Israel Innovation 2.0

Despite reports that thousands of IT workers in Israel will lose their jobs in the coming months, Israeli companies seemed unfazed by economic woes during the week of December 21, 2008 which saw a lot of investment and M&A activity. Several deals were also made, including Mobileye landing a $150 million contract for its on-board Driving Assistance Systems and cleantech incubators from Israel and California signing a water deal. For these stories and the rest of the 12 headlines from the past week, check below.

Cleantech

1. Clean Tech Incubators from Israel and California Sign Water Deal

2. Algae in the Air: 5 Startups Turning Algae Into Jet Fuel

Investments and M&A

3. Scopus Video Networks acquired by Harmonic for $86 million

4. Runcom Technologies Ltd. to Invest in IXI Mobile, Inc.

5. Provigent Continues to Accelerate Growth — Secures $10 Million in Fifth-Round Funding

Information Technology

6. Business Transaction Management in the News (Correlsense)

7. Nokia to sell security business to Check Point

8. Imperva Achieves Compliance with Key US and Canadian Government IT Security Standard

Miscellaneous

9. Research group IDC predicts thousands of high-tech layoffs

10. Ran Harnevo, CEO and Co-Founder of 5min.com

11. Mobileye awarded $150m contract

12. 2tweet: Broadcast Instant Media Galleries To Twitter Via Email

During the week of December 7, 2008 there was a lot of activity in the cleantech sector. Better Place made a few announcements, including its latest deal in Japan and the Technion-Israel Insitute of Technology in Haifa announced that engineers there invented a road surface that generates electricity as cars drive over it. In the IT sector, Actimize, a risk management software company and NICE Systems company,  expanded its partnership with IBM and ActionBase, a provider of Human Process Management Solutions (HPMS), announced its partnership with BackFlip Software to provide instant connectivity to mobile customers.  For these and the rest of this week’s 16 Israel-related headlines, check out the list below.

Cleantech

1. Better Place Goes to Japan

2. Nine clean technology predictions for 2009

3. A group of Israeli engineers have invented a road surface that generates electricity as cars drive over it

Information Technology

4. Actimize Expands IBM Partnership; Embeds Technology to Fight Fraud and Financial Crime

5. BitTorrent and Oversi Collaborate to Deliver Optimal P2P Solution for ISPs in Today’s Financial Downturn

6. N-trig to uses ARC IP in touch screen technologies

7. IBM Research and Samsung Electronics to Boost Automation in Consumer Electronics Industry

8. SaaS and CRM: 30 Percent Penetration by 2012

9. SpeedBit Announces the All New DAP 9

10. ActionBase Utilizes BackFlip Software for Instant Connectivity to Mobile Devices

Telecom

11. Micronet Awarded SIIRD Grant to Develop a New Hybrid Fix-Portable 7′ Color Mobile Data Terminal

12. Chat with your friends without Internet connection

Miscellaneous

13. Birthright guarantees funding through March

14. ‘Social’ life in Jerusalem

15. No Auto Crash for Israel’s Mobileye

16. Israel and Japan Partnering in $1.8 Million Research Programs

Bonus

This past week I came across an interview with the CEO of Check Point that Robert Scoble posted on his Fast Company channel back in May 2008. The interview, which was conducted by Scoble and other tech bloggers, covers what the information security software company does, how it started and why it’s needed, among other things.

During the week of October 5, 2008, Israel’s cleantech industry continued to make progress and headlines. The biggest cleantech story being that the Cleantech Group has partnered with the California Israel Chamber of Commerce. In telecommunications, JaJah which hasn’t made any significant headlines in the past few months, “re-emerged,” while in Trusteer made another announcement that caught attention. Of course, there was plenty of IT and financial crisis-related headlines making this week’s 14 Israel-related technology headlines as well. For the full list, scroll below.

