October 10, 2023

By Lynda Kiernan-Stone, Global AgInvesting Media

The precision irrigation market has been in an extended period of growth since 2010, and it doesn’t appear to be losing any steam. Valued at $2.24 billion in 2022, the industry is forecast to experience a CAGR of 14.84 percent to reach a value of $4.47 billion by 2027, according to BIS Research. 

When an industry is set for such potential growth, it quickly becomes crowded, making it all the more important that companies set themselves apart from their rivals. One company doing just that is Israel-based Treetoscope, which just closed on $7 million in Seed funding led by Champel Capital’s venture fund, and including GlenRock fund, SeedIL, YYM-Ventures, Agrovison, NEOME, GN-Z11, and Earth.vc.

This funding brings Treetoscape’s total funding to-date to more than $10 million, which includes grants from the Israel Innovation Authority and the joint Israel-U.S. government-funded Bird Foundation. 

Founded in Tel Aviv in 2021, Treetoscope has developed a unique plant-based irrigation management platform that instead of using soil sensors that don’t interface with plants, or tree-trunk sensors that are limited to measuring tree circumference, uses in-tree or in-plant sensors that directly measure water uptake in real-time. 

The company explained that its sensors are easy to install by the grower, and are more cost effective compared to other service-heavy soil sensor-based systems, providing higher-resolution data gathered from fields, vineyards, or orchards. 

Combined with AI, integrated weather data, satellite imagery, and other remote data, Treetoscope’s system provides growers with a more accurate data set to set easily scheduled irrigations, reduce water usage and input costs, make more precise irrigation decisions, and ensure optimal crop health and output. 

“Treetoscope has developed a unique solution to one of the most painful problems in the worldwide food chain, where water is becoming a rare, expensive commodity,” said Amir Weitman, managing partner, Champel-Capital. 

“We are proud to partner with such a company that provides solutions to farmers to save significant amounts of water and create a genuine impact in the world.”

Treetoscape’s data is then fed seamlessly into its user-friendly irrigation management platform that can be accessed via computer or mobile app, where growers make informed decisions to ensure their crops receive precisely the amount of water for optimal performance. 

The company has already established valuable commercial collaborations with some of the world’s leading agribusinesses and high-profile research institutes.

In North America, Treetoscape has partnered with The Toro Company, and has co-branded the innovation technology, Transpira. This collaboration has led to the successful beginning of sales in the U.S. and Mexico, creating a significant foundation for the company’s global expansion. 

Treetoscape has also partnered with Netafim, a global leader in sustainable agricultural irrigation solutions, that has validated Treetoscape’s technology over a period of three years, laying the groundwork for a global commercialization partnership. 

Furthermore, in its second year of sales, Treetoscape has tripled its revenue compared to the prior year, and is on pace to meet sales objectives for the current financial year ending in December 2023. 

Along with these meaningful milestones and a recent expansion into the U.S., Treetoscape has hired a general manager in the Sacramento, California area earlier this year, has expanded its team in California’s Central Valley, and is preparing for expansion into Mexico for the 2024 season.

~ Lynda Kiernan-Stone is editor in chief with GAI Media, and is managing editor and daily contributor for Global AgInvesting’s AgInvesting Weekly News and  Agtech Intel News, as well as HighQuest Group’s Unconventional Ag. She can be reached at lkiernan-stone@globalaginvesting.com.

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