Israeli startups set a record for exits in 2014
Israeli high-tech and biotech startups witnessed a record year of acquisitions and initial public offerings (IPOs), according to end-of-year reports by accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and Ethosia Human Resources. The reports show that 52 Israeli startups exited to the tune of some $15 billion this year, while 18 IPOs racked up $9.8 billion. Kontera ($150 million), Cyvera ($200 million), SuperDerivatives ($350 million), Simbionix ($120 million), Green Smoke ($110 million) and Wilocity ($300 million) were among the top blue-and-white acquisitions of 2014.
The Israeli who got into Forbes’ “30 Under 30”
Forbes magazine says Israeli coding prodigy Amit Avner is one of the world’s brightest stars under the age of 30 who is ‘reinventing the world right now.’ This is the second time the founder and CEO of Taykey, an ad-tech startup that enables dynamic media and puts brands in real-time social conversations, has been included on this “30 under 30” prestigious list.
Read more “>here.
Blue and White solution for oil spill
A technology hailing from the Hebrew University’s chemistry laboratories aims to tackle hydrocarbon contaminants at their chemical core, providing an efficient and affordable solution for cleanups like the country’s December oil spill.
After some 5 million liters of crude oil surged into the Arava Desert sands last month, the Environmental Protection Ministry-led rehabilitation venture is in the process of determining which technologies will be implemented in the newly approved NIS 17 million cleanup budget.
Israel to make the largest per-capita investment in fighting Ebola
Israel has pledged a whopping $8.75 million – the largest per-capita investment by any nation — to a United Nations fund aiming to combat the spread of the Ebola virus in West Africa. The donation to the UN’s Ebola Response Multi-Partner Fund comes after the Israel already sent fully equipped medical clinics to West Africa and medical specialists to operate the clinics and train local health workers there.
Read more “>here.
Israel’s innovative cure for cancer
Every year, 14 million new cancer cases are diagnosed around the globe, according to the World Health Organization. Now, an Israeli biotechnology company is developing a vaccine for cancer, which is not designed to treat the disease – but to prevent it from returning. Israeli company Vaxil BioTherapeutics, has spent over half a decade developing ImMucin, a prophylactic cancer vaccine, which can trigger a response in about 90 percent of all types of cancer, according to the company.
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