2019 in Numbers

These Are The Biggest Israeli Tech M&As We Reported on in 2019

Palo Alto Networks’s $560 million acquisition of Demisto in February was the first major size deal in a year that concluded with Intel’s $2 billion acquisition of AI chipmaker Habana Labs

The total value of this year’s completed mergers and acquisitions of Israeli technology companies more than doubled that of 2018, amounting to $9.9 billion, or a 102% increase year-over-year, according to a new report by accounting firm PwC Israel. PwC’s report only included deals that have officially closed in 2019. Adding up all the tech M&A deals announced in 2019, including those yet to be finalized, PwC found they amounted to $22.9 billion.

 

Palo Alto Networks’s $560 million acquisition of Israeli information security firm Demisto in February was the first major size deal in a year that concluded with the $2 billion acquisition of AI chipmaker Habana Labs by Intel.

Tel Aviv. Photo: Orr Hirschauge

Below are the largest 10 Israeli tech M&As we reported on in 2019:

 

$6.9 billion: Nvidia acquired Israeli chipmaker Mellanox Technologies Ltd. in March, beating Intel to the punch. Two months earlier, Calcalist reported that Intel made a $6 billion offer for the chipmaker. Read more

 

$2 billion: Intel announced it had acquired Tel Aviv-based artificial intelligence chip developer Habana Labs Ltd. earlier this month. The deal marks Intel’s second-largest acquisition of an Israeli company, following the 2017, $15.3 billion acquisition of automotive chip developer Mobileye. Read more

 

$1.35 billion: Salesforce.com Inc. acquired Israeli workforce management software company Clicksoftware Technologies Ltd. in August. The deal is part of Salesforce’s plan to nearly double its Israeli R&D in coming years, according to Elad Donsky, who heads the company’s Israel R&D. Read more

 

$1.2 billion: In November, private equity firm Baring Private Equity Asia Ltd. agreed to acquire Israel-based medical and aesthetic laser company Lumenis Ltd. Lumenis, which develops minimally-invasive, laser-based treatments for the surgical, ophthalmological and aesthetic markets, was listed twice on Nasdaq. Read more 

 

$889 million: In May, Nuvei Corporation bought payment technology company SafeCharge International Group Ltd. Founded in 2006 by David Avgi and Israeli businessman Teddy Sagi, SafeCharge specializes in payment processing, smart payment, and risk management technologies. Read more

 

$560 million: Data analytics company Qlik Technologies, Inc. bought Nasdaq-listed big data software services provider Attunity Ltd. in February. Attunity offers software for the management, sharing, and distribution of big data across enterprise platforms and the cloud. Read more

 

$560 million: Palo Alto Networks Inc. bought Demisto Inc. in February. Demisto was the fourth Israeli company bought up by Palo Alto Networks. Founded by former Check Point Software executive Nir Zuk, Palo Alto bought Cyvera Ltd. in 2014, Lightcyber Ltd in 2017, and Cyber Secdo Ltd. in 2018. Read more

 

$455 Million: Nasdaq-listed software company Ribbon Communications Inc. acquired telecommunications equipment supplier ECI Telecom Ltd. in November. Following the merger, the combined entity is expecting annual revenues of over $900 million. Read more

 

$450 Million: NYSE-listed cardiac and vascular surgery company CyroLife Inc. has signed an option agreement to acquire Israel-based stent-graft company EndoSpan Ltd. for up to $450 Million. EndoSpan develops stent graft systems for treating aneurysms and dissections throughout the aorta. Read more

 

$430 million: New York-listed life sciences software company Veeva Systems Inc. bought Israeli healthcare marketing startup Crossix Solutions Inc. in November. Crossix develops a healthcare marketing analytics service and reports more than 200 pharmaceutical companies as clients, including Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, Teva, and Gilead. Read more