An implant for the treatment of diabetes, a device for the correct injection of an epidural, robots that help in agriculture among the companies of Trendlines Greenhouse that were recently presented at an investor conference

Last year the start-up companies of the group raised capital in the amount of over NIS 50 million. In addition, the group invested in 7 new companies, exits were registered for group companies and wins were announced in competitions

The Trendlines Group, which owns the technology incubators Trendlines Medical, Trendlines Agtech and Trendlines Labs, held the 5th annual investor conference at Kibbutz Shafim. At the conference, 13 of the group's start-up companies presented the best technological innovation to hundreds of participants, among them senior executives from the world of investment and technological development.

The event opened with a lecture by John Medved, CEO and founder of the investment company OurCrowd, who explained why investing in Israeli start-up companies is more profitable than ever. According to him, "in recent years, the start-up companies of the Trendlines group have become very sought after by capital funds and investors, who recognize the enormous potential inherent in investing in original and interesting technologies. The Trendlines Group, which supports technological ventures in the periphery, contributed to changing the face of the entrepreneurship market in Israel and continues to contribute to the promotion of the Israeli high-tech industry."

The annual investor conference was held at the end of a successful year, in which the start-up companies of the group raised capital to the extent of over NIS 50 million. In addition, the group invested in 7 new companies, exits were registered for the group's companies and wins were announced in competitions, including Trendlines Medical winning the title of "The Outstanding Incubator of the Chief Scientist", and two of the group's portfolio companies winning, for the third time in a row, the title of "The Outstanding Startup Companies" .

An implant for the treatment of type 2 diabetes

The Endobetix company is developing an innovative implant for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. The EndoBetix product is based on the understanding that the digestive system is a hormonal system and therefore physiological phenomena such as diabetes can be changed by changes in this mechanism. Type 2 diabetes is considered a "growing disease" both in the developed world and in the developing world. The number of diabetes patients in the world was estimated in 2000 at over 200 million, and it is expected to reach 350 million patients by the year 2030. The treatments available today for the disease include drug therapy and bariatric surgeries ("stomach bypasses"), which are intended to treat diabetes indirectly through weight loss, but They were found to lower blood sugar levels and improve diabetes balance, already on the first day of surgery, even before the patient lost a kilo of weight.

At Endobetix, a portfolio company of the Trendlines Medical Technology Incubator, they understood the potential inherent in the mechanism of action of bariatric surgery and developed an innovative implant that "mimics" the hormonal action that occurs after surgery, without the need for surgery itself, when the insertion of the implant is also done in a simple endoscopic procedure and without anesthesia .

Assisting in proper epidural injection
Omeq Medical, a portfolio company of the technology incubator Trendlines Medical, has developed a disposable device that fits over a standard needle and helps the doctor perform epidural injections in a safe and precise manner. Epidural injections are used for pain relief and anesthesia and are very common in childbirth, but also and especially in orthopedic and abdominal surgeries and in the field of pain medicine. In the US alone, this market is valued at over half a billion dollars, with over 20 million epidural injections performed annually alongside millions of other injections in the rest of the world. Today, the injection method relies mainly on the doctor's personal feeling and experience. In many cases it is not successful and often even involves complications for the patient, ranging from severe headaches to nerve damage.

The new device developed by Omeq Medical is based on a tiny sensor and its role is to provide the doctor with an indication of the location of the needle. The device automatically alerts if the needle penetrates the epidural space and thus will allow a convenient, safe and accurate injection. The epidural space around the spine is small (about 2 mm) and its depth is different for each patient. Today, the needle is inserted in a 'blind' and subjective technique that requires the doctor to be highly skilled and experienced, which reinforces the importance and need for the solution offered by the company. The development could significantly reduce the time required to perform the procedure and the health hazards associated with the injection, as it is currently performed.

Decomposition of pesticides before they enter the soil
Catalyst AgTech, a portfolio company of the technology incubator Trendlines AgTech, develops technology that minimizes the environmental impact of pesticides by causing the breakdown of resistant toxic substances that do not break down in nature. The innovative technology will allow the use of pesticides to protect plants, but will prevent the toxic substances found in the pesticides from seeping into the groundwater and causing environmental pollution.

With the ever-increasing demand for food in the world, the use of pesticides, whose purpose is to help increase agricultural output, also increases accordingly. However, pesticides may have a negative effect on the environment, where one of the risks is that the natural decomposition rate of some pesticides is low. This means that these substances may remain in the ground for many years and in the process seep into the groundwater and contaminate it. The innovative technology of the Israeli company Catalyst AgTech adds to the pesticides a "self-destruction" mechanism, which causes the pesticide to break down into non-polluting substances, before it reaches the depth of the groundwater.

The technology is based on the use of environmentally friendly substances (such as vitamin B12), which act as catalysts for a decomposition reaction, which only occurs under conditions of lack of oxygen. These conditions exist in the deep soil layers, below the layer where plant roots are found. In this way, the pesticides can complete their beneficial role in the plant's environment, and when they penetrate deep into the soil, the reaction occurs and they break down into harmless components. The innovative Israeli development prevents environmental pollution and enables a cleaner environment.

