Non-Toxic Crop Protection
Agricultural products & related activities
Jerusalem, Israel
Eden Shield is the producer of a novel plant extract that makes crops odorless to insects. This helps prevent several billion dollars worth of damage to crops annually, and reduces insecticide use by up to 75%.
4 reasons to take a look:
1. Patented, odor-masking technology:
EdenShield has developed a bio-insecticide based on a plant extract that masks the odor of crops, making them undetectable to common insects. It is effective for tomatoes, peppers, herbs, medical cannabis, etc.
By comparison, traditional insecticides protect crops by poisoning insects as they eat the crops, and inevitably end up being consumed by humans. Traditional insecticides rapidly become ineffective as insects become resistant to their effects. In response, farmers use increasingly higher quantities of insecticides to protect their crops.
Eventually, farmers are forced to stop using the insecticide, either because the insects become immune or because of health and environmental regulations. EdenShield brings two key advantages over other solutions: Firstly, since odor masking technology does not attack insects, it is not subject to resistance; and secondly, the solution is entirely non-toxic.
EdenShield has demonstrated in field trials that its solution reduces insects by 81%-100%, resulting in increased yield and a reduction of insecticide used on behalf of the farmer.
2. Progress since previous investment:
The company had eight successful Israeli and European beta-sites in 2015, which led to 15 orders of its Gatekeeper solution in H1 2016.
Additionally, the company has built a pipeline of potential customers and distribution partners in Spain, Italy, Greece, Mexico, and Israel (expecting 90 new orders in H2 2016).
EdenShield also successfully tested and began initial sales for its foliar spray products targeted at home hydroponic systems and greenhouses (including medicinal cannabis growers, that are particularly sensitive to toxicity due the medical application of their crops). Furthermore, the farm used to grow EdenShield’s formula-yielding crops has been expanded from a 0.5 acre plot (pre-investment), to a 10 acre plot today. The yield per square meter has also been increased.
Moreover, the company continues to optimize the amount of active ingredient in its formula in order to bring down the cost of the product. EdenShield continues to engage with regulatory authorities and expects Spain to be the first country in which it receives clearance for open field spraying, allowing access to this much larger market.
The company also received its first granted US patent, and filed several additional patents.
3. Addressing large and rapidly-growing market:
In the near term, EdenShield’s product will be applied to screens and nets used in greenhouses. The greenhouse crop-protection market is valued at $2 billion. Longer term, EdenShield’s solution will target the market for open-field insecticides, valued at $11 billion.
The solution is effective against Whiteflies, Thrips and Tuta Absoluta, which collectively cause over $2 billion in crop damage, despite billions of dollars spent on greenhouse crop protection and open field insecticides.
Additionally, a new and rapidly growing market opportunity for EdenShield is the market for medical cannabis. The same insects against which EdenShield effectively protects traditional vegetable/herb/flower are three of the most common insects that damage cannabis crops.
4. Skilled management team with a strong industry track-record:
EdenShield’s management is comprised of an eight person team with deep industry experience in the fields of chemical engineering, agronomy, entomology, industrial engineering and business development.
The team is led by Yaniv Kitron and Guy Malchi, who each have over 20 years of industry experience at leading companies such as Netafim, Israel Chemicals and Fertilizers and Rosetta Genomics (ROSG).
Yaniv is a chemical engineer with nearly two decades of executive experience in advanced agricultural markets.
He’s held prior positions at Netafim and Herbs of Kedem.
Guy is an industrial engineer with over 18 years of international experience in executive management, commercial development, and business development.
He’s held positions at Rosetta Genomics, Champions Oncology, and TEFEN Consulting, where he was the founding partner of its European Life Science practice.
He earned his B.Sc., Industrial Engineering, from Tel Aviv University, and his MBA from London Business School.
Shai is an agronomist with 20 years of international experience in advanced agricultural technologies.
A hybrid of a venture capital firm and a global crowd investing platform for accredited investors, OurCrowd sources deals, performs due diligence, and opens investments to its members, leading every investment with its own money. OurCrowd and its investor community have invested more than $200 million into 90+ companies including ReWalk (which IPO’d), Borro, and BIScience.
Trendlines invents, discovers, invests in, and incubates innovation-based medical and agricultural technologies. Its portfolio includes AquiNovo, Elestimed, and CoreBone.