Israel Tech Daily

Classiq's chief executive tells Ynet the company came close to an IPO before Intel, and that Intel's quantum effort will be led from Israel. Plus a Frost & Sullivan report on defense tech deals, Nexera's KeepZone sale and Tel Aviv tech shares after the election.

1. Classiq's founder says the company was close to an IPO before choosing Intel, and that Intel's quantum effort will be led from Israel - Nir Minerbi told Ynet that Classiq's 140 employees will roughly double Intel's quantum headcount and that Classiq becomes a business unit under Intel's chief technology officer.
   Sources: Ynet, Geektime
2. Israeli defense tech M&A reached $3.26 billion in the first half of 2026, Frost & Sullivan finds - The report reviewed 44 announced aviation and defense deals from 2023 to 2026, excluding cyber, and found US acquirers behind about 45% of them.
   Sources: The Jerusalem Post
3. Nexera sells homeland security unit KeepZone AI to T3 Defense for up to $6 million - Nexera gets $1 million in T3 Defense stock at closing plus an earn-out capped at $5 million, and its shares rose about 38%.
   Sources: The Globe and Mail
4. Tel Aviv shares fall after an indecisive election, while tech stocks hold up - Globes reported the BlueTech Global index down about 0.6% while the construction index fell almost 6%.
   Sources: Globes
5. Palo Alto Networks CEO Nikesh Arora's pay falls 19.5% to about $80 million - The board also lowered the cap on fiscal 2027 performance shares to three times target, from four.
   Sources: CTech
6. Israeli researchers' open-source AI tool Open-Kritt earns a $500,000 bug bounty - Harel Rom and Gabriel Balko say the flaw could have exposed about $100 million; the software and the payer have not been named.
   Sources: Geektime
7. NanoCo builds governance and security controls for enterprise AI agents - Its open-source NanoClaw platform runs agents in sandboxes and routes sensitive actions to a human for approval.
   Sources: The Jerusalem Post

What to watch: Whether Tel Aviv's tech shares keep outperforming banks and builders as the final election count comes in.

This episode was brought to you by SkillSim. Interactive, timed AI hiring scenarios that test what candidates can really do, instead of take-home tasks they paste into ChatGPT. Try it free at skillsim.co.

Full transcript: https://www.startuptofollow.com/israel-tech-daily/2026-10-28-classiq-intel-defense-tech-nexera-keepzone

Israel Tech Daily is written from the day's reporting and voiced by AI hosts. Corrections: [email protected]

Intel is buying Israeli quantum software company Classiq in a deal valued at $2.3 billion, US startup Unconventional AI is acquiring chipmaker NeuReality, and SolarEdge lays off about 10% of its staff.

1. Intel acquires Israeli quantum software company Classiq for $2.3 billion - Globes puts the effective price at about $2.2 billion after Classiq's cash, the largest acquisition ever of a quantum computing company.
   Sources: Globes, Ynetnews, Israel Hayom
2. Classiq's founders and early investors stand to collect hundreds of millions, and Intel's CEO was an early backer - CTech reports Lip-Bu Tan invested in Classiq in 2022 and recused himself from discussions on the deal.
   Sources: CTech, CTech, Arutz Sheva
3. Unconventional AI acquires Israeli AI chip company NeuReality - Terms were not disclosed; Globes cites market estimates of $150 million to $200 million in cash and shares.
   Sources: Globes, CTech, ice
4. SolarEdge lays off about 200 employees, its fourth round of cuts since 2024 - Market sources told Globes only a few dozen of the cuts are in Israel.
   Sources: Globes
5. Elbit wins about $200 million in Asia-Pacific contracts for helicopter surveillance and training systems - The customer was not named and the contracts run over up to five years.
   Sources: CTech, Globes
6. Microsoft offers buyouts to up to 60,000 employees - CTech separately reported pre-dismissal hearings for about 50 Copilot Studio staff in Israel this month.
   Sources: CTech
7. Bezeq says AI traffic among its private customers has tripled in three months - CEO Nir David said data traffic used to double every two and a half to three years.
   Sources: Globes
8. Israel's Defense Ministry signs a 150 million euro naval deal with Cyprus - Israel Shipyards builds the patrol vessel and Rafael supplies its naval systems.
   Sources: Globes

What to watch: Because Intel is paying partly in its own shares, what Classiq's founders, investors and employees finally receive will move with Intel's stock price.

