CTech's Weekly Roundup of Israeli Tech News

Nvidia to acquire Mellanox for $6.9 billion. Following an early Calcalist report Nvidia announced it has agreed to acquire Israeli Mellanox for $6.9 billion on Monday. In January, Calcalist reported Intel made a $6 billion bid for the Israeli company. Mellanox CEO Eyal Waldman said the deal gives the best value to company shareholders. Hedge fund Starboard, a formerly combatant Mellanox stakeholder revealed it offloaded its holdings in the chipmaker Tuesday.

NSO founders raised $500 million to buy back control of the company. Last month, the co-founders and management team of the Israeli surveillance company announced they bought it back from majority stakeholder Francisco Partners. Read more

Lightbits emerges from stealth with $50 million in funding. Co-founded by celebrated Israeli entrepreneur Avigdor Willenz, the datacenter software company counts heavyweights Cisco, Dell, and Micron as backers. Read more

This drone will stop fruit growers from going bananas. Tevel’s drones have a mechanical claw designed for picking, thinning, and pruning tasks in orchards. Read more

AI companies accounted for 37% of investment in Israeli tech companies in 2018. By the end of 2018, 1,150 Israeli startups were developing or making use of artificial intelligence technologies, according to a report released Monday by nonprofit Start-Up Nation Central. Read more

SodaStream CEO buying into the cannabis sector. Cannabis farming startup Seedo announced Tuesday the CEO of the PepsiCo-owned water carbonation company would be joining its board. Read more

The Tel Aviv Stock Exchange wants to hitch a ride with Gett. The exchange has approached Gett in recent weeks to explore a plan to float the ride-hailing company locally. Read more

Israel Is the eighth largest arms exporter in the world. Over the past decade, Israeli arms exports increased by 60%, according to SIPRI’s report. American arms exports grew by nearly 30%, and Russia saw a 17% decrease in its outgoing arms trade. Read more

IPO, M&A, and Funding

Stryker buys orthopedic device company OrthoSpace for up to $220 million. Read more

Network security company Tufin aiming for $100 million NYSE IPO. Read more

HR management startup Hibob raises $20 million. Read more

Fleet management company I.D. Systems to acquire vehicle location company Pointer. Read more

Rail Vision announces $10 million investment from Knorr-Bremse. Read more

Dell Technologies backs cybersecurity startup Cymulate. Read more