Israel Active

US cybersecurity giant Cofense is acquiring Israel-based startup Cyberfish, which uses computer vision and machine learning technology to prevent phishing attacks. Following the acquisition, Cyberfish in Beersheba will become Cofense’s first R&D center in Israel.

10 more Israeli companies have started Intel’s Ignite accelerator in Tel Aviv from 392 applicants. The previous 28 graduates (see previously) have since raised more than $200 million of funds. The success of the Tel Aviv accelerator has encouraged Intel to expand the program to Munich, Germany.

The first flight from Abu Dhabi to Israel brought the UAE ambassador and the CEO of Etihad Airways, who said he has never received a warmer welcome anywhere in the world. Meanwhile, Gulf Air is starting direct flights from Bahrain to Israel on June 3.

Israeli tech companies raised $5.3 billion in the first three months of 2021 - half the total for the whole of 2020; $1.5 billion was just by cyber companies. Israeli startups raised $2.8 billion in March, double the previous monthly record. And on 7th April, $1 billion was raised on a single day!

Three Israeli trade organizations have signed an agreement worth hundreds of millions of dollars with the General Confederation of Moroccan Enterprises. It promotes trade and technology cooperation, including food, agriculture, vehicles, chemicals, equipment, renewable energy, water and health.

The prospects for the resumption of tourism to Israel are good. Non-Israeli family members can now visit first-degree relatives in Israel. Then on May 23rd, foreign tour groups will be admitted. And soon thereafter the skies should open to allow individual tourists to visit. Bookings are now flooding in.

Israeli companies Tailor Brands and Melio have kept many US small businesses alive during the pandemic. Tailor Brands provides branding services online, and initially free, to 30 million customers. Melio provides a platform for transferring digital payments between businesses.

Following its launch in Canada and India, the plant-based toddler formula from Israel’s Else Nutrition (reported previously) is on its way to 30,000 retail stores across the USA.  The kosher, organic, gluten & soy-free, FDA-approved formula is made from almonds, tapioca and buckwheat.

U.S.-based investment firm Thoma Bravo is acquiring Israeli-founded Applitools (see ) for a reported $250 million. Applitools provides software engineers with AI-based and cloud-powered solutions to help automate functional and visual testing for their apps.

Israel’s Talon Cyber Security has just raised $26 million in what is believed to be Israel’s largest ever initial funding of a startup. Talon says it is developing a first-of-its-kind technology that offers cyber protection from the unique threats emerging in today’s era of distributed work.