This episode was brought to you by SkillSim. Interactive, timed AI hiring scenarios that test what candidates can really do, instead of take-home tasks they paste into ChatGPT. Try it free at skillsim.co.

Full transcript: https://www.startuptofollow.com/israel-tech-daily/2026-10-27-intel-classiq-neureality-solaredge

Israel Tech Daily is written from the day's reporting and voiced by AI hosts. Corrections: [email protected]

Globes says technology control, not money, is the sticking point in US aid talks. Check Point reports a surge in cyberattacks on Israeli organizations before the election, and monday.com's stock is up about 81% since April.

1. US seeks control of Israeli defense technology as the price of future aid, Globes reports - The current US aid agreement expires in 2028, and both sides have agreed future military financing will be sharply lower.
   Sources: Globes
2. Check Point reports a surge in cyberattacks on Israeli organizations ahead of the election - Attacks averaged 2,700 a week in early October, up 55% from a year earlier.
   Sources: CTech
3. monday.com stock is up about 81% since April after layoffs and a push into AI agents - The company reports third-quarter results on November 9.
   Sources: Globes
4. IAI gets a bond reprieve from the Israel Securities Authority, and its union chief says hiring is slowing as AI spreads - IAI's NIS 154 million bond series can be deferred to April 2027 while a disclosure dispute is resolved.
   Sources: CTech, Ynetnews
5. Malaysia's prime minister raises the prospect of a full Waze ban after barring civil servants from the app - Waze says claims that it collects sensitive government information are false.
   Sources: CTech, Urban Acres
6. Mobileye shares fall to a new all-time low ahead of Thursday's results - Mobileye closed at $6.54 on Friday, a market cap of $5.6 billion.
   Sources: Globes
7. Palantir CEO Alex Karp calls Israel the minor exception in an AI race led by the US and China - Karp did not explain the remark or name an Israeli company.
   Sources: CTech
8. Six Israeli-linked companies appear on Time's Best Inventions of 2026 list - They include Aidoc, Nanox, SpotitEarly, Bria, Beewise and Doona.
   Sources: JNS
9. Women are about 5% of CEOs at private Israeli cyber companies, Innovation Authority data shows - CTech's look at gender bias in Israel's cyber industry cites Israel Innovation Authority figures.
   Sources: CTech

What to watch: Mobileye reports third-quarter results on Thursday, with its shares at a record low and no successor yet named for CEO Amnon Shashua.

This episode was brought to you by SkillSim. Interactive, timed AI hiring scenarios that test what candidates can really do, instead of take-home tasks they paste into ChatGPT. Try it free at skillsim.co.

Full transcript: https://www.startuptofollow.com/israel-tech-daily/2026-10-26-us-aid-technology-check-point-monday

Israel Tech Daily is written from the day's reporting and voiced by AI hosts. Corrections: [email protected]

Israel's tech industry and the Bank of Israel push back on Netanyahu's call for a crypto-based alternative economy, Fireblocks cuts about 7% of its workforce, and FIMI offers $65 million for half of Maytronics.

1. Netanyahu's call for a crypto-based alternative economy draws fire from tech leaders and the Bank of Israel - Netanyahu said on Saturday that crypto is one tool among several and it is not certain it will be used, Globes reports.
   Sources: Calcalist, CTech, Globes
2. Fireblocks cuts about 7% of its workforce, including dozens of jobs in Israel - It is the company's third round of cuts since 2023, CTech reports.
   Sources: CTech
3. FIMI offers $65 million for half of pool robot maker Maytronics - Maytronics was worth about $2.9 billion at its 2021 peak, CTech reports.
   Sources: CTech
4. Denmark picks the Anthem cruise missile from Israeli-linked defense startup Covenant - Denmark did not disclose the price or the number of missiles.
   Sources: CTech
5. Swap Commerce buys Israeli AI startup Vizby months after its founding - Industry sources put the price in the millions of shekels, The Jerusalem Post reports.
   Sources: The Jerusalem Post
6. Bill Ackman says he has invested about $100 million in Israel
   Sources: Calcalist
7. AI companies are buying the Slack messages and emails of shut-down startups
   Sources: Geektime
8. Omer Adam's data center company Anan valued at over $1 billion after a Crusoe deal
   Sources: ice

What to watch: Whether the alternative-economy plan Netanyahu says he has requested is ever published, and how tech companies and investors respond after the election.

