CTech's Thursday Roundup of Israeli Tech News

Ransomware attack blocked successfully, says cyber company Verint. On Wednesday night, Israeli media reported that the Israeli offices of the surveillance and business intelligence company were under attack, though the nature of the ransomware and the demands of the attackers were unclear. Read more

Mind the Tech NY | Five Israeli startups looking for U.S. partners through SOSA’s network. Calcalist’s Meet & Pitch event, held last week at SOSA’s New York center, connected 120 entrepreneurs from 80 Israeli startups, 25 U.S.-based investors, and 14 corporate executives. Read more

Israel sets up innovation incubators in the country’s rural areas. Initially, three incubators will be set up as a pilot. The venture has an overall budget of $50 million over eight years. Read more

Cloud computing startup Spotinst buys optimization company StratCloud. Spotinst uses artificial intelligence to predict and buy discounted unused compute power. Read more

Radiology AI startup Aidoc raises $27 million. Aidoc develops an artificial intelligence-based medical imaging software designed to quickly analyze medical scans. Read more

Pitango taps Intel Capital’s director of strategic investments. Amir Faintuch joins Israeli venture capital firm Pitango as an independent venture partner. Read more

Cannabis producer Cannbit wants to raise up to $9 million on the Tel Aviv Exchange. The Israel-based company is considering offering up to 20% of its registered capital at NIS 18 ($5) per share. Read more

MetLife Korea names Atidot, Endor among finalists of insurtech innovation challenge. The winner will receive a $100,000 contract to pilot insurance solutions in Korea in domains such as customer engagement, sales, and operations. Read more

Just Eat buys Israeli POS startup Practi for $8.74 million. Practi develops a software service that provides independently-owned restaurants and small chains with tablet-based POS and restaurant management systems. Read more

Medical device company EarlySense appoints new CEO. Healthcare veteran Matt Johnson will replace co-founder Avner Halperin, the Israel-based company’s CEO since its foundation. Read more

Chicago, Peres Center for Peace and Innovation enter tech collaboration. The two entities will organize joint activities in both Chicago and Israel. Read more