This week, discussions on X highlighted a potential major transaction: Tencent is in advanced talks to acquire SuperPlay, Playtika’s fast-growing gaming studio, for up to $1.5 billion including earnouts. If completed, the deal would rank among the largest Israeli gaming transactions in recent periods.

Concurrently, Cisco is negotiating the purchase of Zafran.io, an Israeli cybersecurity startup, for $150–200 million, a valuation notably lower than prior estimates. The company had previously raised from Sequoia, Menlo, and Cyberstarts.

Fortissimo, the Israeli private equity firm, is close to a $400 million transaction with Blackstone to acquire control of RGIS’s international inventory services operations, expected to include Israeli activities as well.

Additional fundings and acquisitions

Instacart acquired Arpalus, an Israeli AI startup specializing in real-time shelf intelligence for supermarkets, the company’s first Israeli acquisition.

BandLab acquired Aiode, an Israeli AI music startup, in a deal estimated in the tens of millions of dollars. The technology enables AI models for instruments and playing styles.

Notable Seed round

Beacon Security raised $13 million in Seed funding. The company develops a data layer for AI-powered cybersecurity agents and was founded by veterans of HiredScore, Mitiga, and Skyline AI.

Separately, a 19-year-old founder raised $2 million for Horizon Trade, an AI platform bringing hedge-fund-grade trading tools to retail investors.

Other moves

Elbit Systems won a $370 million contract with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (via its American subsidiary) to supply security technologies through 2029.

Isracard walked away from its planned acquisition of Nir Zuk’s Esh bank after months of negotiations.

Recent activity reflects continued international interest in Israeli startups across cybersecurity, gaming, and AI, alongside domestic PE transactions.