This episode was brought to you by SkillSim. Interactive, timed AI hiring scenarios that test what candidates can really do, instead of take-home tasks they paste into ChatGPT. Try it free at skillsim.co.

Full transcript: https://www.startuptofollow.com/israel-tech-daily/2026-10-25-netanyahu-crypto-fireblocks-maytronics-fimi

Israel Tech Daily is written from the day's reporting and voiced by AI hosts. Corrections: [email protected]

Reports say Upwind turned down a $4 billion offer from Datadog and Visa is in talks to buy Fireblocks, Wiz researchers help expose a major PHP flaw, and 2Delta gets backing from Bill Ackman and Eric Schmidt.

1. Upwind reportedly turns down a nearly $4 billion acquisition offer from Datadog - The Information reported the offer and Globes says Upwind rejected it, while CTech says it learned the reported offer was not made.
   Sources: Globes, CTech
2. Visa is reported to be in advanced talks to buy Fireblocks for about $2.5 billion - The report comes from Axios, and Fireblocks denies it.
   Sources: Globes, Bizportal
3. Wiz researchers help expose PHP2Shell, a serious flaw in the PHP language behind most websites - Patches were released on 21 October, a day early, after details leaked.
   Sources: Calcalist, Globes
4. AI efficiency startup 2Delta raises tens of millions of dollars from Bill Ackman and Eric Schmidt - Ackman disclosed the investment while visiting Israel for a conference at Sheba Medical Center.
   Sources: Calcalist, Globes, Globes
5. Papaya Gaming's CEO says the company will fight a $719 million US judgment - Papaya is appealing and has asked courts in Israel and Delaware to pause collection.
   Sources: Globes
6. OpenAI, Anthropic and SpaceX build sales presence in Israel
   Sources: Globes
7. Cantor Fitzgerald and Oppenheimer see Wix's recovery continuing
   Sources: Globes
8. Eventer Technologies agrees to buy the remaining 49% of its Israeli subsidiary for $5.1 million
   Sources: TradingView

What to watch: Whether Upwind announces the $300 million round at a $3.8 billion valuation that Globes and CTech say it is completing now.

Full transcript: https://www.startuptofollow.com/israel-tech-daily/2026-10-23-upwind-datadog-fireblocks-visa-wiz-php

Israel Tech Daily is written from the day's reporting and voiced by AI hosts. Corrections: [email protected]

Sheba Medical Center's innovation arm ARC merges with New York's Redesign Health, cyber startup Mave raises $34 million, Modelyo raises about $17 million, and a plan to tax unexercised options draws opposition.

1. Sheba Medical Center's innovation arm ARC Global merges with New York's Redesign Health - Calcalist puts the deal at tens of millions of dollars, paid to Sheba, with about 10% going to the state.
   Sources: Calcalist, PR Newswire
2. Cybersecurity startup Mave raises $34 million for AI agents that investigate security alerts - The total includes a $28 million Series A led by Red Dot Capital Partners.
   Sources: Business Insider, Walla
3. Modelyo raises about $17 million for a confidential cloud platform - The round was led by US-based OlivTree; the company was previously funded by its founders.
   Sources: CTech, Israel Hayom
4. Finance Ministry and Tax Authority weigh a higher tax on tech workers' unexercised options - Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has said he opposes the options proposal, Globes reports.
   Sources: Globes
5. JFrog's market value climbs to about $11.5 billion, roughly monday.com and Nice combined - The shares are up about 55% this year after falling roughly 50% into February, CTech reports.
   Sources: CTech
6. Rylo signs a collaboration with Nvidia to develop real-time sign language translation - Calcalist reports Rylo recently raised $85 million, bringing its total to $101 million.
   Sources: Calcalist
7. Vintage Investment Partners raises $920 million, taking assets under management past $4.8 billion - Tzlil Kovetz and Ilan Leiferman were promoted to partner.
   Sources: CTech
8. Nvidia unveils a security architecture for AI agents built on its Israel-developed BlueField-4 chip - Jensen Huang presented it at GTC in Berlin, Globes reports.
   Sources: Globes
9. Thailand buys IWI's Arbel anti-drone system, according to Globes sources - No deal value was reported.
   Sources: Globes

What to watch: Whether the proposal to tax tech workers' unexercised options goes to the government for a decision, after Finance Minister Smotrich came out against it.

