Aleph is an early stage venture capital fund focused on partnering with great Israeli entrepreneurs to build large, meaningful companies and impactful global brands. Founded in 2013, Aleph is a partnership of Michael Eisenberg, Eden Shochat, Yael Elad and Tomer Diari with $850M under management. Aleph has invested in over 50 companies (not all announced) including Lemonade, Melio, Healthy.io, SparkBeyond, JoyTunes, Fabric, Freightos and Bringg.  Aleph is redefining the kind of support entrepreneurs and the local high tech community can expect from a venture capital firm. We aim to service the hell out of our entrepreneurs with high-touch, partner-level service. We built a startup within our firm - Ampliphy, the Aleph Value Generation Platform - to meet the greatest startup challenges like talent recruitment, business development and follow-on funding - at scale. Ampliphy leverages our people, network, software and resources to help companies succeed on the global stage. The team at Aleph are committed to supporting startups and the entire Israeli tech ecosystem as they harness the power of new technologies to develop and grow transformational companies.

Aleph

Horizons Ventures focuses on investing in disruptive and technology-focused start-ups. The firm was founded in 1999 and is based in Hong Kong. Some of the latest exits are Skype, Siri, Facebook, Summly, and Waze.

Horizons Ventures

BizTEC is the leading entrepreneurship platform in the Israeli academia, which encourages and motivates students to act on their innovation. Based at the Technion technological institute in Haifa and lead by students, the BizTEC competition helps to bring your innovation from an idea stage to an – all dressed up ready to pitch before investors stage.

BizTEC

XL Innovate creates new ventures that can provide innovation and a meaningful positive impact on the global insurance industry. They invest capital, energy, experience-based expertise, and the substantial resources of their limited partner.

XL Innovate

Horizon Venture is a Real estate company located in 2573 Clay Bank Rd, Fairfield, California, United States.

Horizon Ventures

La Maison ITF is the investment platform dedicated to Israeli technologies

La Maison ITF

Windward

WWindward is the leading Predictive Intelligence company fusing AI and big data to  digitalize the global maritime industry, enabling organizations to achieve business and operational readiness. Windward’s AI-powered solution allows stakeholders including banks, commodity traders, and major energy and shipping companies, to make real-time, predictive intelligence driven decisions, with a 360° view of the maritime ecosystem and its broader impact on safety, security, finance, and business

Windward is a maritime technology company that offers an AI-powered predictive intelligence platform to digitalize the global maritime industry. The company's Maritime AI solution utilizes advanced machine learning and behavioral analytics models to provide real-time insights into vessel behavior, ownership structures, company risks, and predictions of high-risk entities. This enables stakeholders, including banks, commodity traders, insurers, shipping companies, and government agencies, to make data-driven decisions for compliance, security, operational efficiency, and business intelligence.

Navig8 Selects Windward's Maritime AI Platform to Enhance Business Development, Compliance, and Due Diligence Processes

Windward and Sea/ team up to launch new maritime solution

Power your organization with Maritime AI insights from Windward

What is predictive intelligence the maritime industry?

Israel’s Windward Launches AI-Powered Ocean Freight Visibility Solution

Windward on target to achieve targets amid strong trading

Windward expects no material impact from events in Israel

Windward wins EUR3 million contract for its maritime AI technology

Deriving insights from uncommon data streams

Alternative Data

Windward is an Israel-based company that leverages artificial intelligence (AI) and predictive analytics to provide maritime intelligence solutions. Its flagship Maritime AI platform utilizes machine learning models and behavioral analytics to analyze billions of data points, including vessel movements, port activities, weather conditions, and regulatory data. This platform enables customers to gain comprehensive maritime domain awareness, optimize supply chain operations, enhance due diligence processes, and ensure compliance with sanctions and regulations.

