With electronic parts manufacturer Orbotech getting bought up by KLA Tencor on Monday for $3.4 billion, Israeli start-ups continue to be sold for staggering sums. Yet Orbotech's 'exit' may only be the fifth largest in Israeli history. 1. For $15.3 billion, autonomous driving firm Mobileye was acquired by Intel in 2017. That's the largest 'exit' ever by an Israeli start-up. As agreed, Mobileye's operations remain in Jerusalem. 2. For $5 billion, video software unit NDS was acquired by Cisco in 2012. (Cisco is now said to be seeking a buyer for the unit.) 3. For $4.7 billion, at the height of the hi-tech bubble, optics network company Chromatis was bought up by Lucent in 2000. (After the bubble burst in the following next year, Lucent laid-off all Chromatis' employees.) 4. For $4.4 billion, social media gaming platform Playtika was bought by Giant Interactive in 2016. 5. For $3.4 billion, Orbotech was acquired by KLA Tencor in 2018. 7. For $1.3 billion, Waze, the driving navigation app, was scooped up by Google in 2013. Waze, an Israeli mobile satellite navigation application, has revolutionized driving (Reuters) 8. For $1.1 billion, NeuroDerm -- which develops pharmaceuticals for treating nervous system disorders -- was bought by Mitsubishi Tanabe in 2017. Last year, Israeli start-ups were sold for a whopping $23 billion in 112 deals, a 19% jump from the previous year, according to the IVC Research Center. Israeli entrepreneurs have come under criticism for sometimes opting to make a quick exit, as opposed to scaling the company locally and investing in long-term growth opportunities.
