CTech's Wednesday Roundup of Israeli Tech News

37,600 kilometers from Earth, Israeli spacecraft Beresheet takes a selfie. After a faltering start, the Israeli spacecraft took a picture Tuesday as it passed above Australia. Read more

 

 

Salesforce opens Nazareth development center. The new facility was bolstered by marketing analytics company Datorama, which the customer service software juggernaut bought over the summer. Read more 

Airbnb highlights commitment to Israel following backlash over settlements ban. In November, Airbnb announced it will be removing “approximately 200 listings” in Jewish settlements in the West Bank from its service. Read more

Life sciences venture fund aMoon closes second fund at $660 million. The second fund will focus on mid to late-stage health companies in the domains of pharma, digital health, and medical technology. Read more

Adobe closing Israeli R&D center, letting employees go. Adobe gained ownership of the center in Tel Aviv following its 2018, $4.75 billion acquisition of marketing software developer Marketo. Read more

IBM Israel files $51 million countersuit against Israel Chemicals. In December, the Israel-based chemical company sued IBM for $300 million, claiming the computing company was responsible for the failure of a 2012 project ICL had commissioned from it. Read more

Gamer-coaching startup Novos raises $750,000. Novos offers an online service for amateur and professional gamers that analyses their skills and weaknesses to develop a personalized training program. Read more

CEO of lab-grown steak company sees sustainable, meaty future. Didier Toubia, co-founder and CEO of Aleph Farms, says the company is two years away from reaching the perfect lab-grown steak. Read more

Fiverr continues global expansion with European offices. Founded in 2010, Fiverr allows users to buy and sell professional services online. Read more

Pod-to-meal startup wants to fight food waste, unsatisfying meals. Doron Marco, co-founder of Israeli meal pod company Genie, spoke at Calcalist’s Food Industry and Tech conference in Tel Aviv. Read more

CyberArk taps former Palo Alto Networks, IBM executive. The Israeli information security company appointed Rich Wenning to the role of vice president of North American sales. Read more