Kampyle and 9 Israel-related Headlines, Week of February 28, 2010
Filed under: Cleantech, Company Briefs, Environment, Information Technology, Uncategorized, cloud computing, security
During the week of February 28, 2010, it was confirmed that Kampyle, a user feedback analytics platform maker, closed a round of funding in 2009 in addition to it increasing its customer base by 25,000 to 35,000. Check Point introduced a new USB stick with VPN and SolarEdge signed a partnership agreement with Flextronics. For these stories and more, see this week’s headlines below.
Cleantech
1. Tech lessons from Israel on how it conserves and manages its water
2. SolarEdge Signs Manufacturing Partnership Agreement with Flextronics
Information Technology
3. Microsoft OneAlbum: Fusing Facial Recognition and Social Networks – The Future of Windows Live Photos?
4. Security key to unlocking cloud potential
5. Kampyle Confirms Funding, Kicks Off Beta Test For Application Feedback Product
6. Check Point puts VPN in USB stick
Miscellaneous
7. Hello My Name is…The Case for a Jewish Meetup.com
8. Israel and France to hold conference for young scientists in Jerusalem
9. ‘Start-Up Nation’ Author: Mentor Networks Key to Luring Israeli Startups
GreenRoad and 8 Israel-related Headlines, Week of February 21, 2010
Filed under: Business Intelligence, Cleantech, Company Briefs, Mergers and Acquisitions, Uncategorized, cloud computing
During the week of February 21, 2010, news broke that Al Gore’s investment firm invested in Israeli road-safety tech company, GreenRoad. Currensee raised $8 million and innovate!2010 in Tel Aviv was announced. For these stories and the rest of this week’s headlines, see below.
Cleantech
1. GreenRoad raises $10M from Al Gore’s Generation Investment Management
2. Terra Venture Partners Billed Israel’s Most Active Venture Capital Investor in 2009
Investments and M&A
3. $8 Million Series B For FOREX Social Network Currensee
4. Critical mass at core of Israel’s tech prowess
Information Technology
5. Moving HQ overseas: Rony Ross, Panorama Software (Interview)
6. Actimize, a NICE Company, Positioned in Leaders Quadrant of Magic Quadrant for Web Fraud Detection
Miscellaneous
7. startup contest innovate!2010 coming back to tel aviv
8. Why aren’t there more women in startups? Some new data.
Covergin and 11 Israel-related Headlines, Week of February 7, 2010
Filed under: Cleantech, Company Briefs, Data Storage, Environment, Information Technology, Mergers and Acquisitions, Uncategorized, Web2.0, cloud computing
The week of February 7, 2010, was big for investments and M&A. Social music player TuneWiki raised $7 million and among Israeli companies to be acquired were Convergin, which was picked up by Oracle, and Exanet, bought by Dell. IBM continues to grow its XIV channel and 3DV and PrimeSense continue to be big players in providing sensor technologies for consumer electronics. See below for these stories and more from the week of February 7, 2010.
Cleantech
1. Better Place Sees Electric Cars on Israeli Roads by End of 2011
2. Arava Power: Agreements for 15 Initial Solar Fields
Investments and M&A
3. Oracle Acquires Israeli Startup Convergin
4. Dell Acquires Storage Vendor Exanet
5. Social Music Player TuneWiki Raises $7M From Motorola Ventures, Others
Information Technology
6. Interview with Frederic Aknin, Sparkeo: Innovators in E-Learning Series
7. Point, click: a review of gesture control technologies
8. IBM Expands Channel Program Around XIV Storage Line
9. Opera and Perfecto Mobile Partner To Offer Remote Testing on Real Mobile Devices
Miscellaneous
10. Case Study: Students teach the CEOs
11. Emblaze Brings Patent Infringement Suit against Microsoft, Apple
Vringo and 8 Israel-related Headlines, Week of January 24, 2010
Filed under: Cleantech, Company Briefs, Data Storage, Environment, Information Technology, Mergers and Acquisitions, Uncategorized
During the week of January 24, 2010, electric car venture Better Place raised $350 million. Vringo, a video ringtone company, filed for an IPO and data storage company Continuity Software announced that it added service management software to its offerings. For these stories and the rest of this week’s 8 headlines, see below.