Windward announces new contract, will provide intelligence to Interpol

How Covid-19 has escalated the maritime drug trade – and what AI can do about it

Using autonomous, green, IoT, and digital technologies to shape the future of ocean-based transportation

Shipping Tech

AIM WINNERS & LOSERS: Windward rises; Hutchmed recovers

Ligentia

To improve operational efficiency through data insights and AI technology. This partnership entails the integration of Windward's Ocean Freight Visibility solution into Ligentia's supply chain portal to provide real-time data on vessel schedules and arrivals, allowing better decision-making.

Empowering efficiency, visibility and collaboration throughout supply networks

Supply Chain Tech

Platforms that facilitate the tracing and verification of products or components throughout the supply chain, from origin to consumer.

Windward is a maritime technology company that offers an AI-powered predictive intelligence platform to digitalize the global maritime industry. The company's Maritime AI solution utilizes advanced machine learning and behavioral analytics models to provide real-time insights into vessel behavior, ownership structures, company risks, and predictions of high-risk entities. This enables stakeholders, including banks, commodity traders, insurers, shipping companies, and government agencies, to make data-driven decisions for compliance, security, operational efficiency, and business intelligence.
Windward's platform integrates data from various sources, such as carrier information, port and terminal data, vessel tracking, weather updates, and regulatory databases. By analyzing billions of data points, the company's AI algorithms can optimize supply chain logistics, identify potential disruptions, provide accurate estimated times of arrival (ETAs), and facilitate strategic decision-making.
In February 2022, Windward launched its Ocean Freight Visibility solution, designed to enhance supply chain visibility and efficiency for freight forwarders. The solution leverages Windward's predictive capabilities to provide real-time ETA predictions, disruption risk assessments, and potential delay reasons, enabling proactive response to changing circumstances.
Additionally, Windward offers specialized solutions for sanctions compliance and due diligence, assisting organizations in identifying high-risk vessels, cargo, or trade partners to mitigate regulatory risks. The company's technology has been adopted by leading maritime players, including Navig8, a prominent ship management company, and Sea/, a digital shipping platform.

Neudata is a leading fintech firm that provides data intelligence services to asset managers, private equity firms, venture capitalists, consultancies, and corporations globally. It specializes in scouting, sourcing, and evaluating alternative datasets across various industries and domains. Neudata's core offering is a software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform that houses a catalogue of over 6,900 dataset reports, enabling users to search, manage, and compare data sources effectively.
The company's strength lies in its unbiased and objective approach to data assessment, as it does not buy, sell, or take commissions from data vendors. Instead, Neudata evaluates datasets based on over 100 unique factors and delivers metadata reports and advice to clients for a fee. This neutral stance ensures that clients receive tailored intelligence aligned with their specific strategies and goals.
In addition to its SaaS platform, Neudata provides expert insights through its team of data scouting professionals based in London, New York, and Shanghai. The company also offers a service called AltDating, which facilitates connections between data buyers and sellers, streamlining the process of finding and acquiring relevant datasets.
Neudata has expanded its offerings to include specialized products like Neudata Scout ESG, launched in February 2022. This tool helps organizations identify and manage alternative data sources related to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors, enabling them to comply with regulations and build their own ESG evaluation models.
The company has established itself as a prominent player in the alternative data ecosystem, hosting influential events like the London Data Summit, where industry leaders gather to explore the past, present, and future of data. Neudata's commitment to innovation and its collaborative approach have positioned it as a trusted partner for firms seeking to unlock the value of alternative data.

Neudata

Orbital Insight is a leading geospatial intelligence company that provides AI-powered analytics solutions to help organizations gain insights and understand trends from geospatial data. The company's flagship product, the Orbital Insight Go platform, combines multiple data sources such as satellite imagery, anonymized location data, ship GPS, and IoT data to deliver actionable insights through machine learning algorithms. Orbital Insight's technology enables customers across various industries, including government agencies, corporations, and non-profits, to monitor supply chains, analyze land use patterns, detect illegal activities, and make data-driven decisions.
In February 2022, Orbital Insight secured a contract from the US Department of Defense to develop a platform for identifying intentional Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) interference and manipulation operations worldwide. This technology leverages the company's multisensor data stack and AI capabilities to alert analysts about potential jamming and spoofing events, presenting risks to national security and commercial operations.
Orbital Insight has established partnerships with leading Earth observation companies like Satellogic to enhance its data capabilities. In April 2022, the company announced plans to integrate Satellogic's high-resolution satellite imagery and full-motion video into its platform, providing customers with access to higher quality data, improved revisit rates, and lower-cost analytics.

