VGNI: Special focus on Eilat’s international summit of food technologies

VERY GOOD NEWS ISRAEL  6.11.22

In the portion of the Bible that is read in synagogues this week, Abraham and Sarah invite three strangers to share a meal with them. Thousands of years later, their descendants are busy developing new ways to feed a growing global population.

In this week’s newsletter, read about Eilat’s international summit of food technologies; Israel’s new agricultural agreement with Bahrain; an experiment to grow seeds on the Moon; Tel Aviv’s FoodTechIL conference during Israel’s AgriFood week; two Israeli NGOs investing in agricultural technology and sustainable farming; and the finalists of an exciting Israeli FoodTech competition.

An Israeli startup uses 3D-printing to produce marbled beef; another is creating proteins to preserve food; Israeli crop irrigation pipes are being recycled; and water contamination is being eliminated. Finally, an Israeli device helps maintain a healthy metabolism, and Burger King has launched their first vegan Whoppers in Tel Aviv.

The photo (TY Meyer) is of a colorful food stall at the shuk (open-air market) in Jerusalem.

Please recommend www.verygoodnewsisrael.blogspot.com and forward this email to friends, family and colleagues and especially to any individuals who you think need to know about the good work that Israel does.

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In the 6th Nov 22 edition of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:

ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS

Israel’s first lymph node transplant. For the first time in Israel, surgeons at Baruch Padeh Medical Center, Poriya in Tiberias have performed lymph node transplant surgery. They used lymph nodes from the abdomen of a 34-year-old woman suffering from the lack of a lymphatic system in her leg that caused it to swell hugely.
https://www.jpost.com/health-and-wellness/article-720370

HBOT and autism. A new Tel Aviv University study showed that Pressure chamber therapy (Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy – HBOT) significantly improved social skills in animal models of autism. It also reduced neuroinflammation, which is known to be associated with autism.
https://neurosciencenews.com/pressure-chamber-asd-21737/  https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/23/19/11077
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36232395/

Israeli cancer detection expands across France. (TY Atid-EDI) Israel’s Ibex Medical has expanded its partnership with France’s Medipath (see here previously) to cover cancer analysis of multiple tissue types at more of Medipath’s 30 labs. Medipath provides pathology services to 250+ hospitals and clinics across France.
https://ibex-ai.com/medipath-ai-expansion/

10,000+ implants.  Israel’s Ossio (see here previously) has reported that orthopedic surgeons have implanted more than 10,000 Ossiofiber implants since their introduction in 2019. Ossio’s biofriendly Ossiofiber, and intelligent bone regeneration technology are designed to solve the shortcomings of conventional metal implants.
https://www.massdevice.com/ossio-closes-38-5m-series-c/  https://www.ourcrowd.com/companies/ossio
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvZsgpgfW7s

Twin sisters develop metabolism device. (TY UWI) Israeli twin sisters Merav and Michal Mor, both PhD graduates, were training for an Ironman triathlon and needed to measure their metabolic rate. No device existed, so they invented their own and founded Israeli startup Lumen (see here previously).
https://www.israel21c.org/how-to-hack-your-metabolism-and-improve-your-health/
https://www.lumen.me/home-research

Israeli global medi-tech (TY Louise) A recent Shanghai expo has revealed two Israeli medical technology start-ups that haven’t previously been reported in this newsletter. They are Vitalerter (biosensor care protection), and RuiLuo Technology, part of Israel’s Neurotech Solutions (ADHD diagnosis and treatment).
https://ischam.glueup.cn/event/chinese-investments-in-israeli-medical-tech-33640/
https://www.vitalerter.com/   https://www.neurotech-solutions.com/

Newborn saved in Herzliya mall. Volunteer EMTs from United Hatzalah revived a 3-week-old baby girl who suffered cardiac arrest in a Herzliya shopping mall. The team performed CPR with just two fingers and after 30 minutes the baby’s pulse returned. Later in hospital a heart defect was discovered and treated.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/361365

Preemie delivered and resuscitated. United Hatzalah volunteers have been busy. In Kiryat Gat they delivered a premature baby in the breech position and then used two-fingered CPR and ventilation to restore her pulse. They also treated the mother who had lost a large amount of blood during the emergency.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/miracle-delivery-israeli-emts-revive-pulse-less-preemie-during-home-birth/

ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL

Three powerful Israeli women. (TY JNS) Three Israeli women – Eynat Guez, Adi Tatarko, and Daphne Koller – are included on Fortune Magazine’s “The 15 Most Powerful Women in Startups” list for 2022. All three head unicorn companies (Houzz, Papaya Global, Coursera, and Insitro) valued at $1 billion or more.
https://www.israel21c.org/3-of-fortunes-most-powerful-women-in-startups-are-israeli/
https://fortune.com/2022/10/06/most-powerful-women-in-startups-2022/

Inclusive hi-tech school. Google and Israel’s Reichman University are establishing The School of High-Tech. It will provide equal opportunities to everyone, based on their personal skills and suitability to the program. Underrepresented populations will be accepted, regardless of their ability to pay for the course.
https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/israel/technology-science/1666679141-google-opens-school-for-high-tech-professionals-in-israeli-university  https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/skml78nvs

Jewish, Arab, and Druze mayors train together. 20 Israeli heads of municipalities are to attend an intensive one-year executive training program at Tel Aviv University’s Center for City Leadership. They include the heads of Arab Umm al-Fahm, Bedouin Kseifa, Druze Dalit El-Karmel, Judea Binyamin region, and Bnei Brak.
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-720795

Eilat could feed the world. The first-ever International Summit on “Food Technologies from the Dead Sea and Desert”, in Eilat, follows Israel’s decision to launch a NIS 170 million, multi-year plan to develop Eilat and the Eilat region into a national and international center for the production of food from the sea and the desert.
https://www.jpost.com/business-and-innovation/article-720167

Agriculture accord signed with Bahrain. Israel and Bahrain signed an agricultural cooperation declaration at the recent Eilat Food-tech summit. 25 international delegations participated, including Morocco, Jordan, the UAE, USA, Chile, Ghana, Singapore, the Netherlands, and Iceland.
https://www.jns.org/israel-bahrain-sign-accord-on-agricultural-cooperation/

Solving the world’s biggest problems. The Movement by Good Company invests in Israeli startups “solving the world’s biggest problems” – Climate-tech, Social-tech, Energy, Agriculture, Work and Education, Circular Economy, and Digital Health. It is selecting startups to participate in “Reaching Net Zero (RNZ)” action day.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/r1zaoadnj  https://goodcompanyhq.com/fund

5 Israeli unis in top 50 for producing entrepreneurs. PitchBook’s 2022 ranking of the 100 universities that produce the most VC-backed entrepreneurs, includes Tel Aviv (7), Technion (15), Hebrew U (31), Reichman (38) and Ben-Gurion (45). Besides Israel, only two top 50 universities were from outside of North America.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/5-israeli-universities-feature-among-top-50-producers-of-entrepreneurs/
https://www.aftau.org/news_item/tau-climbs-to-seventh-place-in-global-entrepreneurship-ranking/
https://pitchbook.com/news/articles/pitchbook-university-rankings

Donating telehealth kits. Following its donation of telehealth kits to Ukraine, Israel’s TytoCare (see here previously) has launched a giveback initiative, TytoCareS. It enables the company and its partners to donate devices to other countries in need, significantly expanding global access to clinic-quality healthcare.
https://www.israel21c.org/tytocare-telehealth-kits-donated-to-countries-in-need/
https://www.tytocare.com/tytocares/

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

$18 million for Albert Einstein Museum. The Israeli government has approved the construction of an $18 million Albert Einstein Museum on the Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s Safra Campus at Givat Ram. It will include a reconstruction of Einstein’s library and office and be a scientific and technological education center.
https://www.jns.org/israel-approves-18-million-for-albert-einstein-museum-at-hebrew-university/

Searching for habitable planets. A Hebrew University of Jerusalem-led project has successfully developed a framework to study the atmospheres of distant planets and locate those planets fit for human habitation, without having to visit them physically. The team examined TRAPPIST-1e, a planet 40 light years from the Earth.
https://campaign.huji.ac.il/news/innovative-system-developed-hebrew-u-evaluates-habitability-distant-planets
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/ac866f

Seeds that could grow on the Moon. (TY UWI) Plant seeds from Ben Gurion University will accompany Beresheet 2, the next attempt of Israel’s SpaceIL to land on the moon in 2025. The plants were selected to withstand the extreme temperatures they will face in space.  (See also here.)
https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-nation-that-made-desert-bloom-now-aims-to-grow-plants-on-the-moon/

