Israeli high-tech companies raised $5.24 billion in 620 deals in 2017, compared to $4.83 billion in 2016 (673 deals). In the fourth quarter of the year, fundraising totaled $1.44 billion in 159 deals, a 34 percent increase over the fourth quarter of 2016. Israeli VC funds invested $814 million in 2017, the highest sum since 2013, and an increase of 25 percent over 2016.
At the end of January, Jerusalem-based OurCrowd global equity crowdfunding platform announced the launch of its 13th fund, ADvantage, a $50 million sports-tech fund that will initially focus on 15 early-stage ventures. The fund was cofounded with leAD Sports, a global sports-tech accelerator backed by the Adi Dassler Family Office, and is co-managed by OurCrowd’s Jeremy Pressman and leAD Sports’ Christoph Sonnen.
The highest fundraise in January 2018 was $36 million for Israeli cybersecurity company AlgoSec from private equity fund Claridge Israel. AlgoSec has offices in Petah Tikva, New Jersey, Georgia, Singapore and London.
Tel Aviv-based Nexar, which is building AI safe-driving tools that detect, record and warn drivers of real-time road hazards, closed a $30 million round of financing led by Ibex Investors, with participation from Alibaba Innovation Ventures, Nationwide Insurance and previous investors Aleph, Mosaic Ventures, Slow Ventures, True Ventures and Tusk Ventures.
TytoCare, a telehealth company with breakthrough technology for conducting comprehensive examinations and telehealth visits anytime, anywhere, raised $25 million in its most recent round led by Ping An Global Voyager Fund and including both new and existing investors such as Cambia Health Solutions, Walgreens, Orbimed, Fosun Pharma and LionBird as well as Qure, Israel’s first exclusively focused digital health fund, established with Johns Hopkins University.
Pipl Search of Petah Tikva raised $19 million from growth-stage venture capital firm IGP (Israel Growth Partners). Pipl is developing a search engine for background checks based on data mined from available digital resources. Founded in 2004, the company also has offices in Idaho.
Israeli cybersecurity company BigID raised $14 million in Series A funding from new and existing investors including ClearSky Security, Comcast Ventures, the SAP.iO Fund and BOLDstart Ventures.
VDOO, a cybersecurity company in Tel Aviv specializing in securing Internet of Things (IoT) devices, raised $13 million in a venture round led by 83North (formerly Greylock IL) with participation of Dell Technology Capital, David Strohm, Joe Tucci and Victor Tsao.
Delivery logistics platform Bringg raised another $12 million in Series B funding. Investors included Dr. Shmuel Harlap, Eyal Ofer and Salesforce Ventures. Previously, Bringg raised $10 million in Series B funding from Aleph VC, Coca-Cola and Pereg Ventures. Founded in 2013, Bringg is based in Chicago and Tel Aviv.
Hysolate, inventor of a disruptive hybrid endpoint architecture, announced the launch of its first product and the raising of $8 million from cybersecurity foundry Team8 and Eric Schmidt’s Innovation Endeavors. Hysolate has offices in Tel Aviv and New York City.
Cylus, a Tel Aviv-based startup developing cybersecurity solutions for railways and metros, raised $4.7 million in seed funding from Zohar Zisapel, Magma Venture Partners, Vertex Ventures and the SBI Group.
CreditStacks raised $4 million in seed investments from Clear Future, 500 Startups and Off the Grid Ventures, as well as entrepreneurs including Saar Wilf, founder of FraudSciences, which was sold to PayPal. The company has offices in Tel Aviv and California and is cooperating with MasterCard to issue credit cards to employees who are relocating to the United States.
FieldIn Tech of Yokne’am Ilit closed a $4 million financing round co-led by Gal Ventures and Germin8 Ventures along with Terra Ventures, international angels and the Israel Innovation Authority. FieldIn makes a pest-management software solution for professional growers of specialty crops.
Israeli clean meat biotech and food-tech company SuperMeat raised $3 million in seed funding led by US-based venture capital fund New Crop capital and VC firm Stray Dog Capital. The Tel Aviv-based startup has also formed a strategic partnership with PHW, one of Europe’s largest poultry producers, and an equity investor in the company.
Netanya-based unmanned aerial systems designer and manufacturer APG closed a $3 million financing round with private investors ahead of unveiling its newest drone reportedly designed to transform the industrial, business and military landscape. The five-year-old company also provides engineering, aerospace engineering and consulting services to the Israeli Ministry of Defense and aircraft development companies, and collaborates with partners in developing solar UASs.
Israeli virtual hacker company Pcysys raised $2.75 million from AWZ Homeland Security I, a Canadian venture capital fund that invests exclusively in Israeli cybersecurity, intelligence and physical security technology. AWZ plans to invest a further $1.5 million in the future.
Ra’anana-based geolocation startup Hoopo raised $1.5 million from investors including Zohar Gilon and AirMap CEO Ben Marcus as it launches its geolocation solution for low-power wide area (LPWA) networks meant to improve precision for low-power IoT tracking.
The Korea-Israel Industrial Research and Development Foundation, a joint foundation of the Israeli and South Korean governments, is investing $1 million in the joint development of the world’s first foldable, ultrathin laptop charger by Lod-based Kado and Seoul-based Dongyang E&P, which supplies chargers for Samsung. The two companies will invest an additional $1 million for the development venture, which will be undertaken over the next 14 months.
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