Participated · Equity · Jan 2021

Tevel develops flying autonomous robots and drone harvesting systems that pick fruit without human intervention. Its technology is described as ‘Physical AI’ aimed at automating harvesting to alleviate labour shortages and improve supply‑chain efficiency. Tevel is already working with commercial fruit producers, including Unifrutti in Chile and HMC Farms in California. The company raised $18 million in a Series C to accelerate deployment of its systems. Tevel plans to scale its operations and expand deployments in orchards and plantations globally. The article did not disclose revenue, user counts, or a valuation.

Led · Series A · Sep 2020

LIGC develops Laser-Induced Graphene (LIG) filters using a scalable approach to produce and pattern porous graphene foam with a commercially available laser at ambient temperature. The filters exploit graphene’s conductivity to run an electric current through the filter. Commercial applications cited include air filtration, water purification, printed circuit boards, gas and strain sensors, wound healing, sanitary textiles, hygiene pads, water splitting, and fuel cell catalysis. Air filtration use cases noted include airplanes, ships, schools, offices and homes; the company highlights potential energy and maintenance advantages versus HEPA systems in some settings. Led by co-founder and CEO Yehuda Borenstein, the technology was developed at Rice University in partnership with Ben‑Gurion University and licensed from BGN Technologies. The company intends to use the Series A proceeds to scale production and manufacture its filters.

Participated · Series B · Jun 2020

Saturas develops an advanced decision-support system for precision irrigation that leverages a miniature stem-water potential (SWP) sensor. The company is focused on continued development of its precision irrigation management system and plans to use the new funds to support that work. Saturas closed a first tranche of $3M in funding. Investors in this tranche include Gefen Capital and Hubei Forbon Technology Co. Ltd., with the Trendlines Agrifood Fund joining as a new investor. The company was founded in 2013 inside the Trendlines Group’s Agrifood incubator. Saturas is based in Misgav, Israel. Saturas develops an Advanced Decision Support System (ADSS) for automatic irrigation that uses a miniature SWP sensor embedded in trunks to deliver real-time, continuous data for optimized irrigation. The company’s sensors receive direct input from trees, vines, and plants to inform irrigation decisions. Saturas has completed field trials in citrus, apple, and almond orchards in Spain and Israel in cooperation with NaanDanJain Iberica S.L.U. and Netafim Ltd. It is completing a modified sensor suitable for vineyards, which has been tested in a vineyard in Israel’s Upper Galilee. The company is led by co-founder and CEO Anat Halgoa Solomon and is based in Misgav, Israel. Saturas raised $4M to finish technological development and to prepare for industrial production and market penetration, with a focus on California and Spain. Saturas builds a precision irrigation sensing system composed of miniature implanted sensors and wireless transponders that measure Stem Water Potential (SWP), a highly regarded metric for plant water status. Its sensors are embedded in tree trunks to provide direct contact with plant water tissues, aiming to avoid inaccuracies from soil- or leaf-mounted devices. The company achieved a prototype and proof of concept and has targeted bringing its first product to market in 2018. Saturas says its technology can increase revenues by up to 20% while reducing water use by 10–20%, and estimates the market for irrigated orchards, vineyards and cotton at over $1 billion annually. The startup completed a $1 million seed funding round and plans to use the capital to finish sensor development, run full-scale beta tests worldwide, optimize the prototype across crops, and begin market penetration. Saturas was initially founded with investment from The Trendlines Group in 2013 and is based in Israel.

Participated · Equity · Sep 2019

FruitSpec is a Tel Aviv, Israel–based company that provides a yield management platform for fruit supply chains. Its core product combines early‑season accurate fruit yield prediction technology with digital tools to give visibility to all production‑unit departments, from farmers through picking, packing and marketing. The platform's analytics enable customers to plan, manage and optimize operational, logistics and commercial decisions months before delivery. By improving data accuracy, visibility and analysis, FruitSpec aims to increase customer profitability. Led by CEO Raviv Kula, the company raised $5M to support expansion of sales and marketing in Chile, the US, South Africa and Spain and to introduce additional services. Investors include Amathaon Capital, Ocean Azul, Smart‑Agro, The Trendlines Group and Agriline. FruitSpec provides a solution to improve early-season fruit yield estimation using patented hyperspectral and computer vision algorithms to count fruit and estimate sizes. The company has demonstrated accuracy rates above 95% in recent commercial operations and field trials. Led by CEO Raviv Kula, FruitSpec is a portfolio company of The Trendlines Group Ltd. It intends to use new funding to expand and broaden its services to customers. The product targets growers and agribusinesses seeking more accurate early yield forecasts to inform planning and logistics.