Cleantech
1. Cleantech Group Partners With California Israel Chamber of Commerce

2. An electrifying solution for wastewater treatment

Information Technology
3. Zoran’s IPS(TM) Interpreter for XPS Earns Logo Certifications From Microsoft

4. JAJAH Gives Voice to Global Innovators

5. CopperGate Communications Named Most Promising Start-up in Israel

6. Beijing Website Aims at High Performance w/ Crescendo

Information Security
7. IBI: SAP profit warning danger to Israeli firms

8. PineApp Ltd. Positioned in Niche Player Quadrant for E-Mail Security Boundaries Magic Quadrant

9. Trusteer Receives “Best of the Web” Award from Online Banking Report

Miscellaneous
10. Israel’s booming hi-tech industry

11. Mobileye Answers Call for U.S. Driver Safety Solutions

12. ‘Universities can’t open academic year’

13. How many Israelis will lose their jobs due to financial crisis?

14. The Five Plagues of Israel: 5 reasons for the exceptionally low Q2 results

About the author: Lisa Damast is the Membership Manager of ebizQ.net and currently resides in Israel.  Any questions or inquiries regarding this blog or ebizQ membership services can be directed to her via email at ldamast (at) ebizq (dot) net. She can also be followed on Twitter, where she covers additional Israeli technology companies and Israel-related headlines and topics.

*About the Weekly Headlines image: The Star of David in the image was found on Flickr and is used under the Creative Commons license. It was originally uploaded by Flickr member, zeevveez. The overall Weekly Headlines image was designed by Lisa Damast.

During the week of August 10, 2008 investors and professionals from Massachusetts received attention for their interest in using their current relationships with Israeli technology companies to enter cleantech. Israeli air-conditioning company, Agam Energy Systems Ltd., announced plans to expand its operations to include developing fuel-efficience technology for car engines. Siano Mobile, a mobile TV chip maker raised $17.5 million and there was a call for more international conferences. VoIP companies, Spikko and Skuku, and several other companies also make up this week’s 14 Israel-related technology headlines. See the complete list below.

Cleantech
Mass. looks to strengthen clean-tech ties with Israel

IDE Technologies Signs Contract Worth Over 100 Million Euros to Supply a Desalination Plant to Australia

Agam to develop fuel-efficient car engines

Former Ormat VP joins solar start-up: Advanced Solar Power is developing thermosolar energy technology and has a prototype

M&A and Investments
Mobile TV Chipmaker Siano Mobile Silicon Lands $17.5 Million

Hi-tech companies raise $291 million in second quarter

Information Technology
IBM’s XIV storage lacks high-end features, analyst says

Numonyx may close California Technology Center

Haier to recruit over 100 for Israeli development center

Mon: Aladdin leads technology sector to gains

Miscellaneous
Combined Technologies From Continental and Mobileye Support the New Speed Limit Information of the New BMW 7 Series

Wanted: More International Conferences in Israel

Tired Of Mobile Phone Bills: Check Out This Israeli Start-up

Skuku – where mobile phones meets VoIP

Bonus
Also during the week of August 10, 2008, Israel Innovation 2.0 was included in Jacob Share’s JobMob blog entry featuring a visual list of Digital Eve Israel members who blog. Digital Eve Israel is a listserv for hi-tech professionals in Israel and is widely considered to be the best resource for English speakers looking for work and advice in the field. JobMob is the top blog with advice on getting a job in Israel in any field.

Related Posts
Company in Focus: Walla Communications Ltd.
Blogging platforms, Israeli professionals and the lack of Israeli company blogs
Company in Focus: XIV
Rumors of IBM being in talks to purchase Diligent Technologies Corp.

*About the Weekly Headlines image: The Star of David in the image was found on Flickr and is used under the Creative Commons license. It was originally uploaded by Flickr member, zeevveez. The overall Weekly Headlines image was designed by Lisa Damast.

