Virginia trade mission to Israel
US Governor Terry McAuliffe led a two-day marketing and trade mission to Israel. Whilst there, Governor McAuliffe announced an agreement between Virginia Tech and Israel’s TESSA Dairy Machinery to bring the Israel-based company's Mini Dairy to the university and help grow Virginia’s dairy fermentation industry.
Canadian firm raises money in Israel
Toronto’s Skyline Investments Inc - a leading developer of hospitality properties and destination communities – is seeking to raise up to 140 million Israeli Shekels (about $45 million Canadian dollars) in the Israeli bond market.
An all-Israeli exit
Israel-founded NNG – developer of the popular iGO navigation app – has acquired Israeli startup Arilou – developer of cybersecurity for vehicles. A newsletter debut for both companies.
Another 9 joint US-Israel projects
The Israel-U.S. Binational Industrial Research and Development (BIRD) Foundation approved funding (worth $21.5 million) for nine new projects. The Israeli companies involved are Cellect Biotechnology, Evogene, File X, Hinoman, IAI, Kamada, Keystone Heart, MedAware and Mellanox.
Microsoft’s latest accelerator graduates
Ten Israeli startups have just completed Microsoft Israel’s latest “Scalerator” program, bringing a total of 83 that have graduated from the eight programs to date. Six of the ten have already raised investments or received investment offers for a total of $27 million.
Mighty Israeli tahini
Israel’s Rushdi Foods Industries has launched Mighty Sesame Tahini. It is made from just one ingredient‑ Ethiopian sesame seed - no preservatives, sugar, salt, or any artificial ingredients. Over 21% protein and ten times higher in calcium than cream cheese.
Mobileye is world’s 6th smartest company
MIT Technology Review ranks Israel’s Mobileye sixth on a list of the world's 50 "smartest" companies. Mobileye is working on autopilot and collision avoidance technology for Audi, BMW, General Motors, Nissan, Tesla, Volkswagen, and Volvo.
Israeli cybersecurity boom is sustainable
Isaac Ben Israel, who heads the Interdisciplinary Cyber Research Center (ICRC) at Tel Aviv University, reckons the massive growth in Israel’s security industry will continue. “Israel is the only country where you can choose cybersecurity in high school,” he said at Cyber Week.
$100 million Israeli fund makes first investment
The $100 million Israel Biotech Fund (IBF), founded to invest in Israeli bio-techs, has made its first investment in cancer treatment developer Vidac. Vida’s VDA-1102 is the first ointment that selectively targets malignant skin cancer cells with minimal effects on surrounding healthy skin.
$3.32 billion in six months
Israeli startups are still in high demand. In the first half of 2016 there were 45 exits by Israeli startups worth $3.32 billion. They include the $811 million acquisition of EZchip by Mellanox, the $643 million buyout of Xura, and the $430 million acquisition of Ravello Systems by Oracle.