CTech's Weekly Roundup of Israeli Tech News

Western Digital takes a leap of faith with Israeli Jewish ultra-Orthodox female coders. A new initiative seeks to get Orthodox coders into high-paying tech jobs. One problem: searching for engineering solutions on a Kosher internet. Read more

Edward Snowden slams Israeli spyware firm. Speaking via video at an event in Tel Aviv, the American whistleblower said spyware by Israeli NSO played a role in the death of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Read more

  

Hackers now opt for long-term business models, says Cisco executive. The researchers at Talos, Cisco’s cybersecurity intelligence and research unit, have been tracking a recent shift in hacking strategy, according to Martin Lee, who heads the unit’s outreach program in EMEA and Asia. Re ad more

Israel moves forward with a plan to relocate military tech bases. A plan to relocate some of Israel’s biggest military technology bases to the country’s south has drawn the attention of multinationals seeking to tap local talent. Read more

Analyst marks six public Israeli tech companies as prospective M&A targets. The Israeli market has seen at least four acquisitions valued at over $1 billion in 2018, making for an unusual year. Based on the analysis of these deals, investment house Oppenheimer & Co. spotted six public Israeli tech companies that may be a target for future acquisitions. Read more

This startup helps patients find their best shot at surviving cancer. When her mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer, entrepreneur Tzvia Bader realized finding the right treatment could become a full-time job. After her own brush with cancer, Bader co-founded TrialJectory, a startup that helps patients find the right treatment for them. Read more

New 100 billion euro EU innovation program may see U.K. and Israel out. The proposal for the new program limits much of its grants to companies registered in EU member countries only. Read more

Tencent to launch WeChat payment service in Israel. AliPay, WeChat Pay's main competitor in China, began offering its services to Chinese tourists visiting Israel in January. Read more

Israeli medical cannabis export reform may be back on. Or not. Israel's anticipated medical cannabis export reform may be finally moving forward after a six-month deadlock caused by intra-ministerial squabbling. Read more

M&A and IPO

Symantec acquires cybersecurity startup Javelin Networks. Read more

ECI Telecom postpones London IPO. Re ad more

Cybersecurity company Checkmarx buys Ontario-based Custodela. Read more

Startup funding

Automotive chip company Valens raises $63 million. Read more

IT software company Samanage raises $30 million. Read more

Agricultural intelligence company Taranis raises $20 million. Read more

Japan's Olympus Corporation backs Israeli medical company Medi-Tate. Read more

Gaming software startup raises $16 million. Read more

Biotech company Polypid raises $15 million. Read more

Drug developer Mapi Pharma raises $10 million from China's Jingxin Pharm. Read more

Peer-to-peer debt trading startup CreditPlace raises $8 million. Read more

Naver adds $5 million to a recent round of web personalization company Dynamic Yield. Read more

Stock lending startup Sharegain raises $5 million. Read more

Hyundai backs artificial intelligence startup Allegro.AI. Read more

Smart grid predictive analytics startup Grid4C raises $5 million. Read more

Solar power analytics startup Raycatch raises $4.5 million. Read more

Conversational AI startup Bonobo raises $4.4 million. Read more

Smart traffic startup NoTraffic raises $3.2 million seed investment. Read more