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Giving Africa Internet Conection, the Israeli “Chrome” and More – This Week from the Startup Nation!

[additional-authors]
November 2, 2015

Israeli Satellite to Supply sub-Saharan Africa with Free Internet Connection

An Israeli space company, Spacecom, is developing its newest satellite for Facebook and French satellite provider Eutelsat, in a venture intended to supply free Internet to millions of people in sub-Saharan Africa.

The project is part of Facebook’s Internet.org non-for-profit initiative of providing affordable or free Internet to countries with limited or no access to what founder, Mark Zuckerberg describes as “the knowledge economy.”

“>Read more here. 

Israeli Health Tech Is Heating Up With A Wave Of Interest From Abroad

Israel’s many health tech startups are attracting unprecedented interest from abroad, with multinational medical giants looking to benefit from the country’s ongoing high-tech boom. Considering that life sciences alone represent nearly 50 percent of scientific research in Israel, the country has become a hub for medical and health innovation and, consequently, a target for investors.

According to a 2015 report by Israel Advanced Technology Industries, Israeli life sciences companies raised more than $1.4 billion on the NASDAQ in 2014. Out of all the 73 biotech life sciences IPOs in 2014, 7 were Israeli. Furthermore, Venture Capital (IVC) Research Center, revealed — in the same report — that $801 million was invested in 167 life sciences companies, a figure 55 percent higher than the previous year.

“>Read more here. 

Israel’s ‘Peanut’ Social Browser For Smartphones Takes On Google Chrome

It takes chutzpah to take on one of the biggest Internet companies in the world – so it’s unsurprising that the Peanut Browser, an Internet browser for Android devices, was developed in Israel. But, according to Yaakov Bergman, a founding partner of Peanut, “I think we can do well in this browser war.”

The Peanut browser – the name comes from the term “peanut gallery,” from where kibbitzers in the cheap seats traditionally throw in their two cents – allows users to make their own notations on web pages, for the benefit of other Peanut users. It’s the most effective way to get the attention of others and point out to them an opinion, idea, or piece of useful information, according to Bergman.

“>Read more here. 

Israeli Airline El-Al Signs Deal for 9 Dreamliner Aircrafts

El-Al inked a deal to add 15 new aircraft from Boeing, including its 787-8 and 787-9 Dreamliners, in a deal valued at $1.25 billion. The deal will see El Al acquire nine new Dreamliner aircrafts (two of them leased) and lease an additional six already in use. The Dreamliners will replace Boeing 747-400 and Boeing 767 planes in use. Transportation Minister Israel Katz said the deal was cause for celebration and symbolized the country’s perseverance through difficult times.

“>Read more here. 

Israeli Scientists Help Create First 3D Map Of The Brain

An international team of scientists has created a digital representation of a rat’s brain, in a project hailed as a breakthrough in brain research. The 3D model will allow researchers to examine brain phenomena in an entirely digital environment, where in the past such experiments were possible using biological tissue only. This project is a result of years of experiments and algorithm development by 82 international scientists, aiming to create a supercomputer that details the smallest chemical reactions in the brain. The data collected will help researchers to better understand the brain and develop new treatments for brain illnesses.

“>Read more here.

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