Author: OurCrowd

Civic engagement in Startup Nation, Google Israel’s Yossie Matias, and the latest from 8200 [OurCrowd Newsletter]

Check out apps dedicated to helping with civic engagement and citizenship. Two Israeli-US startups raise over $50 million. Kids are designing self-driving cars. Read on. Start getting this weekly newsletter via email: Subscribe now Two Israeli-US startups, Fundbox and Playbuzz, raise a total of $56M Two Israeli-US startups announced this week that they raised multi-million financing rounds, Fundbox lined up $40M and Playbuzz $16M. Founded in 2013, Fundbox uses sophisticated technology to determine the risk profile of small businesses to which it advances loans. Playbuzz, founded in 2012, enables publishers, bloggers, marketers, and brands to connect with audiences through quizzes, lists, surveys, and rankings. Learn more. OurCrowd in the News Cimagine featured in GizMag Bizzabo featured on MarketingBuddy BillGuard featured in Investopedia MUV featured in Israel21c OurCrowd featured in Crowdfund Insider Lucid Energy featured in The Washington Post Elections 2.0: Top Israeli apps transforming civic engagement As Israelis exercised their right to vote in last week’s election, it’s important to note that on a daily basis the Startup Nation exercises its right to be innovative. In the months leading up to the elections, Israel’s thriving startup ecosystem...

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Get your copy: The smart investor’s guide to cybersecurity

It seems every week we’re haunted by news of a serious hacking incident at a major bank or retailer: In 2014 alone, top breaches included household brand names like Sony, Target, Google, Home Depot, eBay and, JP Morgan Chase. The case for securing data has never been stronger as investing firms are pouring billions of dollars of capital into the cybersecurity industry. Merger and acquisition activity in this sector has picked up considerably. This dynamic — a major market need together with lots of opportunities for startups — has compelled early-stage investors and angels to get serious about cybersecurity. Cybersecurity is an already large industry poised for enormous growth over the next several years; by some estimates it will reach upwards of $150 billion by 2019. We at OurCrowd, along with our investors, have our bets on a variety of different solutions in the cybersecurity field, and compiled the following investor guide to navigating this rapidly growing market. OurCrowd Startup Investing Guide: Cybersecurity [xyz-ihs snippet=”CyberGuideCTA”] To find out more about investment opportunities, visit our...

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Elections 2.0: Top Israeli apps transforming civic engagement

Yesterday — after months of campaigning, exhaustive deliberating, and relentless political advertising by competing parties — millions of Israelis flocked to the various polls across the country to carry out their democratic right and vote for their next government (the election had an impressive 71.8% voter turnout, the highest since the 1999 elections!). As Israelis exercised their right to vote in Tuesday’s election, it’s important to note that on a daily basis the Startup Nation exercises its right to be innovative. Israel has earned international acclaim for its cutting-edge innovations, successful entrepreneurs, and research in the fields of science, technology, medicine, and the environment. Over the past few months leading up to the Israeli elections, the country’s thriving startup ecosystem has been exhibiting similar ingenuity and creative execution in another, somewhat unexpected area — citizenship and civic duty. It’s evident that technological advancements and the growing use of smartphones enable individuals from all over the world to join together and propel real change. Now that technology meets public engagement and philanthropy, many more people can become involved in their communities in a meaningful way. NoCamels, a leading news website on Israeli innovations, profiled five leading Israeli tech platforms that “give citizens...

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What a childhood in Kenya taught this Israeli female entrepreneur [OurCrowd Newsletter]

For a little reversal, an Israeli company acquires an American one. And some bio-sensors in your workout headgear. Meet Anat Weissman, whose Kenyan childhood equipped her for life. And more… Start getting this weekly newsletter via email: Subscribe now Israel’s Nova acquires US company Revera for $46.5M Israel’s Nova has acquired US company Revera for $46.5 million. Nova provides optical metrology solutions for advanced process control used in semiconductor manufacturing. Revera is a provider of materials metrology solutions for advanced semiconductor manufacturing. The synergy between Nova’s Optical CD tech and Revera’s unique X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy tech will deliver leading edge solutions for superior process control at the most advanced technology nodes. Learn more. OurCrowd in the News BioCatch featured in Times of Israel OurCrowd featured in Crowdsourcing.org Cimagine featured in The Next Web Cimagine featured on CNBC Borro featured in Mortgage Finance Gazette Tapit featured in QR Code Press Consumer Physics in Australian Food News enVerid featured in Energy Manager Today Hold on to your hat! LifeBEAM puts smart bio-sensors in your workout headgear Two former Israel Air Force pilots, both passionate athletes, devised a bio-sensing technology embedded in headgear to measure...

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OurCrowd’s portfolio company Cimagine featured in The Next Web

Leading technology news website, The Next Web, featured OurCrowd portfolio company Cimagine. The company hopes to boost sales and increase consumer confidence by providing a mobile platform on which to visualize merchandise three dimensionally in their intended locations. Israeli augmented reality startup Cimagine Media has announced a tie up with Shop Direct, the company behind online retail brands including Very.co.uk and Littlewoods.com. The deal will allow visitors to those sites to see what thousands of products will look like in their homes using markerless augmented reality (AR). Cimagine’s technology scans your room then places a 3D model of the item you’re interested into the environment. You can them reposition it where you like and walk around to get a look at the different angles. Cimagine raised $360,000 from OurCrowd investors in July 2014. Read more on The Next...

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