Israel Active

Four Israeli startups were listed in Garner’s 2021 Cool Vendors list. They are VOOM (Insurance), Run:AI (Enterprise AI Operationalization and Engineering), Lightrun (Monitoring, Observability and Cloud Operations) and Apiiro (DevSecOps).  All have previously appeared in this newsletter.

With R&D centers in Tel Aviv and Binyamina, US-headquartered Sunbit has developed a payment method that allows US stores to offer their customers the option to buy now and pay later, in installments. Sunbit has just raised $130 million of funds, to reach a “Unicorn” valuation of $1.1 billion.

Covid is over, as far as Israel’s hi-tech jobs market is concerned, with Israeli companies fighting over available local resources. This is according to the OurCrowd High-Tech Jobs Index - a quarterly report tracks vacancies and hiring patterns of high-tech companies in Israel and abroad.

Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics reported the core unemployment rate fell from 7.9% to 5% in April. The broader measure of 10.6% includes those who should begin to return to work in June when Israel’s unpaid leave scheme ends.

Some good recent economic statistics as Israel emerges from the pandemic. The average salary and those for hi-tech employees are up around 10% compared to a year ago. The annual deficit is now 11.2% of GDP (end Feb 12.4%). S&P is maintaining its AA-/A-1+ credit rating for Israel.

Israel’s Trigo (see previously) has partnered the REWE Group, one of Germany’s largest food retail chains, to deliver a “grab-and-go” shopping experience in Cologne. The launch of Trigo’s checkout-free experience in Germany follows its ventures with UK’s Tesco and Israel’s Shufersal.

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Israel’s largest health & beauty retailer Super-Pharm is partnering Israel’s Fabric (see ) to use its small, robotized fulfilment facilities in city centers. It follows a 2019 pilot by Super-Pharm in Tel Aviv, to process online orders for same-day delivery.

Israel’s Lili provides digital banking services for small businesses and freelancers in the U.S (see for another). Lili has doubled its number of clients to 200,000 over the past six months. It has just raised $55 million and plans to hire 50 more employees, mostly in Israel.

Israel’s Polytex Technologies (see previously) has accelerated its marketing in Spain, with new installations in Tarragona, Navarra, Barcelona and Madrid. Polytex’s hands-free automated workwear solution fights contamination, protects workers’ health, cuts costs, and maximizes efficiency.