CTech's Thursday 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

 

LR group wins Jerusalem tender for $130 million life sciences fund. In June, the company announced its intention to establish a network of biotech hubs in several healthcare centers in Israel and abroad. Read more

 

Israel and Europol collaborate on investigating cybercrime, terrorism. The two law enforcement agencies signed an agreement to collaborate on cross-border crime investigation, the Europol’s first such agreement with a non-E.U. country. Read more

 

Four Seasons hotel company planning to open Tel Aviv location. The hotel chain partnered with U.S. real estate company Silverstein Properties to erect a 100,000-square-meter hotel in the city. 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

Bitemojo connects people and places through food, says founder. The app lets users select, navigate to, and pay for unique, off-the-beaten-path food experiences. Read more

 

News briefs

 

Israeli government announces second smart city program in two days. Read more

 

Skoda invests $1.5 million in auto tech startup Anagog. Read more

 

Real estate tech startup Reali raises $20 million. Read more

 

United Overseas Bank invests in AI-based fintech company Personetics. Read more