Orbital Insight

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 Planet is a startup based in San Francisco and founded by former NASA employees that collects information about its changing planet via a fleet of compact, highly capable Earth-imaging satellites. The broad coverage and high frequency of Planet's satellite imagery will enable customers with unprecedented access to global and local insights that currently are either impossible or cost-prohibitive to obtain. It designs, builds, and operates the largest fleet of satellites, as well as online software, tools, and analytics needed to deliver data to users. Planet offers a diverse selection of imagery and analytic solutions, all made available online through our platform and web-based tools. They provide geospatial insights at the speed of change, equipping users with the data necessary to make informed, timely decisions. In addition to California, Planet has offices in Germany and Canada where they deliver market-leading geospatial imagery to a global network of customers and partners in over 100 countries. The Planet's mission is to image the entire Earth every day and make global change visible, accessible, and actionable.
 
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Planet Labs

Premise is a market intelligence platform that enables organizations to obtain real-time, granular insights from a global network of contributors. By blending machine learning with human intelligence, the company's proprietary methodology allows clients to gather and analyze local insights quickly and efficiently from almost anywhere in the world.
Premise transforms client questions into tasks distributed through its mobile app marketplace. Contributors perform these tasks, capturing data through images, surveys, or on-site observations. The collected data undergoes rigorous quality control, including location verification, image analysis, and fraud detection algorithms, ensuring accuracy and reliability. Verified insights are then presented to clients through customized dashboards or exported in various formats for integration into existing systems.
Premise caters to diverse industries, including consumer goods companies, international development organizations, and public sector entities. Its solutions provide actionable intelligence for execution monitoring, consumer behavior analysis, community understanding, and supply chain optimization. With a global reach spanning over 140 countries, the company facilitates data collection from even the most challenging regions.
Premise distinguishes itself through rapid insights gathering, unparalleled data granularity, and stringent quality assurance measures. As of 2024, the company recorded over 25 million submissions per year, garnering trust from industry leaders.

Premise

PriceStats is a company that specializes in transforming data into meaningful tools for economic analysis. The company's primary focus is on developing global, real-time economic statistics using online data. PriceStats produces daily inflation statistics and Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) series, which are utilized by various financial institutions and policymakers worldwide. The company's technology leverages online retail prices to reveal offline street price changes, often weeks before official numbers reflect inflation trends. This approach allows for more timely and accurate economic insights, potentially enabling policymakers to better prepare for economic fluctuations.
PriceStats has continuously expanded its product offerings since its inception in September 2010. The company has developed inflation series for numerous countries, including the US, UK, Brazil, Germany, France, Canada, Mexico, Poland, and China, among others. In addition to country-specific inflation indices, PriceStats also produces global inflation series, including World Inflation, Food Inflation, and Fuel Inflation series. The company launched its PPP Series in May 2014, providing charts on real exchange rates, relative prices, and over/undervaluation for various countries compared to the US dollar. In January 2024, PriceStats released the China Aggregate Inflation Series, further expanding its coverage of major economies.
Key customers and partnerships
PriceStats distributes its daily inflation statistics and PPP series through an exclusive partnership with State Street Global Markets and State Street Global Exchange. This partnership, established in May 2011, brings PriceStats' indices to the financial sector. Target clients include hedge funds, pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, and other financial institutions interested in accessing high-frequency inflation and PPP measures. State Street provides access to these indices through its proprietary research website, Insights.
In addition to its commercial partnerships, PriceStats has demonstrated a commitment to social responsibility. Since early 2020, the company has provided its indicators for free to 16 central banks worldwide to help navigate the economic effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. In May 2022, PriceStats began distributing its Global Food Inflation series to the public on a complimentary basis through its partnership with State Street, aiming to assist policymakers in addressing rapidly rising food prices and supply shortages driven by global events. The company has also collaborated with statistical offices, offering item-level data free of charge to institutions such as the UK Office for National Statistics and the Central Statistics Office of Ireland during the Covid-19 pandemic.

