Israeli precision irrigation startup Saturas Ltd. has completed an investment round of US$4 million. Investors in the round are Hubei Forbon Technology Co. Ltd.; Ramat Magshimim, a collective farm in Israel; and Miguel Torres Winery SA. Also participating were existing investors Gefen Capital, Trendlines, the Israel Farmers’ Union, and Shlomo Nechama.
Saturas is developing an Advanced Decision Support System (ADSS) for automatic irrigation based on its miniature Stem water potential (SWP) sensor. Stem water potential measures the amount of water contained in the interconnected cells of a plant’s stems and leaves. Embedded in the trunks of trees, vines, and plants, Saturas’ sensors receive direct input from the tree or vine to provide real-time, accurate, and continuous information for optimized irrigation.
Anat Halgoa Solomon, co-founder and CEO of Saturas, said, “The funding is intended to complete technological development and to prepare for industrial production and market penetration, focusing on target markets where technology has a clear comparative advantage such as California, US and Spain.”
Trendlines Portfolio Company
Saturas is a portfolio company of the Trendlines Group, an Israeli innovation commercialization company that in 2016 partnered with Bayer to establish the Bayer Trendlines Ag Innovation Fund – a five year agreement that saw Bayer investing $10 million in the Trendlines-managed fund.
Steve Rhodes, chairman and CEO of Trendlines, added, “Saturas has made incredible progress since they began development in 2013. Their technology can truly provide farmers with the precision irrigation management system needed in the sector. At Trendlines, sustainable agriculture is one way to achieve our mission to improve the human condition.”
Successful Field Trials Completed
According to the company, it has successfully completed field trials in citrus, apple, and almond orchards in Spain and Israel in cooperation with NaanDanJain Iberica S.L.U. and Netafim Ltd. Netafim pioneered drip irrigation technology, has 17 manufacturing plants and 4,300 employees, and offers crop management technologies such as monitoring and control and dosing systems, and crop management software. In 2017, Mexican industrial giant Mexichem took a $1.5 billion, 80 percent stake in the company.
Renzong Wang, chairman of lead investor Hubei Forbon Technology Co. Ltd., remarked, “In the current market, Saturas’ solution represents a high-level achievement in precision irrigation, which will have far-reaching implications in both research and practice. To the Chinese plantation industry, the impact Saturas brings will not only be economical, but social as well — while boosting yields for a large number of Chinese farmers, it will also make outstanding contributions to China’s water-saving in agriculture.”
By David Nitchman, GAI Media