CTech's Weekly Roundup of Israeli Tech News

CTech's most popular stories of 2018. Featuring our top 10 list, and many more of our favorite stories. Read more

Analysis | China success jeopardizes Orbotech’s sale. Orbotech’s footprint in China is now proving to be a hurdle as the company attempts to close its most important deal ever—its own sale to U.S.-based semiconductor company KLA-Tencor Corporation. Read more

Opinion | When Santa gives your little ones a personal digital spy. The increasing popularity of internet-connected interactive toys is a reminder that there are only two kinds of databases: those that have been hacked, and those that haven’t been hacked yet, writes researcher Dov Greenbaum. Read more

The five biggest Israeli tech M&A deals in 2018. From KLA-Tencor’s pending acquisition of Orbotech to Datorama’s acquisition by Salesforce, 2018 was an eventful M&A year in the Israeli innovation hub. Read more

Interview | After launching services in 21 countries, Via founders come home to take on Israeli traffic jams. Israel’s notoriously congested roads sparked the idea that led the founders of carpooling firm Via to start the company. Now they’re planning to launch a pilot in the Tel Aviv metropolitan area. Read more

Volkswagen writes-off Gett investment, Der Spiegel reports. Volkswagen invested $300 million in ride-hailing company Gett in 2016, and also participated in an $80 million funding round Gett announced in June. Read more

Interview | Outbrain touts Israeli Eurovision win as proof of its content dissemination mojo. The company used its algorithms to promote Israeli contestant Netta Barzilai’s song “Toy” by exposing millions of Europeans to its music video in the weeks leading up to the popular vote-based international contest. Read more

Tel Aviv-listed cannabis stocks reap benefits of Israeli export reform. Cannabis stocks soared on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange after Israel’s parliament passed on Tuesday a long-awaited medical cannabis export reform, though the reform is still pending government approval. Read more

U.S. ambassador to Israel was allegedly tricked into investing in an Israeli winery. The ambassador was presented with allegedly fraudulent documents when he agreed to invest $730,000 in an Israeli wine company, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday to a Tel Aviv district court. Read more

Israel to hold early parliamentary elections on April 9. Netanyahu, who currently serves as the country's defense minister, foreign minister, immigration minister and health minister, will be running for his fifth term as prime minister. Read more 

Startup funding rounds

Blood testing startup Sight raises $28 million. Read more

Novartis invests $10 million in anti-cancer company Ayala Pharmaceuticals. Read more

Smart Mobility Startup Valerann Raises $5 Million Seed Round, Tech.eu reports. Read more

Remote support for self-driving cars startup raises $3 million. Read more

Marketing Strategy Startup KonnecTo Raises $1.5 Million. Read more

Irish government Investment fund backs Israeli smart farming startup CropX. Read more