Israel Active

I reported previously on Israeli music education startup JoyTunes. Its main app Simply Piano has been downloaded 10 million times. JoyTunes now has more than 200,000 paying subscribers and has just raised $25 million to expand its product range.

2017 data just published by Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics shows that expenditure by businesses in Israel on research and development totaled NIS 66.5 billion ($19 billion). Over 100,000 people were employed full-time in R&D.

I’ve reported previously on Israel-based cybersecurity company Checkmarx. It has just won a contract with the U.S. Navy to help it improve its software security and accelerate the development of secure software applications.

Israel’s national carrier El Al Israel Airlines is launching new routes from Tel Aviv to Dublin and Dusseldorf. The thrice-weekly services commence in May and June 2020.

Arkia Israeli Airlines is launching new direct routes connecting Tel Aviv with Rome, Athens, and Prague. The twice-weekly services commence in September.

I’ve reported previously on Israel’s road visibility chipmaker TriEye, and on previous investments by German car maker Porsche into Israeli auto-tech startups . Now, Porsche has led an investment of £19 million into the Israeli startup.

Samsung has signed a 25-year lease on 9,000-square-meters of office space in Tel Aviv’s Azrieli Town building. The six floors will accommodate 500 employees for the planned expansion of its research and development division in Israel. See for Samsung’s many activities in Israel.

I reported previously on the partnerships that Israeli connected car data startup Otonomo has made with Daimler/Mercedes, Skoda and Jaguar/Land Rover. Now Otonomo is to help the Avis Budget Group streamline its connected car fleet.

I reported previously on Israel’s NeuroSense, which is developing a treatment for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). NeuroSense has just raised NIS 4 million from over 1,100 backers in a crowdfunding campaign.

American Airlines is launching a non-stop service from Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas to Tel Aviv. The 3-flights-a-week operation will commence in Sep 2020 and will be American Airlines’ first direct service to Israel since 2015.