Environment Day 2015
Solar energy has long been deemed as a viable sustainable solution to the global energy crisis, and Israel – a nation barren of oil resources – is at the forefront of such renewable energy solutions. Now Israeli engineers are teaming up with master entrepreneur Elon Musk’s electric vehicle company Tesla Motors to develop a new type of solar energy solution that could power entire communities, house by house. The collaboration between Israel-based SolarEdge Technology, a major player in photovoltaic electronics, and Tesla, comes just in time for World Environment Day, shedding light on the important progress in making sustainable energy solutions more accessible.
Read more“>here.
Fighting High Living Costs, Cofix Opens a Grocery Store
18 months after Cofix upset the coffee market with its NIS 5 coffee and snacks – a recipe that has led to a record expansion to 75 branches – the company opened the doors to its newest discount venue Tuesday: Super Cofix.
Like its caffeinated counterpart, the Super Cofix grocery store, located in Tel Aviv’s Florentin neighborhood, sells products for a maximum of NIS 5, and everything else for a fraction (colored labels differentiate items that can be bought in higher quantities, up to five items for NIS 5.)
TAU Develops Revolutionary Technique to ‘Solder’ Newly Translanted Corneas
Tel-Aviv Uni. researchers were able to transplant corneas and “solder” them in place on the eyes using advanced laser and fiber optic technology to eliminate the need to use sutures. The new technique improves vision and speeds recovery. The technique used by doctors to heal the tissues essentially has not changed for thousands of years. The modern surgeon, just like his predecessors over the centuries, used to sew up the incision with needle and thread; the result is that the quality of the seam and the scar it leaves behind depend on his skills and experience of the physician.
‘Personalized’ Facebook Ad Tech Pays Off Big for Israel’s Bidalgo
For those who wonder how a free service like Facebook can make billions a year ($12.47 billion in 2014, to be precise), Israeli ad-tech start-up Bidalgo supplies a partial answer. Bidalgo is a large supplier of automated segmented advertising on Facebook, selling hundreds of millions dollars a year worth of ads for apps and products on the social network. That work has paid off handsomely for Bidalgo, said Niv Yemini, Bidalgo co-founder and CTO. As one of the few official Facebook Marketing Partners in Israel, the company expects as much as $100 million in revenues in 2015.
New Aviation Startups Enter the Cockpit
Israeli startups in the field of aviation and tourism have a new vehicle for skyrocketing to the stars: El Al Israel Airlines’ new Cockpit hub and accelerator. According to Business Development Director Nimrod Borovitz, El Al is one of the first airlines to establish such a hub. “The aim of the Cockpit program is to expose the carrier to new technologies in its areas of endeavor,” he says. The startups will also have access and interfaces with El Al systems for development and integration of a beta site, and the option of El Al becoming their first significant customer.
More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.