Israeli Chipmaker Tower and Cyber Startup Dream Lead a Tech Valuation Surge

Tower Semiconductor, a contract chipmaker based in Migdal HaEmek, has seen its market value rise roughly 500 percent over the past year, surpassing the value of Bank Hapoalim and approaching that of Bank Leumi. The company's value now reflects about six times the price implied by a deal under which Intel was once due to acquire it, two decades after a debt arrangement with those same banks kept it in business.

In parallel, the cybersecurity firm Dream Security, founded by Shalev Hulio with the former Austrian chancellor Sebastian Kurz, reached a $3 billion valuation after raising $260 million in new capital. The company's annual recurring revenue (the predictable yearly subscription income it can count on) recently passed $100 million.

Both moves point to strong investor demand for chips and cybersecurity, two areas at the center of the technology and security competition. They also illustrate how quickly valuations can compound when capital is plentiful and a story captures investor attention.