PriceStats

Generated by sensors. Satellite imagery captures objects on the ground (e.g., cars in a parking lot and ships at a port), lights, pollution, and particulate matter in the air.

Generated by sensors. Collected by a variety of sensors and has many uses including agriculture and other commodities sensitive to the weather.

Generated by sensors. Data gathered from the GPS, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth signals on mobile phones or other electronic devices, which can be used to track consumer movement such as high footfall areas, time spent at specific locations, and routes.

Generated by individuals. Includes website usage (e.g., time spent on a website, actions, and volume of queries), mobile app usage, social sentiment (based on social media posts, news, videos, and online interactions on social media), product reviews, and surveys.

Generated by individuals. E-receipts gathered from consumers on an opt-in basis provide data on user purchases and product demand. Data are anonymized and provided to corporations for targeted marketing.

Generated by businesses. Credit/debit card transaction and POS system data are structured and sought after and are used to track retail and business spending (e.g., sales volumes and prices).

Generated by businesses. Data sources used to assess consumers' creditworthiness such as income and employment information, consumer banking data, payments to specialty lenders, utilities payments, rental payments, and peer-to-peer lending records. Other data types include local prices, business banking records, commercial transactions (e.g., shipping container receipts), supply chain data, and government and corporation data.

Firms that acquire individual data streams and bundle them for sale to investors or structure/analyze the data to create data products for sale to investors.

Alternative data personalizes products/services by leveraging geolocation, social media, and transaction data for businesses

Windward is an Israel-based company that leverages artificial intelligence (AI) and predictive analytics to provide maritime intelligence solutions. Its flagship Maritime AI platform utilizes machine learning models and behavioral analytics to analyze billions of data points, including vessel movements, port activities, weather conditions, and regulatory data. This platform enables customers to gain comprehensive maritime domain awareness, optimize supply chain operations, enhance due diligence processes, and ensure compliance with sanctions and regulations.
The company's Ocean Freight Visibility solution offers real-time visibility into shipments, providing accurate estimated time of arrival (ETA) predictions, disruption risk assessments, and potential delay causes. By integrating data from various sources like carriers, weather updates, location tracking, and port terminals, Windward empowers freight forwarders and shippers to proactively manage their supply chains and mitigate risks.
Windward's technology has been widely adopted across the maritime industry, with customers ranging from global shipping companies and financial institutions to government agencies and coastguards. Its AI-driven platform has proven instrumental in identifying vessels potentially engaged in illicit activities, such as drug trafficking, human smuggling, and illegal fishing, aiding law enforcement agencies like Interpol in their efforts to combat maritime crime.
In November 2023, Windward secured a five-year EUR 3.2 million contract with a European national coastguard, further solidifying its position as a leader in maritime security and intelligence solutions. As of May 2024, the company reported strong trading performance and expressed confidence in achieving its goal of reaching EBITDA break-even during the financial year 2024.

Groke Technologies is a Finnish company established in October 2019 with the aim of becoming a leading provider of situational awareness systems and autonomous navigation solutions for the maritime industry. Its flagship product, Groke Pro, is a comprehensive situational awareness system that integrates data from various sources such as cameras, GPS, radar, and AIS messages. The system uses machine vision and machine learning to detect and classify vessels, even those without AIS, in both day and night conditions. Groke Pro's unique blending feature combines images from day and thermal imaging cameras, providing a clear view of the vessel's surroundings even in low-visibility situations.
The system continuously records, collects, and annotates data, enabling the machine learning models to enhance its capabilities for detecting objects of interest in challenging environments with increasing accuracy. Groke Pro offers tools such as risk analysis, intuitive risk compass, closest point of approach alarms, and relative velocity tracking to support decision-making. In March 2024, Groke Technologies partnered with BAR Technologies to develop situational awareness systems for BAR's WindWings wind propulsion technology, installed on the Pyxis Ocean bulk carrier.

