Israel Active

Israel’s low-light imaging startup Visionary.ai (see previously) has partnered with leading chipmaker Qualcomm to produce stunning visuals in low-light conditions. This technology, shown at CES 2024, will be available in the next generation of Android smartphones – perhaps as early as next year.

Israel’s Supree, a subsidiary of NRGene (see previously) produced a strain of the (Israeli-created) cherry tomato that dries itself on the vine as it grows in the sun. Instead of selectively breeding fruit and veg to be plump and juicy, Supree has enhanced their microcracking trait to dry them out.

Israel’s SupPlant (see previously) is expanding into Morocco and the UAE, it is also adapting its irrigation sensors for grain and cereal plants. These are the most common crops, but they are generally only irrigated by rain. The threat to world hunger if these crops fail is now too high to ignore.

Tel Aviv University researchers and the Volcani Institute have developed new compounds that significantly increase the success rate for getting plant cuttings to root. It can help develop new, high-quality, hardy varieties that survive climate challenges, and reduce costs to farmers and consumers.

Israel Aerospace Industries is to launch its Washington DC CATALYST accelerator program, operated by Starburst Aerospace. It will provide tech startups with $100k investment plus the resources to develop and scale their products, by leveraging IAI’s in-house capabilities.

Back in August, scientists at Israel’s Technion began work on the Cool Earth project aimed to build a gigantic sunshade made of Kapton, to block the Sun’s rays and cool the Earth. Now Professor Yoram Rozen, says they are ready to build a prototype shade to show that the idea will work.

Ben Gurion University’s BGN Technologies has partnered with Israel’s Ralco Energy to revolutionize the aviation industry with a novel method for producing Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). They have created a new company, CarboNGV, in which Ralco has invested $2.4 million.

Israel’s Brenmiller Energy (see previously) has signed a seven-year, $3.55 million project with Wolfson Medical Center in Holon to replace its old, costly, polluting diesel boilers with Brenmiller’s crushed rock clean energy storage system.

Tel Aviv University scientists are using muon detectors to build a 3D map of undiscovered underground Jerusalem tunnels, chambers, and fortifications. Muons are a fundamental particle, created when cosmic rays hit our atmosphere. High muon levels indicate a cavity above.

There are currently 105 startups operating in Israel in the field of space applications. These companies raised a total of $314 million in the past year. Most of Israel’s space startups (71%) are involved in Earth observation, communications and navigation, or space infrastructure.