CTech’s Wednesday Israeli Tech News Roundup

WeWork’s offer to Israeli investors: buy bonds and get stock options. Institutional investors managed to get a peek at WeWork’s financials. Now they are preparing to assign the real estate company a credit rating, according to sources. Read more

 

“Pompeo plays it straight.” Former CIA Director James Woolsey endorses the choice by President Trump of Mike Pompeo as the next secretary of state. Mr. Woolsey, who headed the American intelligence agency in the years 1993-1995, spoke on Tuesday at Calcalist’s Mind the Tech conference in New York, and said “I think he will be a good secretary of state.” Watch the video

 

Joe Lieberman calls for government mandates on private sector cybersecurity. Sooner or later, the government will need to impose information security regulations on the private sector, said former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman Tuesday, speaking on a panel at Calcalist's Mind the Tech conference in New York. Watch the video

 

Five Israeli companies to IPO in 2018, says Nasdaq President Nelson Griggs. Speaking at Calcalist’s Mind the Tech conference in New York, Mr. Griggs said that the stock exchange is trying to operate like a tech company and is looking for tech innovations in Israel. Read more

 

Big data derived from breast milk could bring medical benefits to adults, says the CEO of a breast milk testing startup. MilkStrip is one of ten startups founded by ultra-Orthodox men and women that were selected to participate in a special program by KamaTech, a nonprofit organization working to integrate Israel's ultra-orthodox population into its technology industry, at Calcalist’s “Mind the Tech” conference held this week in New York City. Read more

 

Data shows 2017 was a very good year for Israeli tech, says commerce official. 600 startups were founded, acquisitions of Israeli companies reached $24 billion and research and development amounted to 4.3% of Israel’s gross domestic product, said Aharon Aharon, CEO of the Israel Innovation Authority, Israel's government innovation investment arm, who spoke at Calcalist’s Mind the Tech conference in New York on Tuesday. Watch the video

 

The only way to fight fake news is to destroy its business model, Outbrain CEO says. Google and Facebook have a model that is based purely on the number of clicks and this gives advertisers an incentive to create fake news, content promotion company Outbrain’s CEO Yaron Galai said in an interview at Calcalist’s the Mind the Tech conference in New York. Read more

 

40% of companies will be gone in five years, says venture capitalist Erel Margalit. In a speech delivered Wednesday at Calcalist’s Mind the Tech conference in New York, venture capitalist and former Israeli lawmaker Erel Margalit tried to take stock of how technology is rapidly changing many different industries. Read more

 

How the NBA plans to bring the arena to the fans. Speaking at the Calcalist’s Mind the Tech conference in New York, an NBA vice president discusses how virtual reality technology is changing the spectator sport. Read more

 

New York Times Chief Technology Officer Nick Rockwell says the Times’ digital subscriber base is 2.5 times the number of print subscribers. Mr. Rockwell talked about the challenges and advantages contemporary journalism is facing at Calcalist’s tech conference in New York. “Tech cuts both ways. It disrupts but also enables,” Mr. Rockwell said. “If you are not close to the bleeding edge of technology, if you are not trying to enjoy the positives that the technology brings, then you are only getting the disruption.” Read more