TACount Crowned Winner Of Water Technology Competition

Chosen from 32 Entrants, TACount Deemed Most Ready for Export Markets; Earns Trip to Visit Massachusetts Water Industry Cluster

TACount was named the grand prize winner of the Water Export Technology (W.E.T.) Revolution Competition during a sold-out, live-judging event here recently with more than 150 executives participating. The event was sponsored by a delegation of industry executives known as the Massachusetts Water Industry Mission to Israel. Massachusetts is home to one of the world’s largest water industry clusters.

TACount provides real-time microbiology solutions for the water, food and beverage, electronics, cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries, and its proprietary technologies for bacteria detection, identification and counting enable it to deliver results in minutes rather than days or weeks.

“The creativity and breadth of Israeli solutions to address serious water issues is world-class.  The judges and audience gained new appreciation for Israel’s successes locally and opportunity globally by taking part in this Competition,” explained Earl Jones, partners in Liberation Capital, a project finance and private equity firm that funds water technology companies.

A total of 32 companies applied to enter the Competition, and the field was narrowed down earlier to six finalists and seven semi-finalists.  Today’s Competition event featured rapid presentations by all the finalists, including Atlantium Technologies, Blue I Water Technologies, Curapipe, Emefcy, Peak-Dynamics, and TACount.  An expert panel of judges quizzed each of the finalists about its business proposition, and selected the ultimate winner.

Seven other companies were recognized as the Competition’s semi-finalists.  They included Advanced Mem-Tech, AMS Technologies, Filtoflex, HydroSpin, IOSight, NanoSpun Technologies and nLeak Technologies.  

From among the semi-finalists, Hydrospin also earned the distinction of being named a “Top Prospect,” which the judges deemed best positioned among the semi-finalists to move to the world stage soon. HydroSpin has developed a unique power solution for smart water networks that generates micro-energy from the flow of water inside distribution pipes, and is backed by Kinrot Ventures, the largest water-related seed investor in the world.

“We’re looking forward to welcoming all the finalists and semi-finalists to choose Massachusetts for expansion as they get ready for global growth.  Our strong industry, solid business infrastructure, supportive government, and a highly-connected network create a friendly environment.  We are happy to have made many new friends here today,” said Amir Eldad, Chairman of the New England-Israel Business Council.”

As the winner of the W.E.T. Revolution Competition, TACount will enjoy a prize package that includes airfare and five days’ hotel accommodations for the company’s CEO to visit Massachusetts in the spring of 2013. While there, the CEO will be introduced to potential channel partners, customers, investors, government officials, and business partners who can help the company make Massachusetts its home-away-from-home as it enters the U.S. market and leverages the state’s water industry cluster for global market access.  Additional prizes for the winner and/or finalists includes free office space at MassChallenge, free legal services from Goodwin Procter LLP and GKH Law Offices, and reduced rate executive search from Green Search Partner.

Another highlight of today’s program was the announcement by the Israeli-founded water-treatment company Desalitech, which chose Massachusetts as its US headquarters for launching its global expansion. Desalitech CEO Nadav Efraty explained, “In Massachusetts, we found access to capital, a preferable time zone, and we were courted by the state government. We’re encouraged by the track record of success for Israeli companies in Massachusetts and are very excited about rooting the next stage of our growth there.” Desalitech’s Closed Circuit Desalination (CCD) products purify water at a compelling 20% to 90% lower cost than the most advanced systems on the market today using proven techniques that reduce waste and improve efficiency.

The competition event also included company exhibits, opportunities for networking, and guest speakers including Orna Berry, Corporate VP and General Manager of EMC Israel, and Avi Hasson, Chief Scientist of the Israel Ministry of Industry, Trade, & Labor.   

Also at the Competition event, the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center and the Israeli Office of Chief Scientist together announced the second round of the “Massachusetts-Israel Innovation Partnership.” This unique program encourages companies from both geographies to work cooperatively on R&D projects.  Supported by commercialization grants from both organizations, the agreement is focused on water technology innovation.

“We're thrilled to join this partnership and we look forward to seeing the results of the collaborations between Massachusetts and Israeli companies as they develop innovative water technologies designed to address global health and environmental challenges," said Massachusetts Clean Energy Center CEO Alicia Barton McDevitt.

Sponsors & Partners

Sponsors of the Competition included Cleantech Open Northeast, GKH Law Offices, Goodwin Procter, Green Search Partner, Item Media Relations, MassChallenge, Ozzy Properties, Rainer Communications, and Xylem.  Partners included the Consulate General of Israel to New England, Government of Israel / Economic Mission to North America, Israel-America Chamber of Commerce, Massachusetts Office of International Trade & Investment, Mekorot WaTech, and the New England Israel Business Council. 

About the Massachusetts Water Innovation Mission to Israel
The trade delegation, which organized the Competition, is a group of 48 executives from the Massachusetts water industry cluster who traveled to Israel December Dec. 16-19 to develop partnerships that can help satisfy the world’s thirst for water. For more information, visit www.wet-revolution.com/organizers.

About the Massachusetts Water Industry
The Massachusetts water industry encompasses the entire value chain of the $522B global industry, including companies and organizations involved with drinking water, wastewater, storm water, industrial and produced water, agricultural water, and coastal water applications. In Massachusetts, some of the key entities in these sectors are research institutions, graduate degree programs, engineering firms, start-ups, goods and services companies, investors, and professional services firms that support them.

About NEIBC
The New England-Israel Business Council (NEIBC) is a nonprofit, member-based organization dedicated to increasing economic development opportunities in Israel and New England by connecting people and businesses, supporting investment opportunities and promoting a vibrant collaborative business community which will produce long term sustainable growth. NEIBC provides a diverse program of activities and events and offers advice on doing business in these two regions.  For more information, visit www.neibc.org.