Israel Active

Israel’s Pagaya has launched a first-of-its-kind 16-week fully paid course to train data scientists, for which there is an acute shortage in Israel. University graduates in certain science, math and engineering subjects can apply, with the opportunity for full-time employment with Pagaya on completion.

Israel’s Gilat Satellite Networks has selected by Telefonica to equip the strategic teleport in Arica, Chile. The teleport is located under gateway beams of multiple satellites. Gilat’s platform will support rural Internet for schools and can provide broadband access and cellular backhaul throughout Latin America.

Israel’s Nimble has developed a home robot for automatic nail polish application. It uses 3D imaging and artificial intelligence to paint and dry your nails. Select a color, insert nail polish capsules and then your hand. After 3D-scanning, a robotic arm paints the nails in four coats, dried by hot air. All in 10 minutes.

Israel’s TomaTech has a range of tomato varieties with intermediate resistance to the brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV) that is ruining 50% of global tomato crops (see for another Israeli-developed variety). TomaTech has now filed a patent for the DNA markers that identify high resistance traits.

Ben Pasternak, CEO of Israel’s Aman Group, highlights the Government program to encourage more involvement of Israel’s Haredim and Arabs in hi-tech. They include initiatives such as Gov-tech. Companies like Aman are training members of both communities.

To mark Jerusalem Day, Start-Up Nation Central and Jerusalem partners released 4 videos to showcase entrepreneurs and social initiatives in the city, home to 350 startups. They cover BioTech (Alpha Tau), RehabTech (Brain.Q & ALYN), Social & Creative Tech and ArtTech.

Japanese telecommunications giant NTT Corp is setting up an innovation lab that will be “a focal point” for all its Israeli activities. It will work with Israeli companies and academia “to develop cutting-edge technologies in various fields,” to support the activities of NTT and its customers.

US Nvidia has partnered the Israel Innovation Authority to set up Road2 hub - an innovation hub in Haifa to encourage Artificial Intelligence in Israel’s north. Startups will also be able to work with Nvidia Inception, an accelerator that supports more than 7,500 AI startups worldwide.

Israel is to be Google’s first non-US “Moonshot Lab”, developing radical “Deep Tech” ideas in areas such as ag-tech, clean energy, and robotics. Google X Head of Strategy Adi Aron Gilat will return to Israel. She will recruit up to 20 scientists who will also collaborate with Israeli universities.

NASA has given approval for Israel’s fast battery charging startup StoreDot to conduct research into new battery materials on the International Space Station (ISS). It will be one of Israel’s 44 Rakia Program experiments performed during next year’s space mission of Israeli astronaut Eytan Stibbe.