CTech's Sunday Roundup of Israeli Tech News

China’s Haier Group dips toes in Israel’s petrochemical sector. The consumer electronics company has signed several collaboration agreements with Israeli oil refining and petrochemicals company Bazan Group. Last week, Chinese telecommunications company Huawei entered Israel’s solar energy market, following reports that it was shutting down its energy operations in the U.S. Read more

TripActions raises $250 million at $4 billion valuation. The company’s last round, $154 million raised in November 2018, was according to a company valuation of $1.1 billion. Read more

Bank Leumi president and CEO to retire after seven years. Rakefet Russak-Aminoach is the third Israeli bank CEO to recently announce she will be stepping down. Read more

With tech talent too expensive, Israeli startups look to high schools. The ever-increasing demand for tech talent in Israel—and the continuous rise in salaries that inevitably follows—is pushing startups to look for creative solutions for their human resource woes. Read more

Anti-nuclear testing official: Israel likely to agree to ban nuclear tests within three years. Lassina Zerbo, head of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization, believes Israel has no real reason to conduct nuclear weapon tests. Read more  

Ehud Barak may retain options in medical cannabis company despite political comeback. Barak’s contract allows him to exercise his options before the end of their vesting period, should he retire "with good cause". Read more

NBA players Chris Paul, JJ Redick back Israeli basketball startup RSPCT. Founded in 2015, RSPCT develops a small sensor that turns basketball baskets into smart baskets that track field goal percentages, as well as each shot’s accuracy and full trajectory in real time, and turns that data into actionable insights. Read more

Jerusalem launches accelerator for Haredi entrepreneurs. Among the selected projects is a reservation management tool for mikvehs, ritual bathhouses used for religious purposes in Judaism. Read more

3.5% of Israelis were hacked in 2018, report says. 89% of victims did not report the attacks to the police, according to a new survey by the country’s Central Bureau of Statistics. Read more

Israeli cannabis company BOL delays Toronto IPO. In May, the company filed its preliminary prospectus for an IPO at a valuation of more than $1 billion. Earlier this month, the company slashed its valuation by approximately 17%. Read more