Startup Aims to Transform Automotive Manufacturing

Israeli automotive startup REE has invested in a modular platform that the company hopes will change the way vehicles are built. The system relies on what the company calls a modular “skateboard chassis” that includes the brakes, motor and drivetrain. Vehicle manufacturers can choose the different components that will make up the chassis. REE is currently collaborating with Mitsubishi and a number of auto part manufacturers.

Using Image Search to Improve the Retail Experience

Syte, a visual AI firm that recently received $21.5 million in Series B funding, is using artificial intelligence and imaging to help shoppers more easily find what they’re looking for. The Israeli company, which has offices in Tel Aviv, New York, Geneva and London, offers solutions such as camera searching tools, in-store “smart mirrors” and product recommendation engines. Through camera search technology, a customer takes a picture of a product that is then broken down into individual components by the technology. The customer is then given recommendations of similar products. The company is partnering with Kohl’s in the U.S., Argos in the U.K. and other retailers.

Battling Tuberculosis with Two-Way Texting

An Israeli company is using SMS text messaging to combat tuberculosis (TB), the contagious disease that killed 1.6 million people in 2017, according to the World Health Organization. Keheala, a Tel Aviv-based startup, has developed a program where text messages remind patients to take their medication. If the patient fails to confirm via text message, additional text messages and phone calls follow. Relying on behavioral science, Keheala works to fight TB through increased observability.