Cleantech Visits

Once again the Smith team was on the road for a day of company visits - this time focused on cleantech, medical device, and consumer goods firms. On Wednesday morning, we departed from our home in Haifa. Our first stop of the day was the cleantech (agribusiness) firm, Kaiima. Afterwords, we traveled to Misgav for visits with The Misgav Venture Accelerator and Signal Business Development. Later that afternoon, the team traveled to the Naot Shoe Factory at Kibbutz Neot Mordechai in the Upper Galilee.

After a long drive (due mostly to traffic), we arrived in Kfar Tavor and our first meeting of the day, Kaiima. Formerly - Biofuel International - Kaiima was founded in 2006 and is located in the Galilee region of northern Israel. They are an agro-biotech company that develops and uses proprietary, non-transgenic, technologies to boost inherent crop productivity. In particular, the company has developed a Clean Genome Multiplication (CGM™) technology to produce new, non-genetically modified, crops with dramatically improved productivity and improved land and water-use efficiencies. Use of these high-performance varieties and thoughtful agricultural practices can enable farmers all over the world to generate more food and more energy, while sustaining resources.

Photo by Stephen Kushner

 

Our host for the morning was Dr. Doron Gal, the CEO and co-founder of Kaiima. Dr. Gal walked us through a presentation on the history of the firm. Financially, the firm is funded by one of the venture capital firms we visited previously this summer, DFJ-Tamir Fishman. After Dr. Gal's presentation, he answered questions on the underlying technology - its current potential - and also possible future research and development plans. Following the presentation, we had the opportunity to see Kaiima's greenhouses in person. After a short 10 minute drive from their offices, we were on-site. In person, the company's technology was even more impressive than ever could be communicated through slides alone.

Photo by Daniel Branscome

From Kaiima we traveled to our next meeting of the day in Misgav. The Misgav Technology Center (now known as The Misgav Venture Accelerator), was founded in 1992 as an incubator with a focus in medical devices, biotechnology, and pharmaceutical companies. Originally founded publicly by the local council in conjunction with Rafael, Misgav was recently partially privatized through a $2 million investment from The Trendlines Group (a seed-stage investment and consulting group). Our host was Steve Rhodes, Chairman and CEO at The Trendlines Group. Steve spent much of our time with him walking us through Misgav's various portfolio companies - explaining their investment from start to finish.

Photo by Stephen Kushner

 

Misgav currently has 11 incubated companies and 12 “graduate” companies (i.e. pre-revenue). Misgav provides not only capital, but management experience, work space, and legal and accounting services for incubated companies. Their focus is on market research and potential, and in evaluating prospective companies they focus on both the underlying technology, and the market potential. After talking with Steve we then were joined by Tina Ornstein, the CEO of Signal Business Development. The consulting subsidiary of The Trendlines Group, Signal's job is to to provide the structure and market know-how to help Misgav's incubator companies make the leap to the next level. Tina provided a brief overview of a typical Signal engagement and the key factors she focuses on for any given project. All in all, it was a very informative and engaging series of meetings.

Photo by Stephen Kushner

 

The last visit of the day was to the Naot Shoe Factory at Kibbutz Neot Mordechai. The team arrived at the factory in the late afternoon. Opened in 1942, Naot started out as a small kibbutz factory producing work boots. Currently, it employs 160 workers and designs a new line of footwear every year. Their products include a variety of shoes and sandals for men, women and children with special insoles that conform to the shape of the wearer's foot. Naot exports its products to countries worldwide with eighty percent of its products are sold outside of Israel. Major markets include the United States, Canada, Germany and Australia.

Photo by Stephen Kushner

 

After a brief (and somewhat impromptu) tour of the Naot factory, a few team members bought shoes, some for themselves and others as gifts. Shortly thereafter, the team hopped in the bus for the ride back to Haifa - another productive day of company visits in the books.

