CTech's Wednesday Roundup of Israeli Tech News

Corporate funds are taking over Israel's startup scene. Israel has seen a record $7.5 billion invested in startups in 2018. Unlike previous years, corporate venture arms played a role in almost half of the year’s deals. Read more 

Interview | If in 50 years Libra will account for 5% of global transactions, it will be a rousing success, says Facebook VP. On Tuesday, an association of corporations led by Facebook released the white paper for its new cryptocurrency, Libra, set to become available next year. Facebook and Calibra vice president Tomer Barel explained the new financial player in an interview with Calcalist. Read more

It Tech Two to Tango | Traditional VC firm Viola meets equity crowdfunding firm OurCrowd. Dani Cohen, a partner at Israeli early-stage firm Viola Ventures, spoke on a panel with OurCrowd’s Jonathan Medved at CTech by Calcalist’s investors’ event It Tech Two to Tango. Watch the video

Billionaire Roman Abramovich to acquire most expensive house in Israel. Abramovich intends to pay $63 million for the villa and its surrounding 9,000 square-meter grounds, which he had leased earlier this year in Herzliya. Read more

Sugar enhancing startup DouxMatok raises $22 million. DouxMatok’s product makes sugar taste sweeter by maximizing the efficiency of transporting sugar to the taste buds and enhancing the sense of sweetness transmitted to the brain. Read more

Microsoft, DFJ Growth back Tel Aviv-based computer vision startup AnyVision. AnyVision develops software capable of real-time face and object recognition within large crowds. Read more

Oracle lays off dozens of employees in Israel. The cutbacks will affect workers employed by Oracle’s local cloud applications subsidiary Ravello, which it acquired in 2016 for $430 million. Read more

Kim Kardashian West's Israeli eyewear line ceases sales. Israeli fashion eyewear company Carolina Lemke only sold 20,000 out of the 100,000 pairs it made as part of its collaboration with the media mogul. Read more