The monthly total was driven largely by Vast Data’s USD 1  billion raise at a USD 30 billion valuation, while AI, cybersecurity, data infrastructure, and quantum computing also featured prominently across the month’s funding activity. Other announced rounds included Aidoc’s USD 150 million raise, Quantum Art’s Series A extension to USD 140 million, and Q-Factor’s USD 24 million seed round.

Read more in Calcalist.

The post Israeli startups raise over USD1.25b in April 2026 appeared first on IsraelDesks.

Tel Aviv University ranked seventh, with approximately 865 alumni founders whose companies raised around USD 30 billion, while the Technion ranked 10th, with approximately 783 alumni founders whose companies raised about USD 23 billion over the past decade.

Israel was the only country outside the United States with two institutions in the top 10, with Israeli founders standing out in AI-related sectors including cybersecurity and computer vision.

Read more in Ynet.

The post Tel Aviv University and Technion rank among top 10 global startup founder hubs appeared first on IsraelDesks.

The event brought together entrepreneurs, investors, and technology executives to discuss how AI is reshaping startup building and venture investing. Elliott Robinson, partner at Bessemer Venture Partners, said AI is changing assumptions around hiring, company-building, and product planning, noting that startups can now scale with significantly smaller teams.

Panel discussions also focused on evolving investor priorities, with speakers highlighting growing emphasis on product, distribution, and commercialization strategy alongside core technology development.

Read more in Calcalist.

The post Number of Israeli startups in New York rises to 470 appeared first on IsraelDesks.

The deal expands Aluma’s infrastructure and energy portfolio and comes amid continued investor interest in Israeli energy and utility-related assets. Supergas Power operates across natural gas distribution and cogeneration activities in Israel.

Meitar represented Aluma, with a team led by Izzy Holdstein and Danna Martsiano.

Naschitz Brandes Amir represented Supergas.

The post Supergas sells natural gas and cogeneration operations to Aluma in NIS400m deal appeared first on IsraelDesks.

Founded and led by a former head of Shin Bet, together with Volkswagen Group’s software arm, CARIAD, Cymotive specializes in end-to-end vehicle cybersecurity, including secure architecture, threat detection, continuous monitoring, and regulatory compliance for software-defined and AI-enabled vehicles.

Shibolet represented CARIAD on the transaction, with a team led by partners Eyal Gilboa and Limor Peled.

Naschitz Brandes Amir represented Cymotive, while Goldfarb Gross Seligman advised KPIT.

The post KPIT to acquire Volkswagen-backed Israeli cybersecurity company Cymotive for USD120m appeared first on IsraelDesks.

The article was written by David Dykeman, Co-Managing Shareholder of GT’s Boston office and co-chair of the firm’s global Life Sciences & Medical Technology Group. He discusses how patents can help innovators protect research and development investments, reduce competitive risk, attract investors, and create licensing and commercialization opportunities over long product-development cycles.

The article also notes that intellectual property strategy can play a significant role in valuation and market positioning as companies advance technologies through clinical and regulatory stages.

Read the full analysis here.

The post Greenberg Traurig examines role of patent portfolios in life sciences sector appeared first on IsraelDesks.

The report highlights the rebound in IPO activity, driven by a return of larger transactions and increased investor demand, alongside shifting sector dynamics with stronger participation from financial services and fintech issuers.

The analysis also addresses evolving market conditions, including pricing trends, regulatory developments, and the potential for larger offerings as the IPO pipeline continues to rebuild.

We sat down with partners Colin Diamond and Gil Savir and asked them to illustrate the key takeaways for Israeli businesses:

What should Israeli growth companies be prioritizing now to ensure they are genuinely IPO-ready as US markets regain momentum?

Diamond: The bar to go public has continued to increase for traditional tech companies. While there is no hard and fast rule, typical metrics are USD 5 billion+ valuation; USD 300 million ARR; 25 – 40% growth; profitability or a path to it. These hurdles mean that tech companies that might have gone public a few years ago are held back as they scale, and the challenge as they scale is to continue their growth.

So in addition to all of the “usual” priorities for a company on the IPO-ramp, companies should expect to remain private for longer and, as a result, should expect to undertake transactions and structure their business operations in ways that they might have done after being public in the past. By way of example, private companies are looking more at how acquisitions can advance their business strategy and achieve the growth and scale they need even if it causes their IPOs to be delayed. And private companies are look for ways to expand their TAM which often means building fully global business earlier.

In reality, we have seen more M&A than IPOs in recent years in part because of these challenges; however, the IPO window appears to be reopening for the right companies.