Second Recap

Another three weeks have passed since our arrival in Israel. The time continues to go by extremely quickly and a lot has transpired in this very short period. As such, I think it's time for another brief summary - for readers both new and old.

Week 4: I wrote about our first class presentations to Israeli venture capitalists at the Technion here. Additionally, the fourth week found the Smith team traveling to Jerusalem during the middle of the week for the Hi-Tech Investment Conference, which I blogged about here and here. Additionally, Israel's Prime Minister made a surprise visit to the conference, which I posted about here. The weekend found the team traveling back to Jerusalem once again - this time for tours of the city's cultural and historical sites.

Week 5: For week five, the Smith team traveled for company visits in Jerusalem (here) and Be'er Sheva (here). Later in the week we went to a speech by Better Place's Shai Agassi at the Technion. This same week I also wrote about our esteemed photographer Kristen Thompson and also posted the latest trip video by Stephen Kushner. Finally, I blogged about the various meetings we've had with entrepreneurs since arriving in Israel. On the weekend, the team traveled to the Galilee and Golan (here, here, and here) - touring Tsfat and rafting the Jordan River. We had a BBQ near Gamla and a water hike at Nahal Yehudia.

Week 6: In the sixth week, the team continued our travels in the Galilee and Golan. We visited Nazareth and the Druze villages, before returning to Haifa. Back in class at the Technion we presented on our "Go to Market" plan. On the weekend, we had free time to travel or relax. Some of us traveled to Bethlehem and the West Bank, while others decided to relax. For me, I used the free weekend to travel and see my wife in Europe. Read about all of our free weekend travels - both inside and outside of Israel - here.

Galilee To Golan, pt3

Sunday morning and we were off to another adventure! From our hotel, we drove to Nahal Yehudia off Highway 87. Nahal Yehudia is part of a reserve, which includes 11 trails, such as Nahal Zavitan, the Meshushim and the Gamla, which includes the remains of the Jewish town that fought against Vespasian during the Jewish Revolt in 66 CE. 

Photo by Stephen Kushner

The Nahal Yehudia hike was not extraordinarily difficult - but it definitely required some skill - as there was a place where we had to descend down a shear rock face next to a waterfall and swim across a deep pool before continuing on the trail. The flowers were in bloom and the water was cool. All in all, it was about a three hour trek, but well worth the effort!

Photo by Stephen Kushner

Some of the team had opted out of the hike. That being said, we had already coordinated to meet up that afternoon at Keshet Yonatan, a moshav in the Golan Heights. Keshet has a very interesting history. Established in 1974 shortly after the Yom Kippur War by Hapoel HaMizrachi near the Syrian city of Quneitra, the community is a thriving community in an otherwise uninhabited area.

Photo by Kristin Thompson

Asher and his friend (whose house we were now at) had coordinated over the previous months for a shochet - a religious Jew who is duly licensed and trained - to prepare and slaughter a sheep for a traditional kosher BBQ (shechita). The fire pit had been dug the preceeding day. Upon our arrival, the boy scouts on our team (me included) quickly went to work erecting a tent for the shochet to perform his duty.

Photo by Kristin Thompson

While we waited, our guide, Meni, took most of the team for a tour of the moshav and the surrounding area. I opted to stay back and call my dad - since it was Father's Day. Those that did go, said it was well worth the trip. Located nearby was an abandoned Syrian military outpost - a spooky reminder of the conflicts that have not to distantly plagued these lands. In the distance, the team could see smoke - which was apparently from army maneuvers by the IDF. Interestingly, the team also saw a UN truck while out - as the UN still administers a cease-fire boundary zone between Israel and Syria.

Photo by Kristin Thompson

Back at the moshav, once the shochet arrived he gave the assembled guests a brief overview of kosher laws and traditions. We then relocated to the outdoor tent. The killing itself was almost instaneous. The preperation took another 45 minutes - and quite a few on the team helped in this process.  After the shochet confirmed the animal as kosher, we put the carcass on a spit and began the BBQ. Sean Luke did an admirable job tending the fire.

