Israeli Tech Firms Shift Employee Meal Benefits to New Provider Volt
Volt, a food ordering and delivery platform, is successfully attracting high-tech companies to its employee benefits program, less than a year after entering a market dominated by established players like Ten Bis and Sibus. Approximately 300 tech companies have joined Volt's benefits service so far. Notable firms that have signed exclusive agreements with Volt include Lemonade, Hayabusa, Lightricks, Wonderful, Exosonic, McCann Tel Aviv, and Riverside. In other cases, such as with Payoneer, Natural Intelligence, and Get, Volt is joining existing providers rather than replacing them. These shifts highlight a transformation in the employee catering budget market, estimated to be worth around 6 billion shekels annually. While Volt has not disclosed financial figures, the increasing number of corporate clients indicates its growing market share. Historically, many organizations used a single catering provider, but expanding competition now allows employers to offer multiple solutions. This competitive landscape means that the battle extends beyond HR agreements into employees' actual ordering choices. To address this, Volt is enhancing its employee value proposition by offering a 10% discount on group lunch orders exceeding 200 shekels through its Volt Benefits budget. Competitors are also responding with new offerings; Ten Bis launched a benefits card with cashback and discounts, while Sibus, with 7,900 clients, has opened its platform to integrate with any delivery app.
In other news, cybersecurity startup Huskeys has raised $27 million in a Series A funding round led by Blackstone. The company, which focuses on managing and securing 'Agentic Traffic', the movement of AI agents, also saw participation from figures like mentalist Lior Suchard, who also serves as an advisor, and actor Assi Cohen, alongside executives from Google, Amazon, and Palo Alto Networks. This follows an earlier seed round where Huskeys raised approximately $8 million. Founded in 2025 by Itay Gaffney and Roei Weissfeld, Huskeys aims to provide infrastructure for identifying, securing, and managing autonomous AI agents, a growing area of cybersecurity.
Gordon Tourism Group, specializing in river cruises, is investing approximately 2 million shekels to become a partner in international shipping company Transcend Cruises. This move expands Gordon Tourism into corporate events, business conferences, and weddings on river cruise ships. The company believes events on water will be a significant growth engine in the coming years. Transcend Cruises' ships can host up to 120 guests and feature onboard amenities like an amphitheater, meeting rooms, a spa, and a gym, with digital screens for branding and presentations.
Additionally, Hanan Eliyav has been appointed CEO of the business and technology consulting firm Strauss Strategy, succeeding Smadar Oz, who will transition to a senior role focusing on strategic client support and new growth engines. This appointment concludes a two-year planned transition led by the company's founders.
Finally, Israeli AI agent company Wonderful has raised funds at a $5 billion valuation, a significant increase from its previous $2 billion valuation six months prior.
