Six months after Hamas terrorists rampaged through swathes of southern Israel on October 7, efforts are underway at home and abroad to restore the lush greenery and tranquil calm of the primarily agricultural Western Negev.   The farming communities in the region are responsible for the production of numerous food staples in Israel, among them potatoes, tomatoes and dairy.   A home in southern Israel devastated in the deadly attacks by Hamas from nearby Gaza on October 7, 2023 (IDF Spokesperson’s Unit) Home-Grown Efforts At the forefront of the rehabilitation efforts is Ben-Guri ..read more

An Israeli startup is training company workforces to protect themselves against cyberattacks by simulating incredibly realistic attempted security breaches of their computers and emails.  Cywareness’ AI-driven platform imitates emails and text messages from legitimate sources in an attempt to fool employees, CEO Ori Attar tells NoCamels. The startup can even plant USB drives in an attempt to access computers via hardware.  “We built a tool that was the first of its kind in the world – using AI to do everything for you,” he says.    The aim is to hoodwink “targets” into ..read more

An Israeli startup that uses artificial intelligence to diagnose cancer is a bronze winner in the Diagnostic Technologies category at the 2024 Edison Awards.  Tel Aviv-based Ibex Medical Analytics won the award for its Galen Breast HER2 platform, which can accurately determine the expression in cancer slides of the protein responsible for the proliferation of breast cancer cells.   The awards, which are named for US inventor Thomas Edison, recognize companies and innovations with a positive impact on the world. “The advent of new therapies which hold great promise, and the conti ..read more

An Israeli startup created by Mobileye founder Prof. Amnon Shashua has unveiled its AI-powered humanoid robot that can perform tasks both in the home and in industrial settings.  Mentee Robotics was founded in 2022 by Shashua, its chairman, alongside former Facebook AI scientist Prof. Lior Wolf, who serves as the the new company’s CEO, and Prof. Shai Shalev-Shwartz, the CTO of Mobileye.  The company has so far raised $17 million in investments, and says its robot will be ready for market in the first quarter of next year.  The robot will be able to perform washing and cleaning ..read more

 As the world races to “beat” the global climate crisis, a major hurdle stands in the way of the world’s swift transition to clean power: the vast majority of renewable energy projects fail – and location is one of the most prominent causes.  Today’s energy companies must first scout and secure a location for their solar, wind or agrivoltaic (farming and solar) projects, navigating a maze of negotiations, bureaucracy and local interests.  Only once this has been completed can they embark on the lengthy procedure of officially verifying the location’s suitability – a slightly ret ..read more

The Neurosurgery Department at Tel Aviv’s Sourasky Medical Center (also known as Ichilov Hospital) has partnered with Jerusalem-based AI company NeuroBrave in the field of brain-computer interfaces (BCI).  BCI creates a direct link between the electrical activity in the brain and an external device, such as a prosthetic or a computer.  The department’s Functional Neurosurgery Unit, a world leader specializing in the treatment of brain, spinal cord and nervous system disorders, intends to use the new partnership to advance developments in BCI and propel research and implementation of ..read more

An Israeli startup whose AI threat detection system is trained to recognize guns, explosives and other dangerous items said its platform will be used in Pafos Airport in Cyprus  following its successful introduction at the country’s Larnaka Airport.  The SeeTrue platform was introduced across all passenger terminal checkpoints at both sites by Hermes Airports, the company that operates the two locations, in order to enhance the security protocols already in place.  “We are excited about our partnership with Hermes Airports,” said SeeTrue CEO Assaf Frenkel.  “This expansion ..read more

Israel’s high-tech sector continues to grow despite regional conflict and 2023’s global economic downturn, according to a new report by the Startup Nation Central nonprofit organization.  The report says that there was “modest growth” in the sector in the first quarter of 2024, when compared to the last quarter of the year before.   This includes a 9-percent rise in private investment in the sector, for a total of $1.8 billion in Q1. Among the investments were six “mega-rounds” of fundraising, totaling $716 million, four of which centered on cybersecurity.   In fact, t ..read more

A delegation of 10 Israeli foodtech companies this week visited London on a mission organized by the Israeli Export Institute, the Israeli Embassy in London; the British Embassy in Israel; and the Good Food Institute – an international nonprofit promoting plant-based alternatives to meet. The companies’ representatives met with leading British retailers in London, presenting their technologies and providing a tasting of their products. The group of Israelis also met with British investors in the foodtech field as well as chefs, bloggers and industry stakeholders. The 10 Israeli companies invol ..read more

Israeli precision pollination startup Edete has quadrupled the range of its activities with pistachio trees in California to more than 3,000 acres, meeting the demand of old customers and new.  The startup’s technology includes a bank that can store pollen for over five years and an autonomous pollen dispenser that ensures controlled and accurate pollination.  The pollinator disperses pure, viable and high quality pollen at a time when agriculturalists are struggling to cope with the impact of climate change on the seasons.  The company, which was founded in 2016, is headquarter ..read more