Cleantech
1. Israeli wastewater firms to benefit from new regulations
2. Better Place wins $350 m. investment
Investments
3. Analyst: Israel to benefit from new MSCI standing
4. Video Ringtone Company Vringo Files For $13.8 Million IPO
Information Technology
5. San Mateo’s Clarizen manages growth against major software competition
6. Continuity Software adds SLA management to DR software
Miscellaneous
7. Secrets of the box-office smash
8. Design Museum by Ron Arad Opening in Israel
Women in Technology: Rony Ross, Panorama Software (Interview)
Filed under: Business Intelligence, IT management, Information Technology, Science, Uncategorized
Rony Ross
There is an ongoing discussion in Israel about women in the sciences and technology and the conditions women find themselves in in the field. The discussion was renewed by the Jerusalem Post in October 2009 after Israel’s Ada Yonath won the Nobel Prize in chemistry when it published a piece on the difficulties of receiving research grants and getting a fair salary in Israel. Shortly thereafter I continued my series on women in tech with a post about some of the unique challenges that women face in Israel.
I recently had the opportunity to interview Rony Ross, the founder and current chairwoman of Panorama Software, a business intelligence software company. Ross was born and raised in Israel and overcame challenges as a female entrepreneur to grow Panorama into the successful company that it is today.
Around what age did you become interested in technology?
I excelled in mathematics as a teenager, and shortly thereafter got interested in computer software. I studied Mathematics and Computer Science for my B. Sc and M.S degrees. While working on my Masters dissertation at the Weizmann Institute of Science, my professor, Amir Pnueli (winner of the Turing Award), offered me to join the software development department of one of the first hi-tech companies in Israel – SciTex. I went to visit the SciTex facility, and what I saw was so amazing and compelling that I could not believe someone was going to pay me in order to work in something that looked to be so much fun.
How did you get into the field?
I worked in Software Development, got my MBA degree in parallel, and moved to senior IT management positions. It was only after 40 that I became an entrepreneur and started my own business. A couple of years later, while working on other projects, we hit upon the idea of developing a product in the Business Intelligence field. This product developed into Panorama – a very compelling offering in the online analytical processing (OLAP) side of the Business Intelligence domain. We sold the product successfully to over 50 of the Israeli Fortune 100 companies in under 2 years. Then we met with Microsoft and they loved the product so much they offered to buy the company after the first 3 hours of the meeting. This became the first classic “exit” of an Israeli software company selling to a US software giant.
What obstacles have you faced as a female founder of a company?
When I was developing my first product I tried to raise capital from venture capitalists and failed. I had a very competitive product in a growing field, with established, paying customers who could testify to the value proposition, with a good business plan, etc. I tried practically all the VCs who were in business at the time – and failed with all of them. I believe that this failure is largely due to the fact that I am a woman entrepreneur. A guy with the same credential would have succeeded. (Of course, this impediment became a blessing when I sold the technology to Microsoft and had no VC to share the income with…)
In recent years, have you seen more or less women going into technology?
When I studied Mathematics, almost half the students were women. There were a lot of women in IT in the period that preceded the PC’s. However, with the outbreak of the early home PC’s , there was a distinct advantage to youngsters with affinity to technical skills (even manual technical skills), and I find that young girls are less interested in disassembling and assembling technical kits. So for many years girls felt “excluded” from the Computer Science field, and opted for other careers. Still, many found their way eventually into hi tech in various positions – but very few made it to the top. However, in recent years I’ve seen a surge of young female entrepreneurs, especially in the Internet arena, which is a very promising sign.
What do you think can be done to get more women in Israel in technology?
Education, education, education. The key is to raise the awareness of girls from an early age about the advantages of making a career in technology fields. These are top paying jobs, and women should target them.
Storage and 9 Israel-related Headlines, Week of January 3, 2010
Filed under: Cleantech, Company Briefs, Data Storage, Environment, Information Technology, Internet Security, Mergers and Acquisitions, Uncategorized, VC
During the week of January 3, 2010, Dot Hill bought storage company Cloverleaf for $12.5 million. China’s Sanhua invested in Israeli solar firm, HelioFocus and new vulnerabilities were discovered in Twitter and Google Calendar. For these stories and more, check below for this week’s 9 Israel-related headlines.
