Israel Active

Israel will open more trade attaché offices in Asia, Africa, and South America, to follow the growth of its trade balance. For 2018, Israel forecasts Asia buying 24.5% of its exports, the U.S. 20.3% and European Union 40%.

Israeli private high-tech firms raised $673 million in venture capital in the first quarter, up 53 percent from a year earlier. Foreign investment was the main reason for the increase.

Israel’s Risco Group has implemented a command and control system for the 44,000-seat Arena Patanal World Cup stadium in Cuiabá, Brazil. In previous news, Israel’s Elbit Systems is providing a Hermes 900 unmanned aerial vehicles for the Brazilian Air Force.

(Thanks to Israel21c) Intel has presented the Israeli government with an investment plan to upgrade its Kiryat Gat semiconductor-manufacturing facility. Economy Minister Naftali Bennett said that the investment could reach $6 billion. The project would require 1000 new employees.

UnitedHealth Group now offers the transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) treatment of Israel’s Brainsway to patients suffering from depression who have not responded to other antidepressant treatments.

(Thanks to Nevet – www.broaderview.org) You probably haven’t heard of Israeli start-up iBario. It has kept away from the media as its software installation engine InstallBrain and advertising network RevenueHits earned $10 million last year, without any publicity. But now you know.

Israel’s Blue I Water Technologies is distributing its water quality analysis products and services to India and Paraguay. Blue I’s devices measure chlorine, pH, redox, turbidity, conductivity, pressure and temperature, transmitting online alarms if safe levels are exceeded.

Jerusalem sanitation officials report a 60% increase in recycling in 2013 as compared to the previous year. 65,881 tons of garbage was recycled in 2013 as compared to 40,922 tons in 2012. 3,000 new recycling bins receive paper, carton, metals, electronics, textiles and organic materials.

Horizon Venture, owned by Hong Kong’s Li Ka-shing is leading a $10 million investment round in Israel’s Tipa. The Israeli start-up has developed beverage packaging that is biodegradable within 180 days.

Israel’s Magisto turns home movies into professional quality video. Amazon’s newly announced Amazon Fire TV promotes Magisto as giving customers “access to their favorite video and photo memories right in their living rooms, displayed in a visually stunning way.”