Israel Active

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.

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Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has given details of his company's planned new investments in Israel to the Israeli PM. They should total between $1 billion and $1.5 billion.

Israel’s state-owned water company Mekorot has signed a $3 million deal to provide Bahrain’s Electricity and Water Authority (EWA) with consulting services on a number of water projects. It is the first major agreement between the two countries since the signing of the Abraham Accords.

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Israel’s Cardo Systems has developed a next-generation headset intercom that allows motorcycle riders to communicate without distractions. Cardo has just been acquired by European private equity fund EMK Capital for $150 million.

Updated news on Israel’s SuperSmart (reported previously). Its supermarket shopping scanning system has now expanded to Germany, Brazil, and the U.S. and the startup has just raised $10 million of funds. At the same time, Amazon Go has shrunk from a target of 3,000 stores to just 25.

Yum! Brands – owner of Pizza Hut, KFC and more, has taken over Israel’s Tictuk. It gives Yum! customers the ability to order fast food via WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Telegram, SMS, QR codes, and email, via Tictuk’s omnichannel ordering and marketing platform.