Cleantech
1. Are Energy Advances in Israel in Parallel With Those Abroad?
2. China’s Sanhua invests in Israeli solar firm
Investments
3. Dot Hill confirms storage virtualization acquisition
4. Clean tech gets big piece of venture-capital funding
Information Technology
5. 3D sensor co PrimeSense attracts Vegas attention
6. Vulnerabilities Discovered In Twitter, Google Calendar
Miscellaneous
7. Researcher: Computers in schools do not improve students’ results
8. One third of high-tech incubator companies succeeded
9. Animating the Na’vi with an Israeli swagger
5 min and 8 Israel-related Headlines, Week of December 27, 2009
Filed under: Cleantech, Company Briefs, Environment, Industry pulse, Uncategorized, VC, Web2.0
During the week of December 27, 2009, Israel’s airport security method was looked upon as a better solution to the current system used at airports in the States. Viewfinity announced that it had raised $8.6 million in funding and 5min was selected Best Startup at the TechAviv Peer Awards. For these stories and more, see this week’s 8 headlines below.
Cleantech
1. Shimon Tal: Facts and Personal Opinions on Water from Israel’s Former Water Commissioner
2. Sunshine year for cleantech
Investment
3. Viewfinity raises $8.6 million in Series B round of funding
4. Can Public-Funded Entrepreneurship Work? A Q&A With the Author of Boulevard of Broken Dreams
Information Technology
5. 5min Wins Top Spot in TechAviv’s Peer Awards
6. Web content under the microscope
Miscellaneous
7. What Israel can teach us about security
8. Israel set to become major golf destination
Jajah and 13 Israel-related Headlines, Week of December 20, 2009
Filed under: Cleantech, Company Briefs, Environment, IT management, Industry pulse, Information Technology, Mergers and Acquisitions, Uncategorized
During the week of December 20, 2009, O2 confirmed that it is buying Israel-based Internet phone company, Jajah. Facial recognition security company C-True announced that Brinks is its latest customer and oil was found in Israel. For these stories and more, check out this week’s headlines below.
Cleantech
1. Michigan Looks to Israel to Rev Up Automotive Battery Business
2. SunPower and SolarPower Ltd. Dedicate 50-Kilowatt Solar Power System for HP in Israel
Investments and Economy
3. O2: Yes, we’re acquiring Internet phone company Jajah
4. Israel May Beat Growth and Deficit Estimates, Steinitz Says
Information Technology
5. Israeli company to beta cost-reducing content delivery technology
6. C-TRUE Provide Face Recognition Security Solutions to Brinks
7. All Quiet in the Data Center
8. Israel’s fastest growing software companies of 2009
9. Web Host Datapipe Teams with Applicure for Website Security
10. 2009: Sarah Lacy and the Israeli Web Revisited
Miscellaneous
11. Tourism Ministry presents three-year plan
12. Amazon’s Kindle has copyright protection hacked
13. Oil well with potential found in Israel
Israel’s fastest growing software companies of 2009
Filed under: Advertising, Industry pulse, Information Technology, SaaS, Software, Uncategorized, cloud computing
Last month Deloitte Brightman Almagor Zohar, a professional services firm under the interational Deloitte brand in Israel, released its annual list of Israel’s top 50 fastest growing technology companies for 2009 based on percentage revenue growth over a five-year period. Fifteen software companies ranging from security to finance to storage made the list. Below is the top 10 software companies on the list and a little more about them. Will you be using any of these companies’s technologies in 2010?
Red Bend software
Red Bend Software is considered to be a market leader in Mobile Software Management and Firmware Over-the-Air (FOTA) update solutions. Founded in 1999, Red Bend Software offers solutions that give phone users more control over what software components they want on their phones while also increasing the data service revenues of phone carriers. The main solutions include firmware updates, software component updates and data management.
Imperva
Imperva is an application data security company that was founded in 2002 by Amichai Shulman and Check Point Software co-founder Shlomo Kramer. The company was named to Red Herring’s Top 100 in 2007 (link to video) and grew by more than 80% in 2008. Its success during the recession has been attributed to its software helping customers cut costs. Imperva’s products include the SecureSphere Data Security Suite, SecureSphere Web Application Firewall and Database Activity Monitoring.
