HoneyBook raises $22M, the longest-ever driverless car journey, & Yossi Vardi’s high hopes for China

Startup Roundup

HoneyBook raises $22M to make event planning a piece of cyber-cake

Events planning platform, HoneyBook, raised $22M in a Series B funding round. HoneyBook, derived from “honeymoon” and “booking,” is a technological hub for professional event planners and the contractors they hire — where brides-and-grooms-to-be (or other customers coordinating a multi-pronged operation) can comfortably manage all facets of their event from any web-enabled device. The company says it will use the new funds to expand to every major city in the US within the next 12 months. Learn more.

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Technology Corner

Israeli Mobileye's tech powers longest-ever driverless car journey

Israel’s Mobileye, maker of safety systems that alert drivers of dangers ahead, is likely to be an integral part of the driverless car future, to judge from the results of the longest-ever – and most successful – driverless car demonstration. Completed last week, just in time for this week’s New York Auto Show, a driverless vehicle supplied by international car parts maker Delphi Automotive traversed the 3,000-odd miles from San Francisco to Manhattan in nine days, driving itself nearly the entire way – with Mobileye’s road safety detection system providing the “eyes” for the Roadrunner as it passed through cities, towns, deserts and forests, on its way to the big city. Learn more.

Trending Israeli Entrepreneurs

Yossi Vardi, godfather of Israel's hi-tech boom, has high hopes for China

Yossi Vardi, widely seen as the godfather of Israel’s high-tech industry, thinks some cultures are better at running businesses than others – and from his first visit to China 20 years ago, he knew it was one of the best at it. The 73-year-old Israeli has had a strong track record of spotting talents. In the past few decades he has invested in 85 start-ups – ranging from software or clean technology firms to mobile phones. Many of those finds he has sold to global tech giants, including Microsoft and Yahoo. Hear more from Yossi.

SXSW 2015: Israeli innovation and the global tech market

Last month, South by Southwest (SXSW) held its annual music, film, and interactive conferences and festivals in Austin, Texas. In a conversation led by Bruce Taragin, Managing Director at Blumberg Capital, OurCrowd's Zack Miller discusses why Israel is helping lead the way for advancements in technology in areas such as health-tech, big data, privacy, and cybersecurity, exposing the SXSW attendees to the Israeli startup and tech scene and showcase the opportunities that exist for investment, collaboration, and R&D. View the full session.

Starting up in Israel: The unique opportunity for women

Israel is a booming high-tech hub which has gained an international reputation as the “Startup Nation.” It’s not only a great place for tech entrepreneurs in general. Specifically, there is an opportunity for women to rise to the top in Israel’s tech ecosystem, evidenced in part by the number of women in pivotal positions both in the tech and investment community – and its upward trend. Chen Levanon, CEO of Israeli mobile ad-tech startup ClicksMob, highlights four key factors have contributed to the growing number of opportunities for women tech leaders in Israel. Learn more.