Sumitomo bets on Israeli startup's remote driving tech

TOKYO -- Sumitomo Corp. has invested in a trio of Israeli tech-sector startups, including a company developing monitoring technology for autonomous cars, joining the growing ranks of Japanese companies targeting a hub of high-tech entrepreneurship.

IN Venture, Sumitomo's Israel-based venture capital arm, has reportedly invested millions of dollars each in three companies, including Ottopia, which develops teleoperation systems to assist autonomous vehicles. Its technology uses artificial intelligence to predict wireless network conditions and compress video data to provide a steady real-time video feed to the operator.