Full transcript: https://www.startuptofollow.com/israel-tech-daily/2026-10-22-sheba-arc-redesign-health-mave-modelyo

Israel Tech Daily is written from the day's reporting and voiced by AI hosts. Corrections: [email protected]

Elbit Systems completes its purchase of Canadian underwater vehicle maker ISE, RGo Robotics sells licenses to its technology as it winds down, and XTEND falls to about a third of its listing value.

1. Elbit Systems completes the acquisition of Canadian underwater vehicle maker International Submarine Engineering - Elbit did not disclose the price, describing it as not material.
   Sources: Globes, CTech, The Jerusalem Post
2. RGo Robotics winds down and sells licenses to its technology, including to John Deere's Blue River - Blue River will open its first R&D center outside the US in Israel, according to TheMarker.
   Sources: Ice
3. XTEND shares hit a new low, about two-thirds below its listing valuation - The slide continued after a $40.5 million US military order, CTech reports.
   Sources: CTech
4. Stripe recruits a general manager to launch operations in Israel - Stripe's payment processing is not yet available in Israel, according to Globes.
   Sources: Globes
5. Israel Shipyards and Rafael near a naval deal with Cyprus - CTech puts the deal at about 150 million euros; Globes says over $100 million.
   Sources: CTech, Globes
6. SanDisk moves its northern development center to the North High-Tech Park in Bar-Lev - About 120 employees will move from Tefen, CTech reports.
   Sources: CTech
7. Qualcomm plans performance-based job cuts worldwide - Qualcomm has not said whether its Israeli operation will be affected.
   Sources: CTech
8. Meta's Ray-Ban and Oakley AI glasses go on sale officially in Israel - Meta says prices in Israel start at 1,590 shekels.
   Sources: Geektime
9. Tel Aviv court rejects EA's jurisdiction challenge to a proposed loot box class action - The court has not ruled on whether loot boxes are gambling.
   Sources: CTech

What to watch: Whether Israel Shipyards and Rafael sign their naval deal with Cyprus in the coming weeks, as CTech expects.

Full transcript: https://www.startuptofollow.com/israel-tech-daily/2026-10-21-elbit-ise-rgo-robotics-xtend-stripe

Israel Tech Daily is written from the day's reporting and voiced by AI hosts. Corrections: [email protected]

Boomi buys Israeli data observability startup Elementary for about $40 to 45 million, TTM Technologies agrees to buy Ophir's Jerusalem optics business for $650 million, and Amnon Shashua's doubleAI unveils its first code execution model.

1. Boomi buys Israeli data observability startup Elementary for about $40 to 45 million - It is Boomi's third Israeli acquisition, after Rivery and Lunar.dev, according to CTech.
   Sources: CTech, Business Wire
2. TTM Technologies agrees to buy MKS's Ophir Optics business in Jerusalem for $650 million - The deal excludes Ophir's laser measurement business and the Ophir brand, which stay with MKS.
   Sources: Globes, Yahoo Finance
3. Amnon Shashua's doubleAI unveils Maxwell, a code execution model to cut computing costs - doubleAI has raised about $200 million from investors including Nvidia and Dell, according to Globes.
   Sources: Globes, PYMNTS, Digital Today
4. Laser maker Civan Lasers prepares a Tel Aviv IPO at up to 1.8 billion shekels - Civan supplies a core technology for the Iron Beam laser defense system, Globes reports.
   Sources: Globes
5. Elbit Systems wins a $235 million rocket artillery contract from a European country - Sources told Globes the client is Azerbaijan; Elbit did not name it.
   Sources: Globes, CTech
6. Transmit Security co-founder Mickey Boodaei hands the CEO role to Matt Thompson - Boodaei becomes active chairman, according to Calcalist.
   Sources: Calcalist
7. Drone software company High Lander brings its total funding to $30 million - The size of the latest investment was not disclosed.
   Sources: Ynetnews
8. Alma Ventures holds a first closing for a $40 million mental health fund with Sheba
   Sources: Globes
9. Intel reports a suspected gas leak at its Kiryat Gat plant days after a fatal explosion - Fire and Rescue Services said the incident was contained within the plant.
   Sources: CTech
10. Pelephone is close to buying mobile operator Wecom for about 265 million shekels - A final agreement is expected in the coming days, according to Ice.
    Sources: Ice

What to watch: Whether doubleAI's claimed compute savings hold up once Maxwell reaches more customers.

