From the kibbutz to the first prize in the American Irrigation Organization competition

 
The Israeli start-up Treetoscope, founded by HIT's graduate Dotan Eshet, won the international award for a product that will change the world of irrigation in agriculture.

Dotan Eshet

If you had told Dotan Eshet, who started his career in the early 2000's2000s in the industrial design department at the Faculty of Design at HIT, that he would leave the institute's gates embracing a wife, children, and the promise of a bright future, he would not have believed you. Eshet graduated in 2005 and was married to Shir Eshet Amiel, a graduate of the Industrial Design Department and currently a lecturer in the department. He began his career as an industrial designer at the IM SEGEV company, specializing in metal furniture.

Dotan says that he quickly realized that he wanted to advance, and the transition to management was almost natural. "I started my role as a product designer but very quickly moved to managing engineering and development, and from there, I became the company's vice president," Eshet says. "After IM SEGEV, I moved to the food industry and served as CEO of several companies that produce raw materials."

In December 2020, Eshet founded the start-up company Treetoscope. "As someone who grew up in Kibbutz Cabri and spent most of his childhood in the fields instead of at school, it was important to me to make a significant impact in the agricultural world, which is a conservative world that has to deal with a worsening lack of resources on the one hand, and is responsible for feeding the entire world population on the other. "The company's leading product, SapSense, is based on a patent developed by the company. It includes a sensor that connects to the plant's tissues and knows how to monitor its water consumption accurately and in real time. We use advanced analytical models and machine learning, in combination with other sources of information, such as satellite photos and meteorological data, to provide accurate irrigation recommendations at low costs and in a scalable manner."

According to a report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the global agriculture industry consumes about 70% of the freshwater used for human consumption. This is a tremendous amount of water, especially considering that millions worldwide suffer from water shortages. "Saving two percent in irrigation in agriculture is equivalent to the water consumption of the entire population of the United States in an entire year," Eshet explains.

The start-up Treetoscope is located in the historic building of Mikveh Israel, the first agricultural school established in Israel in 1870. The company is growing rapidly and currently employs about 30 people in Israel and worldwide.

The company has commercial cooperation agreements with giant corporations in the agricultural field, including the American company Toro (traded at a value of 11 billion dollars), with contracts signed for sales in millions of dollars, and with Netafim, the leader of the global irrigation market.

About a month ago, the company won first prize in the prestigious competition of the American Irrigation Association for the innovative and promising product for 2023, which provided additional international recognition for the company, which currently sells its services in North and Central America, Europe, and the Middle East.