CTech's Tuesday Roundup of Israeli Tech News

Israeli tech M&As up 102%, totaling $9.9 billion in 2019. The average deal size in 2019 was $124 million, an increase of 53% compared to 2018’s average of $81 million. Read more

Jerusalem light rail new point of contention between Israel and Russia. Israel-Russia relations have been fraught with tension since an Israeli backpacker was arrested in April for Marijuana possession during a Moscow layoff. Read more

Tel Aviv claims it has no authority to regulate Airbnb rentals. In July, 12 Tel Aviv residents filed a petition against the city, demanding it take action against unlicensed short-term rentals. Read more

Renewable energy company Ellomay sells photovoltaic plants to JP Morgan’s Sonnedix. The Israel-based company expects to see a profit of 19 million euros from the sale of 12 of its plants. Read more

Israeli small-town Yeruham gets medical cannabis incubator. The incubator will help introduce entrepreneurs to strategic partners and investors from Israel and abroad, providing access to laboratories and production facilities. Read more

Emirati spying app is linked to a company employing former NSO programmers, report says. On Sunday, the New York Times reported that popular chat app ToTok is, in fact, a spying tool. The app was linked to Emirati government company DarkMatter, previously reported to have poached several employees from Israeli surveillance company NSO. Read more

Impact Investment | Double investment, double impact. The Israeli impact ecosystem is still in its infancy, but the market is growing rapidly and was estimated at approximately $260 million in 2019, double the sum of 2018. Read more