The Nielsen Innovate Fund (NIF) has chosen five new companies in which it will invest in the fifth round of its program. The incubator will invest NIS 2 million in each company, and a further NIS 4 million in more mature companies.
One of the investee companies this year is BrainVu, which, in collaboration with the Technion, has developed technology that analyses users' emotional states through the pupils of their eyes. Use of the technology in digital environments will make it possible to adapt content to the user's mood. "Advertisers will be able to discern according to the dilation of the pupils how surfers feel about their products," says incubator CEO Dov Yarkoni, who took up his post last month.
Another unusual company is Enerjoy, which has developed a motivation management tool intended mainly for young workers. It consists of a system of widgets installed on workplace computers that turns tasks into games, such as competitions between teams, that are supposed to maximize output. The system analyzes workers' behavior patterns and learns what kind of motivation works for each of them. "The aim is to introduce gaming and social networking into the work environment," says Yarkoni.
Stamp.ee enables manufacturers to run sales bargains via the barcode on a product package. Consumers scan the barcode using a QR app, and the company can credit them through their Stamp.ee accounts. The system also covers retailers' customer clubs. The venture is already in operation with customers such as Israeli food companies Osem and Sugat.
Package.AI has a dispatch and logistics system that uses chatbot to set a delivery time-range with the customer, informs him or her of the location of the messenger, and can make changes up to the last minute. "The system can take information about traffic and past demand for deliveries to produce forecasts, enabling delivery routes to be planned more efficiently," says Yarkoni. The company has customers in Israel, Australia, the Netherlands, and the UK.
The last company is Xenia, which has developed an SaaS platform for architectural design that automatically produces floor plans for commercial spaces, on the basis that the design of the space affects sales. The system combines architectural and marketing factors in order to produce the optimal plan for each store.
Nielsen Innovate has been in operation since 2013 in the Caesarea Industrial and Business Park. It manages $35 million, and also operates a fund for follow-on investment in ventures. It has made two exits that gave it a return of 6.5 times its investment. So far, it has supported 22 ventures, and it reports that 80% of its graduate companies have raised further capital.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on January 3, 2018
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