CTech’s Daily Israeli Tech News Roundup

Supercharged by SoftBank, Cybereason plans aggressive ramp up for 2018. The cybersecurity company has special relations with its investor SoftBank, CEO Lior Div said. In 2018, it plans to nearly double the number of employees to better serve new clients and look into new domains including autonomous vehicles, blockchain and the Internet of Things. Read more

There’s a new crypto marketplace that lets you “buy” celebrities. The next big blockchain game is here, and it’s called CryptoCelebrities. Users spent a million dollars in ether to own their own tokenized versions of celebrities within 24 hours of the game’s launch. Read more

The Tel Aviv skyline. Photo:Bloomberg

Startup that tricks facial recognition algorithms raises $4 million. Founded in 2017, D-ID develops image processing tools that alter photos in a way that make them unidentifiable to facial recognition algorithms used in surveillance systems. Read more

State of Mind Ventures raises second fund, aims for $100 million. The Israel-based venture capital firm will invest in early-stage startups in the domains of artificial intelligence, semiconductors, cybersecurity and cloud infrastructure. Read more

Israeli aerospace company AP-G raises $3 million. AP-G is three weeks away from launching a new series of aerial vehicles, which will have “unique” properties in terms of flight range and weight carrying abilities, according to CEO. Read more

Israel has no Iron Dome against tunnels. While Israel may have come up with a costly solution to Hamas tunnels, but includes building a massive underground wall and use of human intelligence sources. Despite pouring massive investments into a technological silver bullet, the country is still in no possession of the underground equivalent for its Iron Dome system, writes Amir Rappaport. Read more

For early-stage cybersecurity startups survival is the name of the game, says Cybereason co-founder Yossi Naar. While startups that bring real innovation to the table can still make it, given the number of early-stage companies in the domain, securing early funding is hard, Cybereason co-founder Mr. Naar said. Read more

Social purpose used to be a nice add-on, now it is a necessity. Companies vying for the attention and affection of younger, socially-minded individuals would be wise to formulate their social agenda, writes entrepreneur and the founder of Google’s Campus London, Eze Vidra. Read more

Brain monitoring startup Montfort wins Henry Ford Health System's AI contest in Israel. The startup, which offers a "master app" that tracks a patient's motor, cognitive, and affective activity, will receive clinical and research assistance of up to $75,000. Read more

Fear is an integral part of a CEO’s job, says Israeli BI executive. “If you’re not constantly afraid, there’s something wrong with you,” said SiSense CEO Amir Orad in an interview. Read more

Michael Dell's MSD Capital, Endicott buy a 15% stake at Bank Leumi Corporation. The New York-based firms paid $140 million and will enter as strategic partners in Bank Leumi Le-Israel Corporation, a New York-based subsidiary of Israel’s Bank Leumi. Read more