AI 90% cheaper, 10X faster + $50M Thailand-Israel fund + Israel’s border startups stand firm

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

Startup of the Week

BlueTree Technologies: Keeping nature in, taking sugar out

Parents want to give their children healthy beverages, but even natural drinks such as juices are often high in sugar and can lead to weight gain, tooth decay, and increased risk for diabetes. Sugary beverages are also subject to warning labels and sugar taxes. BlueTree Technologies has developed a physical platform to selectively remove natural sugar that can be used with any natural liquid with high sugar content. The process does not add any chemicals or other substances, leaving the original source a 100% natural product with all other ingredients left intact. Nurtured at OurCrowd’s Fresh Start incubator, BlueTree has signed millions of dollars worth of agreements with leading beverage manufacturers. It has also developed a prototype to reduce 75% of sugar in milk for an Israeli food giant, and is currently developing a similar platform for beer for a major beverage distributor in Brazil. OurCrowd is leading BlueTree’s A-1 round, with participation from existing investors including NevaTeam and Tnuva.

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Israel’s border startups stand firm

Our startups on Israel’s border are overcoming major challenges triggered by the Gaza war. The city of Sderot, where Hamas terrorists killed at least 45 people, is home to several startups which have seen their facilities severely damaged, Reuters reports. Our portfolio company BionicHIVE, which creates sophisticated robots used in storage facilities, had to relocate its office and R&D lab. Robotican, another robotics startup, offered BionicHIVE space inside its headquarters in Omer, near the city of Beersheba. Carrar, another OurCrowd company located in Sderot, produces thermal management systems for EV batteries, significantly increasing their lifespan and enabling fast charging. Carrar’s employees were offered temporary space at the Drive TLV incubator from where they oversaw a successful test by an independent German lab that confirmed the company's thermal management system can prevent fires in EV batteries. OurCrowd is proud to support Carrar’s current funding round.

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Watch on-demand: FoodTech on the frontline

“If you're serious about FoodTech, Israel is the place to be,” alternative protein investment guru Jeremy Coller told a global audience of investors at ‘FoodTech on the Frontline: Invest in the Startups Feeding the Future.’ The online OurCrowd event featured nine startups from our Fresh Start FoodTech Incubator which had to relocate from Kiryat Shmona after rocket attacks from Lebanon. Dr. Tammy Meiron, CTO of Fresh Start, reported that despite the evacuation, the incubator and its startups were able to continue operations. Israel’s FoodTech industry, along with the rest of the economy and the country’s high-tech sector in particular, faces increased challenges because of the war against Hamas, said Cali Chill, Head of Funds at OurCrowd. Dror Bin, CEO of the Israel Innovation Authority, said that Israel was second only to the US in global investment in FoodTech startups, with $1.2B invested in the sector between 2020 and 2022. We are supporting innovation in the sector through a dedicated OurCrowd FoodTech Fund. If you missed the event, watch the replay by clicking the link below.

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Thailand’s RISE, OurCrowd launch $50M Fund

OurCrowd and Southeast Asian VC RISE launched the first Thailand-Israel focused VC fund. The $50M ROCX Fund is anchored by a major Thai institution and managed by an experienced team of VC experts from both Thailand and Israel. It will begin investing by the end of 2024, and plans to deploy capital into 20-30 startups over two to three years. Fund experts will help the companies scale up their commercial growth with leading corporations across Southeast Asia. “This new fund in partnership with OurCrowd will invest in the most cutting-edge deep technologies both Israel and Asia have to offer, and put them to work in creating maximum impact and changing lives, from life sciences to agriculture, from artificial intelligence to cybersecurity and beyond,” says Dr. Kid Parchariyanon, Co-founder and CEO of RISE, pictured here in Bangkok last week with Josh Wolff, COO of OurCrowd; Nattapat (Kun) Thanesvorakul, Head of Strategy and Investment at RISE; and Jon Medved, CEO and Founder of OurCrowd.

No-cost ElliQ companion robot for Florida seniors?

Florida resident Joyce Loaiza enjoys hanging out each morning with her good friend ElliQ, the interactive companion robot created by our AgeTech pioneer Intuition Robotics, Martin Lenkowsky reports for Coral Springs Talk. Like most good buddies, they might converse about the top news of the day, the weather, and sometimes even share a few jokes and laughs. Loaiza received her robot friend free of charge earlier this year from the Area Agency on Aging of Broward County, as part of a program to use technology to assist seniors in maintaining their independence and health, and to combat the effects of loneliness and isolation. Other states including New York, California and Washington, have similar programs. OurCrowd is participating in Intuition Robotics’ current funding round. Details available under NDA.

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NeuReality cuts AI costs by 90% with new inference platform?