Mega food conference. Tel Aviv’s FoodTechIL conference begins on 7 Nov, in the middle of Israel’s AgriFood Week. It will feature 70 startups and some 1,600 global food industry leaders and investors. One of the startups is Israel’s CreamCol – which converts any alcoholic drink into an all-natural alcoholic cream.
https://www.israel21c.org/foodtechil-mega-convention-in-tel-aviv-to-focus-on-scaleup/
https://www.israel21c.org/who-says-you-cant-get-tipsy-from-a-croissant-or-cookie/ https://www.creamcol.com/

3D-printed marbled beef cut. Israel’s Steakholder Foods (previously known as MeaTech 3D – see here) has produced 3D-printed marbled beef using bio-inks. Steakholder’s Omakase Beef Morsels were inspired by the marbling standard of Wagyu beef and can be printed with any desired marbling ratio, shape, or width.
https://steakholderfoods.com/omakase-cultured-beef-morsels/

A safe preservative for food products. Israel’s Bountica uses bacteria and precision fermentation to create proteins that can preserve food safely. These proteins do not have any of the health concerns associated with the benzoates, sorbates, propionates, nitrites, BPA, and other chemicals that can be seen listed on food labels.
https://nocamels.com/2022/10/israeli-scientists-teach-bacteria-to-preserve-food-safely/
https://www.bountica.com/

Pinpointing wastewater contamination. Israel’s Kando (see here previously) has been busy recently helping locate the source of virus (Covid-19 and polio) and seawater contamination via Israel’s sewer system.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/spotlight/flush-with-data-kando-transforms-public-health-with-wastewater-intelligence/  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hb6pbcQu_7E  https://www.ourcrowd.com/companies/kando

Sustainable irrigation. The plastic irrigation driplines of Israel’s Netafim (see here previously) are recycled in California, Australia, Israel, Peru, Chile, and Spain. Old pipelines are shredded, washed, pelletized, and then upcycled. Netafim’s 40,000-sqm plant in Culiacán also recycles its wastewater and is powered by solar energy.
https://www.israel21c.org/taking-a-bite-out-of-plastic-agricultural-waste-in-mexico/

Vanishing print. (TY Hazel) Israel’s Reep Technologies uses lasers to completely remove ink from printed pages so that the paper can be reused. Reep has re-invented the “de-printer”, protected it with 20 patents and is now preparing to roll it out globally. It saves trees, water, energy, waste, pollution and is carbon negative.
https://nocamels.com/2022/10/now-you-see-it-miracle-de-printer-wipes-the-words-off-a-page/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TeGLC8k7ww4  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RofKzrXBkOo

Making buildings intelligent. Israel’s Resonai empowers commercial real estate owners and operators to transform their physical properties into virtual assets. Its Vera platform creates a “digital twin” with embedded AI to enable greater operational control, real-time customer insights, and innovative engaging experiences.
https://www.resonai.com/  https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/rkxfxvsvs

Giving employees the right answers. Israel’s Ask-AI uses Natural Language Processing (NLP) to answer questions from company employees and managers and give them insights as to their business and customers.  It monitors emails, chats, databases, call center communications, and more, to improve customer relationships.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/h1yembseo   https://www.ask-ai.com/

Where cybersecurity gurus meet (virtually). Israeli startup WadiDigital has launched Cyfluencer – a platform to connect cybersecurity influencers who wish to share top-quality content, ideas, and insights. The community is comprised of experienced professionals (“influencers”) and cybersecurity companies who want publicity.
https://www.israel21c.org/a-new-platform-made-just-for-cybersecurity-influencers/
https://www.cyfluencer.com/

Replace heavy copper wiring. (TY Israel21c) Israel’s Yamar develops semiconductor devices that merge data over power lines. The technology reduces wiring cost and weight while increasing reliability. Customers in 51 countries use the devices in a variety of applications in automotive, aerospace, lighting, industrial, and more.
https://finder.startupnationcentral.org/company_page/yamar-electronics   https://yamar.com/

