CTech's Weekly Roundup of Israeli Tech News

Under PepsiCo, SodaStream’s marketing-savvy CEO says he is not going to pipe down. Once the target of SodaStream’s marketing barbs, PepsiCo announced it will acquire the Israeli outfit Monday for $3.2 billion. In an interview with Calcalist, SodaStream’s CEO said he has no intention to start playing nice. Read more

Saar Wilf’s bid to rid the world of clunky online payments. Serial entrepreneur, investor, and semi-pro poker player Saar Wilf wants to overhaul the global payment system. He's banking on a digital currency called Q that you can get by simply registering as a user with your name and email, no charge. Read more

Juul petitions Israeli supreme court to overturn marketing ban. On Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signed off on a ban the country's ministry of health was pushing for. Read more

Buyers, investors gobble up Israeli foodtech. From the acquisitions of SodaStream and Frutarom to startups developing alternative protein sources and a vegan crypto coin, here are some of CTech’s most popular food-related stories. Read more

Opinion | Pepsico learned from Coca-Cola’s soda flop. This week’s SodaStream acquisition has roots in Coca Cola’s ill-advised 2014 plan to dominate the countertop soda machine market. Read more

SoftWheel raises $25 million to reinvent the wheel. An investor in the round was Japan's Musashi Seimitsu, which also signed a strategic collaboration agreement with the Israeli company. Read more

Israeli government steps away from Windows, MS Office deal citing increased costs. Israel has decided not to renew its licenses for Microsoft products beginning in 2019, Israel’s Ministry of Finance announced Tuesday. Read more

Teva wins FDA approval for first generic EpiPen. EpiPens were sold for less than $60 when Mylan acquired the injectors in 2007. Market Monopoly enabled the company to hike its price up to around $300 a unit today. Read more