Full transcript: https://www.startuptofollow.com/israel-tech-daily/2026-10-20-boomi-elementary-ttm-ophir-doubleai

Israel Tech Daily is written from the day's reporting and voiced by AI hosts. Corrections: [email protected]

Israel's Electricity Authority outlines a 200 megawatt cap on new data centers, OpenWeb's Israeli employees threaten to seek liquidation, IAI has six weeks to rescue its IPO plan, and senior managers leave monday.com.

1. Israel's Electricity Authority outlines a 200 megawatt cap on each new data center - Grid operator Noga received connection requests totaling about 27,000 megawatts, according to Calcalist.
   Sources: Calcalist, CTech
2. OpenWeb's Israeli employees demand to be paid from company funds or they will seek liquidation - OpenWeb is under a court-appointed temporary trustee and in a dispute with its lender, Liquidity.
   Sources: Globes
3. Israel Aerospace Industries has six weeks to resolve a disclosure impasse blocking its IPO - IAI plans to sell at least 20% of its shares at a valuation of about NIS 100 billion, according to CTech.
   Sources: CTech
4. Senior product and engineering managers are leaving monday.com after its reorganization - monday.com cut about 20% of its global workforce in a reorganization announced in July.
   Sources: Calcalist
5. Israeli tech employs about 18,000 fewer people than pre-pandemic growth implied, a Reichman University paper finds - The policy paper is by the Phoenix Capital Market Research Institute at Reichman University.
   Sources: CTech
6. Alice and AI21 say they trained an NVIDIA Nemotron model to resist prompt injection - The results come from the companies' own tests, not independent evaluations, Ynetnews notes.
   Sources: Ynetnews
7. Google and IAB Europe drop Discover-Tech from their vendor lists after the Citizen Lab spyware report - Follows Friday's report that researchers tied Discover-Tech's ads to Candiru spyware.
   Sources: PPC Land
8. SpotitEarly, Beewise and Bria AI make TIME's list of the year's best inventions - Three Israeli companies are on the list, according to Globes.
   Sources: Globes
9. Car group Colmobil is still recovering from a cyber incident five days on - The company says it has notified the regulators and is investigating the source.
   Sources: Globes

What to watch: Whether the Justice Ministry or the Israel Securities Authority resolves IAI's disclosure problem before its only bond series falls due on 1 December.

Full transcript: https://www.startuptofollow.com/israel-tech-daily/2026-10-19-data-center-cap-openweb-iai-monday

Israel Tech Daily is written from the day's reporting and voiced by AI hosts. Corrections: [email protected]

Belgian reverse-engineering firm Hex-Rays buys six-person Israeli AI security startup Ventris, Rocket Software buys mainframe AI startup Geniez, Gauzy's CEO leads a $7 million rescue, and John Paulson gives Hebrew University $250 million.

1. Hex-Rays, maker of IDA Pro, buys Israeli AI security research startup Ventris for $30 million to $35 million - Ventris has six employees, was founded in 2025 and never raised outside capital, according to CTech.
   Sources: CTech
2. Rocket Software buys Geniez AI, an Israeli startup building AI agents for mainframes - The price was not disclosed; Calcalist estimates it at up to $100 million.
   Sources: CTech, Quasa.io
3. Investors led by CEO Eyal Peso put $7 million into Gauzy under a court-approved debt arrangement - Gauzy has lost 98% of its value since its Nasdaq IPO, according to Globes.
   Sources: Globes
4. John Paulson gives the Hebrew University $250 million, including for a new Faculty of Engineering - The Mount Scopus campus will be renamed the Alina and John Paulson Campus.
   Sources: Globes, The Jerusalem Post, CTech
5. The Innovation Authority and Labor Ministry put NIS 25 million into programs for women in tech - The money, with matching private funds, goes to 15 programs.
   Sources: The Jerusalem Post
6. Cellebrite reportedly presents LOKI, a boot ROM exploit for older Apple chips, at Hexacon - The report rests on a post by International Cyber Digest citing a conference slide.
   Sources: Pasquale Pillitteri
7. CTech analysis: Varonis sells for about 8.4 times revenue, below its 2021 peak - Follows Friday's report of Proofpoint's $6.3 billion deal for Varonis.
   Sources: CTech

What to watch: Whether the commercial court in Lyon approves a plan for Gauzy's French subsidiary, which the shares set aside for its trustees depend on.

Full transcript: https://www.startuptofollow.com/israel-tech-daily/2026-10-18-hex-rays-ventris-rocket-geniez-gauzy

Israel Tech Daily is written from the day's reporting and voiced by AI hosts. Corrections: [email protected]