OurCrowd portfolio company NeuReality launched its NR1 inference platform, which slashes the costs of AI deployment by 90% while increasing performance 10X. The system will help companies that rely on large CPU-centric data centers, which are becoming increasingly inefficient and expensive. “NeuReality’s AI inference system comes at the right time, when customers not only desire scalable performance and lower total cost of ownership, but also want open-choice, secure and seamless AI solutions that meet their unique business needs,” says Scott Tease, Vice President, General Manager, Artificial Intelligence and HPC WW at Lenovo.

BioCatch passes $100M in annual recurring revenue

Our FinTech security pioneer BioCatch surpassed $100M in annual recurring revenue , supported by sales of its behavioral biometric intelligence platform. BioCatch saw accelerated growth of its scam and mule detection modules as customers look to protect their users against sophisticated social engineering scams and eliminate criminal money laundering networks from their ecosystems. BioCatch’s ARR grew 51% as of September 30, 2023 compared to September 30, 2022.

Nvidia, Classiq to open Tel Aviv quantum center for life sciences

Nvidia, our quantum software pioneer Classiq, and Tel Aviv’s Sourasky Medical Center, are creating a Quantum Computing for Life Sciences & Healthcare Center. The institution will develop and implement quantum algorithms and applications with transformative potential in healthcare. “Integrated quantum-classical computing holds great potential for powering breakthroughs in life sciences and healthcare, but many challenges to realizing that potential remain to be addressed,” says Tim Costa, Director of High-Performance Computing and Quantum at Nvidia. “The new center aims to help researchers tackle these challenges and push the boundaries in applying quantum computing to problems in this critical area.”

Schneider Electric integrates Hailo AI processors

Energy giant Schneider Electric is integrating the processors produced by our portfolio company Hailo to enhance its AI capabilities. Schneider will use the Hailo-8 AI processor in its industrial automation products to collect data and intelligence from edge devices. “The Hailo collaboration reinforces our commitment to innovation and next-generation technology. It signifies an important step in delivering intelligent, energy-efficient solutions that will shape the future of industries,” says Aurelien LeSant, Senior Vice President Innovation & Technology and Chief Technology Officer, Industrial Automation at Schneider Electric.

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IQM and Nvidia launch new hybrid quantum platform

Nvidia and Europe’s quantum computing leader IQM, an OurCrowd portfolio company, will advance future hybrid quantum applications through Nvidia CUDA Quantum, an open-source platform for integrating and programming quantum processing units in one system. IQM's vision is to make the integration of quantum and classical systems immediately accessible to scientists and experts. IQM also launched its Radiance line of quantum computers for businesses and governments. The 54-qubit version is scheduled to hit the market in Q3 2024, and the 150-qubit system is to follow in Q1 2025.

Lockheed Martin invests in Launchpad

Lockheed Martin Ventures became a strategic investor in our portfolio company Launchpad, which develops AI-powered assembly planning software and autonomous assembly systems. Launchpad’s “one-manufacturing-line-for-all” platform offers low-cost, small-batch systems that are assembled on demand. “Launchpad’s vision in developing groundbreaking automated, yet highly variable and scalable solutions aligns with our vision of agile and responsive manufacturing,” says Chris Moran, Vice President and General Manager of Lockheed Martin Ventures.

Stanford adopts Sequentify kits for leukemia research

The Stanford Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine is adopting technology from our portfolio company Sequentify for its leukemia research. Sequentify's Next Generation Sequencing and AI-powered software enables fast, cost-effective and automated DNA sequencing, allowing Stanford scientists to quickly identify mutations in the disease. Sequentify's proprietary InfiniSeq platform also provides cancer diagnostics, carrier screening, virology and other applications.

DailyPay expands to 125 US venues including NBA and NHL arenas

Oak View Group, a global venue powerhouse for the sports and live entertainment industries, is expanding its partnership with our portfolio company DailyPay. DailyPay’s financial wellness benefits will reach seven NBA and NHL sports teams and 125 venues across the US, as well as all Oak View Group employees. The benefit allows employees access to their earned wages in real-time, letting them pay bills, spend, save and invest on their own schedule – without being tied to a scheduled payday.

Check out all funding opportunities on the OurCrowd platform

More than 3,100 high-tech jobs worldwide

Looking for a job? You may find your next adventure with an OurCrowd portfolio company on our?Portfolio Jobs?page. We have more than 3,100 vacancies at our portfolio companies around the world, seeking skilled staff at all levels from coders to bookkeepers, data scientists to dealmakers. Click on the link and start looking for the next step in your high-tech journey.

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

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OurCrowd is a global venture investing platform. To date we have more than $2.2 billion in commitments, 225,000 registered investors, 427 portfolio companies, 50 venture funds and 63 exits.

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