April 15 Online: Investing in AI with NVIDIA Inception, Palantir

A weekly selection of news and investment opportunities from OurCrowd, the global venture investing platform

Startup of the Week 

SAM Seamless Network: Protecting 7M+ routers, 500M+ devices 

The rapid spread of insecure internet of things (IoT) devices in homes and small businesses has created a major cybersecurity headache, with hackers penetrating networks through common hardware such as printers or webcams. The technology from SAM Seamless Network provides cybersecurity software, remotely deployed onto network routers to protect vulnerable connected devices from remote attack. SAM is currently used on over 7M routers and protects more than 500M connected devices worldwide. Customers include Verizon in the US, Virgin Media in the UK and Ireland, Orange in Belgium, and Bezeq in Israel. The company’s investors include Intel Capital, Night Dragon, BlackBerry, Ericsson, Verizon, ADT Security Corporation, and Blumberg Capital. OurCrowd is leading SAM’s Series C funding round. Additional information is available under NDA. 

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Hailo raises $120M Series C extension: Exclusive access for OurCrowd investors

Hailo, our pioneering chipmaker of edge AI processors, raised an additional $120M to its Series C funding round, as reported by Forbes, VentureBeat, Reuters and other global media. The company has raised more than $340M to date and is valued at $1.2B, Bloomberg reports. “Hailo is the one startup that appears to have found success in the ultra-competitive and increasingly crowded AI chip space,” says TechCrunch. Current and new investors participated including the Zisapel family, Gil Agmon, Delek Motors, Alfred Akirov, DCLBA, Vasuki, Talcar, Comasco, Automotive Equipment (AEV), and Poalim Equity. Hailo also launched its groundbreaking Hailo-10 GenAI accelerator that enables GenAI applications to run locally without registering for specific cloud-based services. The company has a growing list of partners and clients across more than 15 industries including Advantech, Compulab, Dell, Lanner, LeddarTech, NXP, and Schneider Electric. OurCrowd investors have exclusive access to this closed and fully subscribed round. Additional information is available under NDA.

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April 15 Online: Investing in AI with NVIDIA Inception, Palantir

NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA) is at the epicenter of the AI revolution, now permeating every industrial sector from automotive to utilities. OurCrowd is collaborating with NVIDIA’s Inception program to fast track startups in OurCrowd's AI fund. Software giant Palantir (NYSE: PLTR) is a trailblazer with the integration of AI in big data analytics and operating systems. Join leaders from OurCrowd, NVIDIA Inception, Palantir, and cutting-edge AI startups to discuss the new, AI-powered direction of the tech world, how the world of venture capital is changing as a result, and the exciting investment opportunities we can expect. 

Israeli tech raises $3.1B since Oct 7, $1.6B in Q1 2024

Israeli tech startups continue to raise funds despite the Swords of Iron war, at only a slightly slower pace than in previous years, Reuters reports. According to the new report from Startup Nation Central, since the start of the war, sparked by Hamas' murderous attacks on Oct. 7, some 220 private investment rounds raised $3.1B, with security technology firms accounting for one-third of funds raised. A similar study compiled by research center IVC and LeumiTech shows Israeli startups raised $1.6B in Q1 2024 alone, The Times of Israel reports, and that the number of deals recorded in the January-March period increased by 35% from the previous quarter to 105. “After three consecutive quarters in which there were decreases in the volume and number of fundraising deals by Israeli tech companies, the figures for the first quarter in 2024 are surprisingly positive,” says Ben Klein, CEO of IVC. These totals include the latest investment round in Hailo, and funds raised by OurCrowd’s Israel Resilience Fund, which made commitments into 26 companies in less than three months, as Gil Press writes in Forbes. The Israel Resilience Fund remains open to OurCrowd investors for a limited time.

Key US oncology journal validates OncoHost tech

A study in JCO Precision Oncology, a journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, demonstrates the clinical validity and utility of the proprietary PROphet® NSCLC test from OurCrowd portfolio company OncoHost. Alongside tumor testing, OncoHost's PROphet® NSCLC test optimizes cancer treatment selection, leading to improved survival outcomes and potentially reducing chemotherapy-related toxicity in select patients. “We have created a new breed of tests that can analyze vast amounts of data points from the blood proteome, providing clear clinical utility for physicians treating patients with advanced disease,” says Ofer Sharon, MD, CEO of OncoHost.

Apple Vision + Liquid Instruments = Ultimate optics lab experience

Testing devices from OurCrowd portfolio company Liquid Instruments, are now available on Apple Vision Pro. Operators use the Apple device to interact with multiple instruments used in optics, photonics, and quantum research, using hand and eye gestures. “This is a great example of how quickly software-defined instrumentation can adopt or integrate with new technologies in a way that conventional instrumentation simply cannot,” says Daniel Shaddock, Co-founder and CEO of Liquid Instruments. This is the first interactive 3D test system for optics researchers.

BioCatch: We’re at the dawn of the age of AI-powered fraud

“We're at the dawn of the age of AI-powered fraud,” says Tom Peacock, Director of Global Fraud Intelligence at our FinTech guardian BioCatch, on the publication of its report on financial crimes in Europe. BioCatch found a considerable jump in social-engineering scams and stolen devices as fraudsters increase the use of AI to target victims. Mobile users are particularly vulnerable. 75% of reported fraud cases among BioCatch's European customers took place on mobile devices, up 6% from 2022. 

Funnel introduces advanced marketing intelligence tech

Marketing tech pioneer Funnel launched its new visualization feature, Funnel Dashboards, enabling marketers to find deviations and patterns in their data much more efficiently than any existing third-party tools and plug-ins. The visualization tools will also help marketers quickly and easily showcase their performance to executives and stakeholders in a matter of clicks. “This is a real game-changer,” says Fredrik Skantze, CEO of Funnel. “Funnel Dashboards were designed specifically with marketers in mind, offering them unparalleled visualization speed and reliability without the weight of BI or IT features that they never use. This new frictionless data exploration is part of cementing Funnel as the leading marketing intelligence solution.”

Clinch generative AI platform wins ad industry award

OurCrowd portfolio company Clinch won a Business Intelligence Group award for its use of generative AI in its dynamic advertising serving and personalization platform. Clinch’s Flight Control streamlines the ad campaign activation process making them more efficient and maximizing performance. By applying GenAI, the system ensures campaigns get to market faster with fewer errors, resulting in considerable cost and time savings. “By integrating GenAI into a multitude of systems and processes throughout our Flight Control platform, we're not just redefining what AI can do in this industry—we're pushing the limit on performance and ROI,” says Raz Peter, CTO & Co-founder of Clinch. 

Australian Football League stadium opens Zippin-powered stores

Australian Football League fans are experiencing Zippin checkout-free tech at Melbourne Cricket Ground stores, Retail Technology Innovation Hub reports. The arena, which can host tens of thousands of fans, opened two express outlets which use AI, machine learning and sensor fusion technology to create better customer experiences, allowing crowds to buy their favorite food and beverage items faster than ever before. Zippin has over 90 autonomous stores worldwide at fast-throughput locations including airports, arenas, train stations, office parks, and convenience markets.

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About this Newsletter

Startup Beat is a weekly selection of news and investment opportunities from OurCrowd, the global venture investing platform.

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