, a motorcycle mirror manufacturer. Read more…

2. Cato Networks joins the Unicorn club

Israeli startup Cato Networks (Renova Cloud is an exclusive partner in Vietnam) which develops a cloud-based Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) platform, announced the closing of a $130 million mega funding round. The round was based on an over $1 billion company valuation, which introduces yet another Israeli member into the prestigious Unicorn club. Read more…

3. Listory raises Seed with educated content platform

Listory is looking to provide an alternative to your marketing-riddled social media feeds, with educated, refined content based on what and who you like. Read more…

4. Obligo lands Series A simplifying the renting process

Think of your last moving day, was it a complete headache? Well, understand that in the U.S. renters are required to transfer all-cash deposits to their landlords, and only get the money back months after the lease is up, only to then move the deposit to their new landlord. Sounds a bit chaotic, right? Israeli Fintech startup Obligo has developed a solution for this sticky situation. Read more…

5. Rapper Jay-Z & Mayo Clinic see huge potential in telehealth startup K Health

Founded by an All Star team of Israeli entrepreneurs, K Health scores Series D funding for a telehealth solution aiming to replace costly doctor visits in the U.S. In addition, to further develop the remote care solution, K Health teams up with world leading medical research center Mayo Clinic. Read more…

6. ControlUp raises Series C making you IT team happy

Israeli startup ControlUp recently announced a $27 million Series C funding round. The investment was led by JVP and K1 Investment Management. Including this round brings the company to $40 million in total funds raised to date. ControlUp intends to focus the newly acquired funds towards enhancing its platform’s capabilities, as well as expanding its market presence. Read more…

7. BeyondMinds secures Series A simplifying AI adoption

Many companies and organizations fantasize about harnessing AI for their own good, although, the route from dream to actuality is usually stacked against them. But where there is a problem… Israeli startup BeyondMinds developed a helpful platform that simplifies the adoption and adjustment of AI solutions. The company announced a $15 million Series A funding round. The investment was led by Grove Ventures and Angel Marius Nacht. Read more…

8. Verbit scores Series C deploying automated transcription & captioning skills

Israeli startup Verbit, which developed AI-powered transcription and captioning technology, announced a $60 million Series C funding round. The investment was led by Sapphire Ventures with participation from Vertex Ventures, Stripes, HV Ventures, newcomer Vertex Growth, and ClalTech. Read more…

9. One emerged from stealth, another transformed into a unicorn, and 2 AI startups secure funding

Cyber, fraud prevention, AI-powered background checks, and a smart writing companion startups land funding from Seed to Series E. Read more…

VC Activity

The Luzzatto Group teams up with SIBF, which targets $200M fund

The Luzzatto Group, an expert in intellectual property and patents, will become a venture partner in the SIBF VC fund, which manages a portfolio comprised of Israeli tech and startup companies. This endeavor comes in addition to the Group’s ongoing strategic and professional collaborations. Read more…

First ever: Israeli VC invests in Emirati eScooter startup

Israeli venture capitalist firm Maniv Mobility announced another historical ‘first’ with a $3.8 million investment in an Abu Dhabi, UAE-based startup. Marking yet another ‘Abraham Accords’ victory since the normalization between the two countries in September. Read more…

OurCrowd gains major Japanese partner

Israel’s most active VC OurCrowd announced that Japanese multinational ORIX Corporation has invested $60 million in OurCrowd. This marks ORIX’s first partnership in the Israeli startup ecosystem. Read more…

 Automotive

REE Automotive & Iochpe-Maxion accelerate the eVehicle future

REE Automotive announced that its teaming up with São Paulo-based multi-billion dollar producer of automotive wheels and structural components, Iochpe-Maxion. The partnership will center around the co-development and manufacturing of wheel design and chassis solution to fit REE’s corner module and EV design. Read more…

Japanese automotive giant DENSO partners with Foretellix

Israeli company Foretellix, developer of safety verification software for the autonomous vehicle industry, has joined forces with multinational automotive manufacturer DENSO Corp. The Japanese supplier have identified Foretellix’s measurable safety product, Foretify, as an ideal advanced coverage driven verification platform. Read more…

Accelerators

The Hybrid accelerator looks to promote the next tech stars from Arab communities

The famed 8200 Alumni Association’s The Hybrid accelerator in collaboration with Israel’s Ministry of Economy aims to promote and support Arab entrepreneurs in their efforts to bring startups from the idea stage all the way to becoming multinational tech monsters. Read more…

AI

Dynamic Infrastructure provides AI-powered bridge maintenance in Long Island  

Israeli startup Dynamic Infrastructure, develops disruptive technology that provides critical transportation infrastructure an AI maintenance solution, has partnered with New York’s Suffolk County on to pilot deploying deep learning technology on bridge and tunnel structural diagnosis. Read more…

 

Cyber

Cylus & Egis team up for critical transportation cyber excellence

Israeli rail cyber-security startup Cylus has formed a focused alliance with French multinational giant Egis, an engineering group providing solutions for both natural and urban infrastructure, as well as transport systems. The joint venture will form a Center of Excellence that aims to prevent cyber-attacks on the critical railway infrastructure. Read more…

COVID Reality

Thanks COVID: An alternative to the standard schooling

COVID expedited trends that were already happening, causing them to happen in months instead of years. Higher education was already changing due to online courses, the rise of global entrepreneurship, and the cost-benefit analysis of paying a high price for a degree such as an MBA (that many times was only differentiated by the degree’s prestige and network). Students were looking for more skill development, and many were already flocking to… Read more…

Starting a startup in a crisis: 3 myths debunked

The COVID crisis hasn’t been an easy one, to say the least. It has led entrepreneurs to question taking the next step towards achieving their GTM dream, while the general uncertainty gnaws on. But, GGV Captial’s Oren Yunger provides a more inspiring approach to “starting up” in crisis time. Read more…

Did you know?

The man who named Zoom, and why he loves Israeli CEOs

Maven Ventures’ founding managing partner tells the story behind naming COVID’s most popular video chat app, involving an Israeli investment, Zoom founder Eric Yuan, and a children’s book… Read more.

 

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