Groke Technologies

Sea Machines Robotics is a pioneering company that develops autonomous command and control systems, as well as advanced perception technology for the maritime industry. Their flagship product, the SM300 Autonomous Command and Control System, enables vessels to seamlessly transition between unmanned autonomous mode and human manual navigation. It employs cutting-edge technologies like artificial intelligence, computer vision, and sensor fusion to facilitate precise control over vessel position, steering, speed, route planning, obstacle avoidance, and data collection during voyages.
In April 2024, Sea Machines unveiled SELKIE, an unmanned surface vessel (USV) designed for various applications such as hydrographic surveys, offshore asset inspections, environmental studies, and security missions. The SELKIE 7, a 7-meter HDPE hull vessel powered by the SM300 system, boasts impressive range and endurance capabilities, with a capacity of up to 500 nautical miles and 15 days of operation. Its robust autonomous functions, intuitive user interface, and survey-ready features, including sonar mounts and payload deployment capabilities, make it a versatile and efficient solution for marine operations.
Sea Machines' technology has demonstrated its potential in groundbreaking achievements. In October 2021, the autonomous tug Nellie Bly, equipped with the SM300 system, successfully completed the world's first 1,000-plus-nautical-mile autonomous and remotely commanded voyage of a commercial vessel at sea, covering 96.9% of the journey in fully autonomous mode.
The company's innovations have garnered significant interest and investments. In February 2024, Sea Machines secured a USD 12 million funding round led by Emerald Technology Ventures and other prominent investors, enabling further technological advancements and market expansion. Additionally, Sea Machines has collaborated with the US Coast Guard (USCG) to evaluate and refine its computer vision technology for maritime domain awareness, collision avoidance, and target detection on USCG vessels.

Sea Machines Robotics

Orca AI is an Israeli startup that offers an AI-powered, real-time navigation safety platform for the maritime industry. The company's technology combines computer vision, deep learning, and existing onboard sensors to enhance situational awareness for crews, reduce sensory overload, and enable better navigation decisions. Orca AI's system processes visual information during navigation, mimicking and enhancing human watchkeeping capabilities. By detecting and alerting crews to high-risk marine targets, the platform optimizes operations to avoid unnecessary maneuvers and speed drops, leading to reduced fuel consumption and emissions.
In 2023, Orca AI's technology resulted in an average fuel cost reduction of USD 100,000 to USD 300,000 per vessel per year (3-5% improvement) and a significant CO2 reduction of 172,716 tons. The system has been installed on hundreds of merchant ships, including vessels from major companies like MSC, Seaspan, Maran Tankers, TMS Cardiff Gas, ENESEL, and Latsco.
In February 2022, Orca AI achieved a historic milestone by powering the world's first autonomous commercial voyage in congested waters in partnership with NYK and the Nippon Foundation. The autonomous vessel completed a 40-hour journey, performing 107 maneuvers to avoid colliding with 400-500 vessels while operating autonomously 98% of the time.
Key customers and partnerships
Orca AI works with global shipping companies, including MSC, NYK, Maersk, and Seaspan, among others. The company has also entered into partnerships with industry leaders like NYK in Japan to develop automated watchkeeping capabilities, potentially reducing the manning of ship bridges under specific conditions.
In 2023, Orca AI announced a partnership with Marubeni Corporation for sales of its AI-powered situational awareness platform, particularly in Southeast Asia and Japan.