Photo by Kristin Thompson

Four hours later, the meat was finally ready to eat. Don Mayer took over the carving duties and people started to chow down. We had fresh pita, potatoes, fried onions and other fixings. Everything was amazing! In an already busy and exciting weekend, this BBQ was the highlight for many in the group.

Photo by Kristin Thompson

That evening that team was back at the Ha'On guesthouse for our final night in the Galilee. The next morning, Monday, the team departed back to Haifa. Along the way we had a few final stops before our weekend trip concluded. The first stop was in Nazareth. Known as "the Arab capital of Israel," Nazareth is extremely important to Christians, as it the childhood home of Jesus. In Nazareth we visited the Church of the Annunciation, which marks the site where the Archangel Gabriel announced the future birth of Jesus to the Virgin Mary. We also visited The Church of St. Joseph's Carpentry, which occupies the traditional location for the workshop of Saint Joseph.

Photo by Kristin Thompson

Next we stopped in Daliat el-Carmel, which is one of the largest Druze settlements. Home to The Abu Ibrahim Shrine, this was definitely an interesting stop. Just on the outskirts of Haifa, our final visit was to the Morad Winery. Not to be confused with a traditional grape winery, Morad is unique in that it focuses on producing wine spirits from many other fruit sources - e.g. honey, pomegranates, apple, melons, dates, etc. It wasn't for everyone, but the free samples went a long way towards allaying people's concerns.

As we pulled back into our house in Haifa, everyone was happy to be home. That being said, we all felt that it had been an amazing weekend. Looking back, it's hard to believe everything we'd seen and done. Awesome, but exhausting.

Galilee To Golan, pt2

We awoke early on Saturday morning for another day of touring in the Galilee region. In particular, the plan for the day was to tour the many sites of primary importance to Christianity - as this was the land in which Jesus lived for much of his adult life. After a quick, but tasty, breakfast at our hotel, we were off to our first stop of the day, Capernaum, situated right along the northwestern coast of the Sea of Galilee.

Photo by Kristin Thompson

Our tour guide, Meni, brought us first to the ruins of Capernaum's ancient synagogue, where he gave us a very detailed description of the sites history. Afterwords, we walked to House of Saint Peter. Now in ruins, the village of Capernaum has a long and complex history. Dating originally to 150 BCE, Capernaum factors into the New Testament in numerous places. In the Gospel of Luke it was reported to have been the home of the apostles Peter, Andrew, James and John, as well as the tax collector Matthew. According to Luke 4:31-44, Jesus taught in the synagogue in Capernaum on the Sabbath. In the Gospel of Matthew the town was reported to have been the home of Jesus. According to Matthew 8:5-13, it was where a Centurion asked Jesus to heal his servant.

Photo by Kelley Harris

From Capernaum we once again returned to the Jordan River - for the second time in two days - this time to the river south of the Sea of Galilee. This is an area that holds significance to Christians - especially many of the evangelical denominations. It was in this area that Jesus was supposedly baptized by his cousin John the Baptist. After a brief stop here, we stopped at a nearby fresh food market (definitely not a normal tourist stop) where we picked up dates, olives, spices, and my personal favorite - halva. For those not familiar, halva is a sesame based snack - that is often combined with other things like pistachios, coffee, and cocoa. It is a staple of Israeli life and is just plain delicious!

Photo by Kristin Thompson

We then hit the road back to the city of Tiberias. Our activity for the afternoon was an hour long cruise on the Sea of Galilee. The weather was fantastic - clear blue skies - hot, but not totally uncomfortable, especially with the light breeze on the water. Honestly - as an aside - the weather since we've arrived in Israel has been nothing sort of amazing. No rain, sunny every day. To be sure, it's been hot - though nothing a southern boy like myself can't handle. Following the cruise, we stopped for lunch at Kibbutz Ein Gev and then returned to our hotel.