How can Israeli founders better position themselves to meet evolving investor and governance expectations before pursuing a public listing?

Savir: Israeli founders tend to excel on technology and speed, but the gap we often see when approaching US public markets is less about innovation and more about readiness – governance, predictability, and how the story is communicated to institutional investors. The most effective positioning starts well before a listing process. Founders should build a governance framework that looks “public company ready” early on, not because regulators require it at that stage, but because investors do. That means an independent, credible board (not just friends and early backers), clear committee structures, and disciplined decision-making processes. It signals maturity and reduces perceived execution risk.

In parallel, financial infrastructure needs to evolve from startup-level flexibility to public-company rigor. Investors expect clean, auditable financials, consistent KPIs, and the ability to explain performance drivers quarter over quarter. It’s not just about having the numbers – it’s about demonstrating control, visibility, and repeatability.

Another area where Israeli founders can differentiate themselves is in communication. US investors place significant weight on transparency, guidance philosophy, and credibility over time. Founders should refine how they tell their story: what drives growth, what the long-term model looks like, and where risks sit. Being overly optimistic or vague tends to be discounted quickly in the US market.

Operationally, companies should also think ahead about scalability – internal controls, legal and compliance functions, and the ability to operate under US securities laws. This includes everything from disclosure discipline to managing MNPI and understanding how to interact with analysts and investors.

Finally, it’s important to build relationships early. Engaging with banks, advisors, and even potential investors well before a transaction helps shape the equity story and creates familiarity in the market. The companies that perform best post-listing are usually the ones that treated the IPO not as a finish line, but as a step in a longer-term public company journey.

In short, the shift is from being a great company to being a great public company candidate – and that transition is as much about governance, discipline, and credibility as it is about growth.

Read the full report here.

The post Paul Hastings publishes 2025 US IPO report appeared first on IsraelDesks.

We asked DLA Piper — whose Israel Group recently reported that 32 percent of its client are unicorns — to weigh in on the most recurring commercial and employment law challenges in high-growth companies at that stage, particularly around rapid international expansion.

On the US employment side, partner Victoria Richter highlights the complexity of building international teams and managing workforce risk. She notes that “many key markets do not permit termination without cause,” requiring employers to follow “a prescriptive process” depending on the jurisdiction, while “certain employees enjoy enhanced protections from termination,” including those on parental leave or with disabilities. She also emphasizes the importance of tailoring employment structures and documentation to local rules, warning that “non-compete and non-solicitation clauses drafted for a US context are often unenforceable internationally,” and adds that while independent contractor arrangements may offer flexibility, they “carry significant misclassification risk across virtually all jurisdictions,” potentially leading to financial penalties and legal exposure.

Regarding Europe, Dr. Thilo von Bodungen and Dr. Nico Brunotte — partners in DLA’s Munich and Hamburg offices — note that companies often discover that “US-style commercial templates are not in line with mandatory laws in the member states of the European Union,” and may also fall short in addressing regulatory requirements tied to data protection, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity. They add that strict consumer protection rules can create unexpected exposure and require adjustments to business practices that worked outside the EU.

The overarching message for Israeli unicorns is clear: Adapting legal frameworks to local requirements is critical to successful and sustainable global expansion.

The post DLA Piper Israel Group highlights global scaling challenges for Israeli high-tech unicorns appeared first on IsraelDesks.

The ruling clarifies that even where a fundamental breach occurs, termination is not an automatic entitlement and must be exercised in good faith, with consideration given to the parties’ conduct and the surrounding circumstances. The decision suggests that reliance on strict contractual rights—particularly where a party contributed to delays or uncertainty—may be viewed as acting in bad faith.

The analysis also underscores the importance of carefully drafting “fundamental breach” provisions, noting that broadly worded clauses may not be interpreted as granting unrestricted termination rights.

Read the full article in Calcalist.

The post ERM analyzes Supreme Court contract termination ruling appeared first on IsraelDesks.

EDF won the tender issued by Israel’s Ministry of Finance Accountant General in August 2024. Construction, which begins immediately, will take approximately two years, with electricity production expected to commence in late 2028 or early 2029, supplying an estimated 0.5% of Israel’s total electricity consumption for 25 years.

The project forms part of Israel’s target to generate 30% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030.

Arnon, Tadmor-Levy represented Israel’s Ministries of Finance and Energy and its Electricity Authority. The firm’s team was led by Roni Osborne, Netanel Rapp, and Dror Bornstein.

The post Dimona 2 solar project gets green light appeared first on IsraelDesks.