Orca AI

Buffalo Automation is a pioneering company that has developed cutting-edge technologies for the maritime industry. Their flagship product, Automate, is a predictive boat navigation system that utilizes artificial intelligence (AI), neural networks, and thermal imaging to detect obstructions and safety hazards, providing critical warnings and assistance to safely navigate around them. Automate has already been adopted by multiple commercial ships operating on the US Great Lakes.
The company has also developed Pegasus, a comprehensive navigation and safety system designed for smaller recreational boats. While compatible with today's gas-powered engines, Pegasus technology has been adapted to create Greycraft, an innovative product line that combines electrification, renewable energy, and modular design.
Greycraft is the world's first solar-powered, autonomous vessel capable of carrying passengers and traversing busy waterways. Its modular design allows for easy transportation and assembly, eliminating the need for trailers. Greycraft's vessels are designed to operate on the water for several years without maintenance, powered primarily by solar panels with battery backup.
In December 2020, Buffalo Automation successfully demonstrated the Greycraft concept in Knoxville, Tennessee, with plans for a fully operational launch of the Greycraft Water Taxi service in early 2021, initially offered free of charge to residents.

Buffalo Automation

Ladar Limited is a maritime technology company that designs, develops, and deploys laser and computer vision-based solutions for the maritime and offshore industry. The company's flagship product is the Ladar Sensor Suite, a smart system that enables real-time, highly accurate surveillance of the ocean surface layer and water column. This system utilizes sensor-based data and artificial intelligence to fuse data aggregation systems into a comprehensive decision support system, available 24/7. The Ladar Sensor Suite prioritizes the safety of crew, passengers, vessels, and cargo by presenting a visual consolidation of feeds for swift decision-making.
One of Ladar's key innovations is the PlasticDetect system, which offers an end-to-end solution for real-time detection, classification, and tracking of marine plastic pollution. This system comprises a unique multispectral, internally developed and patented laser-based maritime lidar sensor (Ladar Sensor Suite), visual and thermal sensors, and computer vision with AI and machine learning. It is complemented by a web portal data service.
Ladar's technology aims to transform the global maritime transport industry through the adoption of automated ship collision avoidance and (semi-) submerged target detection technologies. The company's solutions address the industry's needs for increased ship safety and collision avoidance, as well as the demands of the emerging unmanned and autonomous vessel technologies market. Ladar's systems are designed to meet regulatory compliance standards, protect the environment, and explore the digitalized and automated future of maritime operations.

Ladar Ltd

Software solutions that streamline the transportation process, including ocean-based shipping, from booking and tracking shipments to managing customs compliance and invoicing.

Technologies that improve the efficiency and productivity of ports and terminals, such as automated container handling systems, real-time monitoring of cargo and vessel movements, predictive maintenance systems, and port automation systems.

Developers of technologies for ships that can decrease carbon footprint, reduce energy consumption, and increase efficiency (this excludes autonomous and remotely operated ships).

Unmanned (either autonomous or remotely-operated) vessels that use AI and ML to navigate and perform various tasks, including cargo and passenger transport. Technology also includes systems that assist navigation by providing technologies such as collision avoidance and advanced perception.

Data analytics, sensors, and IoT devices that collect data on cargo, vessel, and environmental conditions to optimize shipping routes, reduce fuel consumption, and improve safety. These software solutions may use data analytics and predictive modeling to optimize shipping operations.

Data analytics and sensor technologies and automated solutions broadly falls under Industry 4.0

Data analytics and sensor technologies segment uses IoT

Green ships promote sustainable operations

Smart ports improve the efficiency and productivity of ports and terminals, facilitating smart cities

Autonomous ships sometimes use robotic solutions

Some companies use AI/ML tech for autonomous navigation

INCUMBENTS_PRESENT

PROMINENT_CATEGORY

<div>
Ligentia, a supply chain solutions provider, has teamed with Windward, a marine AI firm, to enhance operational efficiency using data insights and AI technology. 
The collaboration integrates Windward's Ocean Freight Visibility solution into Ligentia's supply chain portal for real-time data on vessel schedules and arrivals. This allows improved decision-making, effective exception handling, and accurate prediction of shipment arrivals, expected to enhance business performance and risk mitigation. 
</div>

Windward

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