Photo by Kristin Thompson

After a change and a short rest, some people elected to stay at the resort and relax. Most of the team however, departed for the Hamat Gader Springs. These are natural hot springs located in a small sliver of Israeli controlled territory right at the territorial junction of Syria, Jordan, and Israel. To get there you drive down a very steep and winding road - on both sides are the remains of the many battles that have been fought there in the Six-Day War and Yom Kippur War. Signs warning about land mines were everywhere.

Once one arrives at the hot springs, one quickly forgets the dangers surrounding it. Used as a natural spring even during Roman times (the ruins are on site) the current springs is a more modern facility constructed in the late 1970s. Smelling slightly of sulfur, the pools were almost 120+ Fahrenheit - over 20 degrees warmer than the current outside temperature. Interestingly, strange as it may seem, once one gets into the water, it quickly becomes very comfortable. I really liked it - and I'm pretty certain I wasn't alone among the team.

For dinner that evening, the team hopped into the bus back to Tiberias. This time, we had an opportunity to see a little bit of the town as we searched for a restaurant. We eventually settled on a hole-in-the-wall kabab shop. Unbelievably smokey, the place was a real find! The place didn't really have any good options for us to sit together, but Meni and Gil, our two Israeli experts said, "grab tables and set 'em up on the sidewalk." A few minutes later and we were ready to go. A great end to another terrific day!

Galilee To Golan, pt1

Another weekend, another tour! Once again the Smith team was off to explore Israel. This weekend was one many of us had looked forward to from the very beginning. From start to finish, our three night trip was packed with activities, concluding late Monday evening.

Photo by Stephen Kushner

Early Friday morning, we left our house in Haifa for the trip east to the Galilee. Our first stop of the day was the city of Tsfat (also known as Safed), where we had a walking tour of the old quarter. Tsfat is one of the highest cities in Israel - and has been the capital of the Galilee region for many centuries. Interestingly, Tsfat is a city that wears many hats. It is a very religious city - and since the 16th century has been considered one of Judaism's Four Holy Cities, along with Jerusalem, Hebron and Tiberias. Most importantly, it is home to The Abuhav Synagogue (which we visited). More recently, Tsfat has also become known for burgeoning artist's colony that is located along its many dusty alleys.

For lunch many on the team (myself included) grabbed a bite to eat from an Yemenite Jewish food vendor. He and his wife were definitely characters - singing and having a great time - even as he prepared our food. The dish, lahuh, he served had a similarity (at least in shape, though not in flavor) to pizza - though the spices that he ladled liberally onto it had a tremendous kick. Quite possibly one of the spicier dishes I've ever had. It really took a long time for the heat to finally wear off.

After lunch we headed north and east from Tsfat for the Jordan River. Our next activity - and one that we were all pretty excited about - was a two hour rafting trip. Our group divided into a few separate rafts and rowed lazily down the currents. By the end we were all completely soaked. The river was definitely more akin to a stream (at least in comparison to the Potomac), but it was still a lot of fun.

From the rafting take out point we rejoined our tour guide, Meni, who took us to the final stop of the day, cycling in the Hula Valley. The Hula Valley is a gorgeous part of Israel. Focused almost entirely on agriculture - and formed after the Israeli government drained local swamps in the 1950s - the area lies in a depression between the Galilee to the west and the Golan to the east. The team arrived at a small nature reserve - collected rented bikes - and went for an hour long ride. Given the stifling heat, the bike ride was quite a work-out, albeit one everyone seemed to enjoy.

Photo by Kelley Harris

That evening we arrived at our lodgings for the weekend - the Ha'On Village - a tourism and resort kibbutz located on the southern shore of the Sea of Galilee. The place - though nice - had a decidedly 1970s vibe to it. The Lost fans among us all immediately commented that it looked like the Others village. That being said, we were all still pretty content!