CTech's Monday Roundup of Israeli Tech News

Israel's business expenditure on R&D reached $19 billion in 2017, report says. 54% of the country’s total R&D expenditure in the business sector was funded from international sources, bolstered by the very high concentration of research and development outposts of multinationals found in Israel. Read more

A delegation of German industrial companies to scout for Israeli industry 4.0 startups. On September 4, Tel Aviv-based non-profit organization Start-Up Nation Central (SNC) is set to host over 70 representatives of German companies in fields such as logistics, shipping, storage and warehousing, and IT. Read more

Interview | DSP’s chips help Alexa home in on your voice. DSP has had to reinvent itself several times since its 1994 Nasdaq IPO, but today the company’s advanced voice recognition chips are installed in devices used by Amazon, Samsung, Google, Baidu, and Alibaba. Read more

Blackberry shuts down Israeli development center. The center, located in central Israel, currently employs 40 employees. Read more

Fintech startup Pagaya secures additional $115 million asset-backed security. Pagaya uses machine learning algorithms and big data analytics to manage institutional assets. Read more

Israeli highway to automatically weigh trucks as they drive. Highway 6, Israel’s longest road will be installed with a weighing system for trucks, as part of a pilot program meant to reduce lethal traffic accidents involving trucks. Read more

Kibbutz-owned agricultural company Ginosar Agro enters medical Cannabis market. Ginosar will partner with Israeli medical cannabis grower Way of Life to set up a research and culture lab. Read more

Drone food delivery startup Flytrex expands to North Carolina. Flytrex’ drones will operate along one predetermined delivery route, connecting a shopping center and a single delivery point at a nearby park. Read more