CTech's Weekly Roundup of Israeli Tech News

As LGBT protest sweeps Israel, business sector rallies in support. On Wednesday, Israeli parliament approved a new surrogacy law that fails to extend the right of couples to use surrogate mothers to the country’s gay population. In response, members of the Israeli LGBT community and their supporters protested in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem on Wednesday evening. Now the community is escalating its demonstrations with a call for a general strike on Sunday, and many international companies operating in the country and Israel-based businesses are voicing their support. Read more

 

With Datorama acquisition Salesforce boosts cloud marketing offering. Business software company Salesforce has agreed to pay over $800 million for Israeli marketing analytics startup Datorama. Read more

Netanyahu pulls the plug on law to fight Facebook "incitement." A surprise last-minute intervention by the Israeli prime minister brings an end for now to a bill that would have removed protections for speech that’s published on the web. Read more

Between clashing stakeholders, Telecom Italia CEO plows ahead. With annual sales of around 20 billion euros in 2017 and nearly 60,000 employees, Telecom Italia (TIM) is one of the largest telecommunications companies in the E.U. In addition to a bitter struggle over board positions, TIM is carrying a heavy load of almost 30 billion euros in adjusted total gross financial debt, as of March 2018. Amos Genish’s position at its helm is one of the only things TIM’s clashing stakeholders can agree on. Read more

Andreessen Horowitz, Dell back Israeli all-star cybersecurity team. Co-founded by former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, Toka plans and manages tailor-made cybersecurity ecosystems for government entities. Read more

Fasten your seat belts and download these apps: Israeli travel apps worth your attention. Israel’s travel tech sector is booming with new startups. Here are some noteworthy local travel apps. Read more

Mantis Vision raises $55 million, announces Chinese venture. The Israeli 3D imaging company is backed by Samsung and by China’s Luenmei Quantum, which has partnered with Mantis on a new joint venture. Read more

Kleiner Perkins, Alphabet back stroke detection startup Viz.ai. Kleiner Perkins led a $21 million round for the medical startup. Viz.ai develops an automated analysis software for brain scans. Read more

Opinion: The tables are turning on Gett. Gett may have been at one point a roaring startup. Now, it’s becoming a ride-hailing loser. Read more

Video | This rescue robot can crawl over rough terrains and up narrow crevices. The robot is developed by researchers at southern Israel’s Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. Read more

Lufthansa to launch direct service to Eilat this winter, says Israel’s tourism minister. Israeli Tourism Minister Yariv Levin celebrates rising popularity of southern vacation spot Eilat. Read more