Doom and gloom may seem the order of the day as we close up 2021, but this year bought plenty of things to celebrate and be proud of. Join us in a feel-good look at the last 12 months.Another difficult year of Covid is coming to a close, leaving us all exhausted by the twists and turns of this seemingly endless pandemic. Each time we think it’s coming to an end, nature throws us a curve ball – first it was Delta and now it’s Omicron. While the pandemic may have upended our lives, and dominated the news cycles worldwide, there are plenty of other things that have also been happening that not … [Read more...] about 9 Reasons 2022 Will Be a Fantastic Year
Israeli Drug Cuts COVID Deaths By 70% In Small Study
An Israeli drugmaker says a therapy it is developing reduced deaths among patients battling serious bouts of COVID-19 by 70 percent, and nearly halved hospitalization length in a small trial. A clinical study for MesenCure, conducted in Israel, involved 50 patients hospitalized in serious condition, and a similar size control group that received the best standard of care without the drug. Haifa-based Bonus BioGroup, which developed the drug, reported that out of the first 30 patients who received the therapy, two died, representing 6.7% of the group, and the average hospitalization of … [Read more...] about Israeli Drug Cuts COVID Deaths By 70% In Small Study
New Technologies That Will Help Our Planet
This year, as Israel emerges from the coronavirus crisis, we’d like to look forward and explore the ways in which we can help our planet reach a better, brighter and greener future. Here are the top Israeli technologies doing just that by addressing acute issues from the world’s declining bee population to dirty diapers and everything in between. Happy Earth Day! PIKA easily cleans cloth diapers As any parent knows, bringing offspring into the world is not the most environmentally friendly thing you can do. We’re not talking about the future jet setters’ carbon footprint (although … [Read more...] about New Technologies That Will Help Our Planet
Israel Tech Exits Surge To $9.9 Billion In 2019
The past decade saw 587 exit deals — IPOs and merger and acquisitions — for a value of over $70 billion This year, 2019, was an “outstanding year” for Israel’s tech industry, with the number of exits — mergers and acquisitions or initial public offerings of shares — totaling $9.9 billion, a 102% jump compared to 2018, when the figure was $4.9 billion, according to a new report by consultants PwC Israel. The figures do not include follow-on transactions — when companies that already had an exit have a second sale. Taking into account follow-on transactions, the total amount of deals … [Read more...] about Israel Tech Exits Surge To $9.9 Billion In 2019
Fund to invest $6.4 million in joint clean-energy projects
Seven joint US-Israeli clean energy projects — including an energy-storing system for electric cars and a hydrogen-powered drone that takes off vertically — have received $6.4 million in funding from the US-Israel binational research and development program for energy. The US Department of Energy and Israel’s Energy Ministry, along with the Israel Innovation Authority, chose the seven clean energy projects as part of the Binational Industrial Research and Development (BIRD) Energy program. The total value of the projects is $15.4 million, which includes $9 million of cost-share funding from … [Read more...] about Fund to invest $6.4 million in joint clean-energy projects
Israel Helps Stop Terror Attacks
Israel has used cyber-intelligence to help foil “major” terror attacks planned by the Islamic State terror group and others in “dozens” of countries, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at a cybersecurity conference on Wednesday in Tel Aviv. Netanyahu said at the conference that Israel had, for example, helped foil an IS attack on an Etihad Airways flight from Sydney to Abu Dhabi, and alerted Australian officials, helping thwart an explosion in the air. Etihad is the national airline of the United Arab Emirates. “That plane from Sydney to Abu Dhabi was going to be exploded in midair,” … [Read more...] about Israel Helps Stop Terror Attacks
Top 12 Ways Israel Is Helping To Feed The World
Food security is a critical concern as the global population expands and natural resources dwindle. Smart solutions for more efficient farming, hardier crops, alternative sources of nutrition, and safer food packaging and storage are essential. No other single country – certainly not one as young and as tiny as Israel – has contributed more breakthroughs to this area than Israel. Here are 12 major ways Israel helps feed the world. Drip irrigationWhile the concept of drip irrigation existed well before Israeli statehood, it was revolutionized by Israeli water engineer Simcha Blass in … [Read more...] about Top 12 Ways Israel Is Helping To Feed The World
Tel Aviv Sets Up Potential Deal With Digital Wallet Startup Colu
The Municipality of Tel Aviv-Yafo has embarked upon a month-long pilot project, the first of its kind in Israel, to examine the feasibility of using a “digital city currency,” serving as a reward system for people who patronize Tel Aviv businesses. The municipality set up the pilot program together with Colu Techonologies Ltd., an Israeli startup that developed a digital wallet to enable payments at registered businesses via smartphone. Under the pilot, consumers who engage in five transactions worth at least NIS 20 ($5.6) apiece at local businesses using the Colu app get a reward of 25 … [Read more...] about Tel Aviv Sets Up Potential Deal With Digital Wallet Startup Colu
State of AI In Israel Is Exploding
Israeli companies specializing in artificial intelligence raised nearly 40 percent of the total venture capital funds raised by the Israeli tech ecosystem for 2018, despite accounting for just 17 percent of the total number of innovative technology companies in the country, according to a report this month by Start-Up Nation Central (SNC). Israel is home to over 1,000 companies, academic research centers, and multinational R&D centers specializing in AI, including those that develop core AI technologies, as well as those that utilize AI technologies for their vertical-related products … [Read more...] about State of AI In Israel Is Exploding
European Firms Head To Tel Aviv With Over $300M To Invest In Israeli Startups
Israel’s “special relationship” with the United States, the world’s most powerful economy and Israel’s largest trading partner, has made it a top destination for Israeli startups and companies seeking to take their tech global. According to Start-Up Nation Central’s Finder database which tracks Israel’s tech ecosystem, there are over 1,850 Israeli companies with at least one US address, out of a total of more than 6,200 startups and firms. And there are significant – and growing – Israeli high-tech communities in Silicon Valley and New York primarily.American firms and multinationals also … [Read more...] about European Firms Head To Tel Aviv With Over $300M To Invest In Israeli Startups