CTech’s Monday Roundup of Israeli Tech News

Sequoia-backed startup completes algorithm-based $26 million real estate deal. Skyline AI develops a machine learning algorithm that identifies real estate opportunities and calculates an asset's current market value and potential future value. Read more

Intel used a productivity app to learn about users’ needs. Now it’s shutting it down. Listed on the App Store under “Siberia LLC” the app was created by Intel employees to help the company study user needs and behaviors. Read more

Bureaucrats duke It out at Israeli cannabis exports debate. "There was screaming, and at one point it seemed as though it would come to blows if they were not stopped," said a person who attended the debate. The decision on whether to approve export from Israel has been debated for a while, with the Ministry of Finance heading the faction in favor and the Ministry of Public Security conditioning its approval on various limitations and an increased enforcement budget. Read more

Mellanox and Starboard nearing agreement over board seats, report says. The two companies had been brawling over the makeup of Mellanox’s board since Starboard became the chipmaker’s largest shareholder in November. Read more

Bezeq names new CEO amid criminal investigation involving Netanyahu. David Mizrahi, a veteran of Bezeq, returns after a two-year absence to serve as chief executive. Read more

Israel can become a regulatory sandbox for self-driving cars, blockchain, former government official says. Speaking at Calcalist’s Capital Markets conference in Tel Aviv on Wednesday, Avi Licht, Israel’s former deputy attorney general, said the country should “manufacture regulations” that would catalyze innovation. Read more  

News Briefs

Israeli VAT refund startup ReFundit announces a pilot with Slovakian government. Read more

Israeli banks approve deadline extension on Tel Aviv Stock Exchange sale deal. Read more

Wizz Air launches direct flights from London to Israeli resort town of Eilat. Read more

EBay Executive Appointed General Manager of LivePerson Israel. Read more

Winners Announced in Counter-Terrorism Startup Competition. Read more

Canadian cannabis company Namaste acquires 10% share in Israeli cannabis producer Cannabit. Read more