CTech's Thursday Roundup of Israeli Tech News
China success jeopardizes Orbotech’s sale; Tel Aviv-listed cannabis stocks reap benefits of Israeli export reform
14:0427.12.18
Analysis | China success jeopardizes Orbotech’s sale. Orbotech’s footprint in China is now proving to be a hurdle to the most important deal it can close—its own sale to U.S.-based semiconductor company KLA-Tencor Corporation. Read more
Tel Aviv-listed cannabis stocks reap benefits of Israeli export reform. Even speculative cannabis stocks have been gaining on the Tel Aviv Exchange since the Israeli parliament voted yes on Tuesday. Read more
Netflix gains popularity in Israel. 18% of Israelis used the video streaming service in 2018, up from 7% in 2017, according to a new report by Israel's telecommunication company Bezeq. Read more

Berlin-based Wind to launch e-scooter sharing service in Tel Aviv. Wind’s location-based app allows users to find, unlock and pay for the use of dockless electric scooters. Read more
Telco 2030 | Waze’s obvious, yet acute epiphany. The company’s peer-to-peer carpooling service, Waze Carpool, launched as a pilot in July 2015 in Israel. In October, Waze expanded the service to all 50 U.S. states. Read more
Irish government investment fund backs Israeli smart farming startup CropX. CropX uses soil sensors to optimize crop yields. It received $0.5 million to launch a yield optimization pilot in Ireland. Read more
Israeli university to deploy driverless shuttles on campus. Bar-Ilan University will run a nightly pilot of the service as of February. Read more
Orbotech buys out partner in a joint fab subsidiary. Israel-based Orbotech awaits Chinese regulatory approval for its acquisition by U.S.-based KLA-Tencor. Read more
Vonetize stock rises after announcing a planned investment from unnamed U.S. fund. Vonetize’s stock has been sliding as a deal to be acquired by U.S.-based Desilu Studios, announced in March, was delayed several times before being dropped following an intellectual property lawsuit filed against the studio by CBS. Read more
News Briefs
Teva reaches confidential patent settlement with Neos. Read more
Heart care 3D visualization startup CathWorks gets FDA approval. Read more
Facetune developer aims to double its workforce and expand to Android. Read more
Surveillance company Verint buys emergency response app developer NowForce. Read more