During the week of May 4, 2008, Israel turned 60 and a few technology companies announced that they will be featured “Enterprises of Tomorrow” during the Israeli Presidential Conference Facing Tomorrow taking place on May 13 to May 15, 2008. The Conference has been organized by Israeli President Shimon Peres and, as the title implies, will focus on the future.

Twenty-seven dignitaries including President Bush and former Prime Minister of England, Tony Blair, will be on hand for the event, as will several tech luminaries, including Google Co-founder, Sergey Brin; and Facebook founder and CEO, Mark Zuckerberg. Yossi Vardi, perhaps Israel’s greatest entrepreneur, is the Director of Science and Technology Track for the Conference and will lead one of the panels.

In anticipation for the Conference, which I will be attending on May 15th, this post as well as others to come this week will be in relation to the Conference, Israel’s 60th and technology, and the 60 “Enterprises of Tomorrow.” To get started, here are 10 headlines, mainly from the past week of May 4, 2008, that relate to some of Israel’s “Enterprises of Tomorrow.”

modu at the Presidential Conference

STMicroelectronics and Mobileye Deliver Second-Generation System-on-Chip for Vision-Based Driver Assistance Systems

AqWise Launches the Next Generation Remote N’ Control(TM) Solution for
Total Nitrogen Removal and Introduces Its AGAR® Process at IFAT 2008

Israel Cleantech Ventures closes $75m debut fund

Project Better Place debuts electric car

Comsys Selected as ‘Enterprise of Tomorrow’
to Feature at Israeli Presidential Conference

Updated fring version for iPhone (pre-release v. 0.9785)

Israel startup developing software system to identify terrorists

Camero Launches Handheld “Through-Wall Vision” Product

C-true Imaging – “Your Face is your key”

About the author: Lisa Damast is the Membership
Manager of ebizQ.net and currently resides in Israel. Any questions or
inquiries regarding this blog or ebizQ membership services can be
directed to her via email at ldamast (at) ebizq (dot) net. She can also be followed on Twitter, where she covers additional Israeli technology companies and Israel-related headlines and topics.

During the week of December 2nd, Microsoft and Sun Microsystems announced commitments to furthering technological advancements in Israel and TVinci’s success with MTV Israel had TechCrunch raving about its smooth, aesthetically-pleasing user interface. Startups raised funds and cleantech kept up its steady media presence as it did during the week of November 26th. Here’s 25 news headlines from the past week that can impact your present and future business investments.

Funds raised and M&A:
Start-up DensBits raises up to $10m

Medgenics raises ₤3.3m in AIM IPO

Hilan Tech buys IT consulting firm

Oridian to be acquired by India’s Ybrant

UK firm buys Ester Neurosciences in $30m deal

Funding Roundup: Solar, Fuel Cells, Batteries Score Cash

Cleantech:
Israel fights world’s oil addiction by going green

Israeli startup develops ambitious plant to rid the world of waste

Canadian cleantech foundation CEO to visit

Israel Ingenuity: Interview with Meir Ukeles of Cleantech Israel Ventures

Delegation and International recognition:
3 Israeli Companies Top The EMEA 500 Fastest Growing Technology Companies List!

InSightec Selected as a 2008 World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer

Japanese business leaders to visit Israel

Internet, TV and WiMax:
ICQ founders in interactive TV venture

Tvinci Makes MTV Israel Rock So Much Harder Than MTV.com

Israelis among world leaders in Internet usage

AdsONScreen seeks to add to TV marketing options

France Telecom, Alvarion team up on WiMAX venture

Miscellaneus:
Microsoft joins forces with Israel to educate people for the future

Media firms seek Homeless

Alvarion in talks with France Telecom

Matrix, Leading Israeli IT Company, Will Commence Pilot of BENEFIT CRM System

Sun Expands Discount Program To U.K, Israeli Startups

Israel’s technology exports hit by rising materials costs

Mobileye Advanced Vehicle Technologies Power Volvo Car’s Driver Alert Control (DAC) System