A toothbrush-inspired humidifier. Israeli Aryeh Tench has invented an air humidifier with only one moving part. He says it’s cheaper, cleaner, and more efficient than any other. It works like a rotating toothbrush – the filaments break up water into tiny droplets. No heat, condensation, or bacteria. Prototypes are now being tested.
https://nocamels.com/2022/10/changing-the-air-we-breathe-with-a-toothbrush-inspired-device/

ECONOMY & BUSINESS

Clouds of glory. According to US-based consultants Sage Intacct, Israel has the most cloud computing startups per capita in the world – 8.4 per million Israelis. Over $2 billion has been invested into Israel-based cloud startups since 2017.  https://www.israel21c.org/israel-leads-world-in-cloud-startups-per-capita/
https://blog.sageintacct.com/blog/cloud-computing-startups-hubs

Israel becomes a Google Cloud Region. Google has opened the Google Cloud region in Tel Aviv (me-west1), joining its network of cloud regions around the world. Google estimates that by 2030, the new region will contribute a cumulative $7.6 billion to Israel’s GDP, and support the creation of 21,000+ jobs in that year alone.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/sjq7lb67s

Agriculture innovation fund. The Hashomer Hachadash NGO has launched a new investment company, Eretz Noshevet, to support and promote innovative agriculture in Israel. It has also raised $20 million, for supporting ventures of young farmers, agritech technology projects and land development.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/rkwsltaqo   https://eng.hashomer.org.il/

Global agricultural advice. (TY Louise) Another Israeli start-up exhibiting in Shanghai recently was Etza Agriculture. Its contacts with seed companies, chemical companies, agricultural high-tech companies, and academic institutions, enable Etza to provide fast and creative solutions for emerging problems in the field.
https://www.etza-agri.co.il/

Vegan Whoppers at Burger King Israel. Burger King Israel has begun serving vegan Whoppers and nuggets from Israel’s “Meat The End” at its pop-up branch in Tel Aviv’s Dizengoff Square. It plans to extend this to nine other locations in the greater Tel Aviv metropolitan area. Several of those branches are certified kosher.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/kosher-burger-kings-to-serve-israeli-startups-vegan-burgers/
https://www.jpost.com/business-and-innovation/article-720439   https://www.meattheend.tech/

FoodTech competition finalists. Six Israeli startups have reached the final of Tnuva and Calcalist’s FoodTech competition.  BioBetter, Eggmented Reality (vegan proteins for food manufacturers), E-FISHient Protein, Exosomm (milk nutrients for IBD patients), Meala Foodtech, and Watersight.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/s17vtwa4o https://eggmented.com/ https://www.exosomm.com/

Protecting Africa from financial crime. MFS Africa, the largest digital payments hub in Africa, has selected Israel’s ThetaRay (see here previously) to protect its network from money laundering and fraud. ThetaRay’s SONAR SaaS solution includes AI-powered transaction monitoring and sanctions list screening.
https://ffnews.com/newsarticle/mfs-africa-selects-thetaray-ai-tech-to-boost-global-expansion/
https://www.ourcrowd.com/companies/thetaray

Vestoo becomes a Unicorn.  There have been few new Unicorns in the current economic climate. Israel’s Vesttoo has just become one, having just raised $80 million at a $1 billion valuation. Vesttoo has developed a global insurance risk transfer platform. It is profitable and plans to use the funds to make acquisitions.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/hj3h0nbvs

$50 million for AI startups. U.S.-based ICI Fund has announced the closing of ICI Fund II, a new fund set to include $50 million solely for early-stage Israeli AI companies and companies founded by Israeli entrepreneurs. ICI additionally said it will increase investments in women-led funds and in women-led companies.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/ryhooajno

Investment in Israeli startups to 6/11/22: Mobileye raised $861 million (IPO); Selina raised $170+ million (IPO); OpenWeb raised $170 million; Apiiro raised $100 million; Trigo raised $100 million; Vesttoo raised $80 million; Resonai raised $36 million; Ossio raised $35.5 million; Valence Security raised $25 million; Navina raised $22 million; Sepio raised $22 million; Tarci raised $17 million;  YOOM (formerly Tetavi) raised $15 million; Revuze raised $12 million; Ask-AI raised $9 million; Arnica Security raised $7 million; Port raised $7 million Forsea raised $5.2 million; Tensorleap raised $5.2 million; Ritual raised $2 million;

CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT`

A balance of alternative and traditional lifestyles. According to many of its 43,000 residents, Pardes Hanna-Karkur has a special charm, an artistic feel, and a down-to-earth quality. The stables house artists’ boutiques, cafes, restaurants and even spaces for therapists. At Festival HaNadiv (10-12 Nov) all events are free.
https://www.israel21c.org/a-slice-of-life-of-the-hipster-israeli-town-pardes-hanna/  https://2021.hanadiv.org/

Visit Tel Aviv Museum of Art on Minecraft. The Tel Aviv Museum of Art has launched a full digital replica of its museum complex in Minecraft, the world’s most popular computer game. Players can view 100 works of art and participate in challenges to win prizes. Some half a million Minecraft players aged 10-24 live in Israel.
https://nocamels.com/2022/10/visit-tel-aviv-museum-of-art-virtually-on-minecraft/

Lavender farms turn the Golan purple. Azizo on Moshav Kanaf is one of several lavender farms situated on the Golan Heights, near a 6th-century excavated synagogue. Deep purple Lavendin Grosso covers the 60-dunam (14.8 acre) farm, which conducts tours and produces lavender oil, lavender honey, and more.
https://www.israel21c.org/a-lavender-farm-turns-the-golan-purple/   https://azizolavender.com/
https://www.israel21c.org/10-sights-you-dont-want-to-miss-in-the-golan-heights/
https://www.noviks.co.il/fields

Judo team bronze medal. Israel’s mixed team won a bronze medal by beating the Netherlands 4-2 in the 2022 World Judo Championships held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. The championships were originally scheduled for Yom Kippur but were delayed on request by the President of the Israel Judo Association.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/israels-mixed-judo-team-wins-bronze-at-world-championships-in-uzbekistan/

Afghan female cyclist joins Israeli team. (TY UWI) Afghan cycling champion Fariba Hashimi has accepted a contract with Women’s WorldTour team Israel–Premier Tech Roland (IPT). It gives Fariba a chance to race the Tour de France Femmes. IPT owner Sylvan Adams helped hundreds of Afghans escape Afghanistan last year.
https://www.israel21c.org/afghan-woman-cycling-champ-to-join-israels-cycling-team/

The first Israeli athlete to compete in Saudi Arabia. (TY WIN) Olympic triathlete Shachar Sagiv became the first Israeli athlete to compete in Saudi Arabia when he took part in the 5th round of the Super League Triathlon in the Red Sea coastal city of Neom. Saudi Arabia only allows specially selected Israeli citizens to enter.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/shachar-sagiv-becomes-first-israeli-athlete-to-compete-in-saudi-arabia/

THE JEWISH STATE

Magnetic proof. Using the discovery of the earth’s magnetic field recorded in burnt remnants reported here previously, researchers have accurately dated 17 Israeli biblical sites. These findings verify the accounts of the Egyptian, Aramean, Assyrian, and Babylonian military campaigns against the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah.
https://phys.org/news/2022-10-geomagnetic-fields-reveal-truth-biblical.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7aEI0kJaqWA   https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2209117119

Partial eclipse. On Oct 25, I was on a ship with 2,000 Israelis sailing from Haifa. At 2pm I read that a partial eclipse of the Sun would be visible in Israel, peaking at 2pm. I rushed to the top deck and projected the sun’s image onto a black surface. The ship’s Rabbi walked past, and we said the blessing “Osei Maasei Bereisheet”.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/361672

He voted in every election. Yossi Barash, 94, has never missed a chance to cast his ballot since Israel’s 1948 inception. Barash was born in Tel Aviv in 1927 and now lives in Kfar Yehoshua. He voted in rain, storms and intense heat and never prioritized vacation plans over voting. He says voting is the most important civic duty.
https://www.ynetnews.com/magazine/article/sjo31hseo

The most democratic country. The latest Israeli elections revealed some interesting facts. Israel is now first in the world in terms of frequency of elections since 1996. Voter turnout was 71% – the most since 1999.  Voters had the choice of 39 separate parties. And despite being a national holiday, retail sales boomed.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/11-surprising-figures-about-todays-israeli-election/
https://worldisraelnews.com/retail-therapy-israelis-spend-over-a-billion-nis-on-election-day/

November 6, 2022 | Comments »

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