Two Israeli startups named among 36 in new international ‘game changers’ report
Autotalks, a maker of vehicle-to-vehicle communication systems, and Adverif.ai, which uses AI to fight fake news, cited by data firm CB Insights
Shoshanna Solomon was The Times of Israel's Startups and Business reporter
Two Israeli startups have been named, together with 34 other international fast- growing firms, as companies that are changing the world, in a new 2019 Game Changers report by New York-based data company CB Insights.
The Israeli startups are Autotalks, a Kfar Netter, Israel-based maker of vehicle-to-vehicle communication systems for use in autonomous driving cars, which in July got an investment by South Korean multinational automotive manufacturer Hyundai Motor Company. And Tel Aviv-based AdVerif.ai, an artificial intelligence company that allows advertisers, publishers, and ad networks moderate content and battle fake news.
“Our selected startups are high momentum companies pioneering technology, with the potential to transform society and economies for the better,” the CB Insights report said.
The data firm assessed startups in 12 categories, including Vehicle-to-Everything Tech (V2X), disinformation defense, AI on the edge, Quantum AI, smart policing, superbug killers, non-Opioid pain management, and longevity boosters — startups that are using AI to combat aging and age-related diseases.
Twenty-eight of the 36 game-changers are based in the US or have moved to the US, the report said, with the other firms coming from Canada, India, Israel, the UK, and the Netherlands.
Autotalks was ranked in the Vehicle-to-Everything category, along with Seattle, Washington-based Kymeta, which is commercializing a software-enabled metamaterials-based antenna to bring high-bandwidth satellite connectivity to anything that moves. Also ranked comparably was the California-based startup, Savari, which is developing wireless sensor technologies and software for V2X communications to support intelligent transportation services.
Adverif.ai was chosen in the Disinformation Defense category along with two other firms: Texas-based New Knowledge, a cybersecurity firm that specializes in creating disinformation defense systems for bands under attack by coordinated disinformation campaigns and the California-based AI Foundation, which combines humans and machine learning to identify malicious content meant to disseminate fake information.
The V2X technology developed by Autotalks allows vehicles to communicate with one another, with other road users and road infrastructure, with the aim of increasing road safety and mobility. The sensors work in all environments and weather conditions, and help prevent road collisions and avoid dangerous situations, the statement said.
In manned vehicles, V2X systems provide the driver with alerts and notifications and can also take over operation of the vehicle in dangerous situations. In autonomous vehicles, V2X complements existing sensors, allowing them to make more informed decisions as well as easing their interaction with other road users.
Adverif.ai, set up in 2017, was founded by Or Levi, who has machine learning experience and specializes in advertising technologies and text analysis.
The company’s FakeRank algorithm helps detect fake news, the company’s website says, by using deep learning and natural language processing techniques to understand the meaning of a news story and verify that it is supported by facts.
CB Insights categories were selected the firms tech market intelligence platform, which uses algorithms to scout through “millions of media articles” to identify game changing tech trends. The companies were selected using algorithms that track “company health” including recent financing and investor quality, and submissions from firms and professionals, the report said.