Removal of insects from greenhouse crops
Eden Shield, a portfolio company of the technological greenhouse Trendlines Agtech, develops plant extracts to keep insects away from greenhouse crops. The extracts, which are produced from medicinal plants found in the Israeli desert book, were tested in greenhouses of different crops and yielded impressive results - reducing the amount of important target pests by more than 90%. Since Eden Shield's extracts are natural and non-toxic substances, they do not pose any danger to growers or consumers and can be used throughout the growing period, even close to the time of harvesting the crops and towards their marketing.
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The pesticide market for greenhouse crops is estimated at about 2 billion dollars a year and its growth rate is about 5%. Most of the materials available today are based on toxic chemicals, which are dangerous and prohibited for use near the time of harvest. These substances also cause pests to develop resistance at a very fast rate and therefore are not an effective solution. There are alternatives to the chemical substances, but they do not provide a complete solution. Biological control with the help of beneficial insects is not sufficient throughout the entire growing period, and the plant extracts that exist on the market today are mostly characterized by a short duration of activity of a few days. Unlike the materials available on the market today, the natural material developed by EdenShield provides effective protection against pests over time.

The materials developed by EdenShield can be used in several ways: the company's first product (NET) is intended for spraying on the nets in greenhouses. The company's second product (DIRECT) is intended for direct spraying on flower plants, such as roses, as well as on medical cannabis.

A robot for assembling herbaceous plants
FuturaGraft, which operates in the Trendlines Agtech greenhouse, is developing a robot for assembling herbaceous plants, such as vegetable seedlings. The robot will be able to assemble thousands of seedlings per hour, the power is much greater than that of the assembly robots currently on the market, and will allow considerable savings in personnel.

Assembly of seedlings is an agro-technical method that merges two original seedlings (honest and rider) into one new seedling. The composite seedling benefits from the advantages of the two original seedlings: preparation gives it resistance to harsh soil conditions, and the rider gives it the desired fruit properties. The assembly task is an uncharacteristic task for industrial robots, because the raw material for the process is plant material, which is characterized by non-uniformity. The robot developed by FuturaGraft is able to deal with the main types of differences in seedlings and carry out the process quickly and efficiently.

The assembly approach makes it possible to increase the agricultural output and improve the properties of the crops. The interest in this approach has been increasing in recent years, but due to its high cost, which is mainly due to the cost of the work carried out through hundreds of workers who are recruited for the task every season, its use is limited. FuturaGraft's robot will result in significant cost savings and thus allow the use of compounding to be expanded to additional crops (such as medical cannabis, coffee and sugar substitutes), which today are not profitable to compound.

A robot that controls the feed system in chicken coops

The company Metabolic Robots (Metabolic Robots) from the technology incubator Trendlines Agtech, has developed a robot that controls the feeding systems found in every modern chicken coop in the world. The robot regulates the feed according to the demand of the birds in real time, and also uses the conditioning method in order to optimally direct the birds to the feed tanks. In this way, the robot leads to a significant optimization of the feed consumption in the chicken coop, resulting in an increase in the profitability of the agricultural economy and the quality of life of the poultry.

Experiments conducted by the company show that the birds respond well to the conditions, quickly learn new eating patterns that allow for a correct distribution and optimal distribution of the food, following which the giant flocks migrate inside the closed structure and disperse optimally in the field. The advantages of the new robot developed by Metabolic Robots are expressed in a sharp decrease of 30% in mortality in the chicken coop during the months of growth, while consuming a smaller amount of expensive feed mixture. The technology in this way improves the FCR index (FOOD CONVERSION RATE) and thus increases the farmer's profitability.

Besides optimizing the feed, the system developed by Metabolic Robots brings additional benefits. The system accurately monitors the eating habits of the entire herd and its sub-groups, throughout the hours of the day and night. Based on the information received, it is possible for the first time to detect (remotely) infections and diseases in very early stages, which allows to react quickly and prevent the infection of additional chickens. The scope of the initial market is estimated at about 300 million dollars per year.

A tiny sensor for measuring the water potential in the stem
The Saturas company has developed a tiny sensor for measuring the water potential in the stem, which can help to optimally use water for irrigation and obtain a quality crop in orchards and vineyards. The use of the sensor prevents over-watering and waste of water, and also prevents water leakage due to a missing bag and damage to trees and fruits. The tiny sensor is embedded in the trunk of the tree and through an Internet communication system, provides accurate information for irrigation tailored to needs.

In recent years, the importance of irrigation control has increased due to the growing shortage of water, and the willingness to invest in measures to optimize the use of the precious resource. Despite the growing need and the many attempts to develop an accurate measuring device for irrigation control, the market still lacks a solution like the one offered by the Saturas company that combines accuracy in measurement, ease of use, and a reasonable price.

Saturas, a portfolio company of the technology incubator Trendlines Agtech based on the technology of Izuri Miguel R&D, has recently successfully completed a series of field trials. The results of the experiments are a breakthrough and prove the feasibility of the technology.

Steve Rhodes, Chairman of the Trendlines Group: "Trendlines is happy to open the year 2015 with an investor conference with the participation of representatives of funds and investors from Israel and the world. The conference is an important stage for revealing the new developments and a platform for meeting investors and entrepreneurs. There is a huge interest in the world in the innovative technologies of the Israeli start-up companies - the market is constantly looking for new products and breakthrough technologies in the fields of agriculture, medicine, food and the environment. The young companies, which are at the beginning of their journey, received exposure and opportunities for collaborations here."

Anya Eldan, Head of the Incubator Directorate, Chief Scientist: "We are very proud of our incubator program, which is a route that allows investment in start-up companies that are at the beginning of their journey and have difficulty raising private capital. The outstanding companies of the program are from the two incubators of the Trendlines Group, which provides guidance and technological and business support, which is the essence of the incubator program."

Robert Grossman, co-chairman of the Israeli activity, Greenberg Traurig office: "We are very happy and proud to be partners in the activity of the Trendlines group. This is the best group to work with and one of the leading entrepreneurship centers in Israel. The innovative technologies, of all the companies, from the two incubators, are very intriguing and promising."