InfoGin
InfoGin was founded in 2000 by Eran Wyler after he foresaw the “need for surfing the real Internet on any mobile device.” Over the years, InfoGin has become a leader in “Web-to-mobile content adaptation, enabling mobile users to access any Web site they desire, optimized to their mobile device.” The company’s Internet Mobile Platform (IMP) technology is currently being implemented by several major companies, including Virgin Mobile (UK) and MapQuest.
Safend
Israeli data protection company, Safend offers products for data encryption and port and device control. Founded in 2003, Safend in 2009 was also named to Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for Mobile Data Protection. The company also rounded out its suite adding Safend Inspector and Discoverer to Safend Reporter, Safend Encryptor and Safend Protector.
PineApp
PineApp is an e-mail and content systems security provider. Founded in 2002 by Gabriel Mizrahi and headquartered in Israel, PineApp’s products enhances email security by protecting against email-based spam and virus attacks. Its products include Mail-SeCure, Surf-SeCure and Secure SoHo. Earlier this month the company introduced two new products to its line, Mail-Encryption and Archive-SeCure.
Commtouch Software
Founded in 1991, Commtouch develops software to protect e-mail by offering spam and Zero-Hour™ virus outbreak protection. Its anti-spam solutions feature its Recurrent Pattern Detection (RPD) technology and have been licensed by over 80 security and messaging vendors and providers including Aladdin, Check Point, Fujitsu and LG N-Sys.
Zend
Zend offers products and services for developing, deploying, and managing business-critical PHP applications. The company was founded by Andi Gutmans and Zeev Surask and its customers include McAfee, UPI and IBM. In September 2009, Zend along with its partners, IBM and Microsoft, announced a new initiative for PHP developers who are working on cloud-focused apps. Its products include Zend Server, Zend Platform and Zend Core.
IDIT I.D.I. Technologies
IDIT Technologies was founded in 1998 and offers SOA-based software solutions for the insurance industry. In July 2009 Forrester Research named the company among the hot insurance tech companies to watch in 2009, mainly for its multi-language and currency support innovations. The IDIT software suite addresses the specific end-to-end needs of general insurance for the insurance and financial markets including Business Intelligence, Workflow Management and Customer Relationship Management (CRM). IDIT’s R&D center is headed by Lilia Waserman and its customers include Alfa Insurance and RAC Insurance.
PNMSoft
PNMSoft is a Business Process Management (BPM) and workflow software provider. Founded in 1996, PNMSoft provides customers, such as Amdocs, Microsoft and Philips, with solutions to better manage content and businesses from start to finish. PNMSoft’s poducts include SEQUENCE BPM workflow software based on Microsoft’s Windows Workflow Foundation platform. The company currently has an R&D center currently in Israel and was a Microsoft 2009 SOA and Business Process Partner of the Year Finalist.
VIZrt
VIZrt offers content production tools for the digital media industry. It was founded in 2000 and some of its clients include Fox, CBS and The Globe and Mail. Along with its products Viz Content Pilot and Viz Artist, VIZrt also offers mobile solutions. In 2008, Vizrt acquired Escenic.
Peres and 11 Israel-related Headlines, Week of December 6, 2009
Filed under: Cleantech, Company Briefs, Environment, Information Technology, Internet Security, Mergers and Acquisitions, Uncategorized, Video
During the week of December 6, 2009, Israeli President Shimon Peres launched his own YouTube channel to encourage peaceful dialogue and announced that he will be going to the Copenhagen climate conference representing Israel. Information security company, Promisec thrived during the recession and Israel as a startup nation was looked at in a different light. For these stories and more, check below for this week’s 11 headlines.
Cleantech
1. Israeli Cleantech Heats Up
2. Peres to represent Israel at Copenhagen climate negotiations
Investments
3. BIRD to invest $4.2m. in six new projects
Information Technology
5. Harris: Pageonce shows you don’t need to be big to be global
7. How to sift through Twitter’s noise? MyTweetSense, FriendBinder give it a go
8. Cyber hacking could be a thing of the past
Miscellaneous
9. Peres gets viral, dives into social media with presidential YouTube channel
10. Home cooking
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