Israel Active

I reported previously on Israeli startup fraud prevention company Forter. Its technology is used by merchants to approve online transactions. Forter refunds the value of any wrong decision it makes and has just won a silver “Stevie” from American Business Awards.

The number of Israeli hi-tech companies being taken over in first half of 2015 was roughly the same rate as in 2014. However, the average value of each acquisition increased by 51%. 54 deals in 2015 raised $5.29 billion whereas 107 deals in 2014 raised $6.98 billion.

Israel’s government has granted licenses for three energy companies to supply electricity to businesses. The 20-year licenses will generate competition and hold down prices.

Representatives from Israel’s airline El Al and Japan’s biggest airline, All Nippon, have signed a deal to offer 14 direct flights each week between Tel Aviv and Tokyo. 13,000 people travelled from Japan to Israel in 2014 but had to make connections via Hong Kong or Seoul.

Israel is the first country to participate in Germany’s EXIST program, which has been supporting students, graduates, and scientists from universities and research institutes as they work to get highly innovative start-up projects off the ground.

A new incubator in Ashdod, The Kitchen, hosts Israeli food technology startups. In partnership with the Strauss Group, the program was awarded a government franchise for eight years. It will tackle alternative sources of protein, spoilage of food, quality and food safety, and robotics.

Another 11 Israeli startups have completed Microsoft’s accelerator program, bringing to 70 successful Israeli startups launched by the program. The latest include employment apps GetJob and Highr; DOV-E and Bontact support shopping; Taranis is an agro-tech startup.

SAP’s innovation center in Ra’anana is profiting strongly from its relationships within the Israeli startup ecosystem. SAP Israel has partnered with “The Junction,” Israel’s most successful accelerator for young startups. SAP Labs Israel will support by selecting and mentoring the teams.

Intel Israel has announced its Ingenuity Partner Program (IPP), an accelerator program that will provide assistance, mentoring, and connections to Israeli startups. Nine companies are already enrolled into the first six-month program.

Graduate students in real estate and business administration at the Netanya Academic College have had first-hand encounters with corporate leaders in China. They learnt how to deal with the challenges that foreigners face when seeking to operate in China.