Israel Active

Start-Up Nation Central and the Bavarian ministry have signed an agreement to introduce Israeli startups to German manufacturers based in Bavaria, including Siemens, BMW, and Audi. It is in addition to the Bavaria Israel Partnership Accelerator program founded in 2015.

Israeli-founded cybersecurity company ForeScout was reported in Nov 2018 when it paid $113 million for a US-Dutch company. Now Forescout itself has been bought by US-based Advent International for $1.9 billion, eclipsing the $1.1 billion that Insight paid for Israel’s Armis.

Israeli business intelligence company Sisense has just raised $100 million from US-based VC and private equity firm Insight Partners. It gives Sisense a valuation of $1.1 billion dollars – joining the “club” of over 20 other Israel companies with “Unicorn” financial status.

As part of the global expansion of Israel’s Innoviz and its all-seeing LiDAR sensors , it has now partnered with China truck manufacturer Shaanxi to deploy up to 600 autonomous trucks in Xi’an, one of the biggest ports in China.

The world’s largest beer company AB InBev has signed a partnership agreement with Israeli cybersecurity startup foundry Team8, which will liaise between Israeli cyber companies and AB InBev. In June, AB InBev established a cybersecurity-focused hub in Tel Aviv.

Israel’s Maya Reik, fashion designer and founder of Marei1998 is debuting her Faux Fur at Milan's fashion week - at the age of 21.  Maya left school at 14 and studied fashion. Entrepreneurial skills run in her family. Her father sold his shipping business to DHL for $100 million.

Maryland Lt. Gov. Boyd Rutherford recently visited Israel as the head of a delegation of state employees and Maryland-based businesses. His aim was to encourage Israeli companies and entrepreneurs looking to enter the US market, that Maryland is the ideal partner.

A survey by Israeli-founded Payoneer reveals that the $42 average hourly wage of Israeli freelance workers is nearly double that of their counterparts in other countries. 7,000 freelance workers in 150 countries were surveyed.

Conferences do not have to be big to be successful. Axis Tel Aviv is limited to 250 decision makers and international investors - many visiting Israel for the first time. Israeli startups pitching to investors include in the fields of mobility, media and telecommunications, fintech, insurtech, and commerce.

WeTech Berlin 2020 (Feb 26 – 27) is an exclusive innovation conference hosted by CTech and Calcalist. Fifty Israeli startups will showcase technologies and meet with local investors and strategic partners in European and German corporations. (All 50 startups are listed in the following link)