Hi Supporters,
I wanted to touch base with you all as 2024 draws to a close and share what's happening with NatureGrowth, our AgTech incubator in Israel.
On the eve of the New Year, we welcome you to join us in hopes for new beginnings, peace and abundance and wish you and your loved ones a happy, healthy and prosperous new year.
You may have noticed we've been quiet lately. Like many Israeli communities, Sderot was deeply impacted by the October 7 attack and subsequent war. While we've had to temporarily pivot our operations, we're optimistic about launching our operations in full capacity in the coming months as the situation improves.
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I'm sending this note to our wonderful global network of supporters, your passion for our mission means everything to us.
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We'd love to hear your thoughts on what you'd like to see in future updates!
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​Looking forward to sharing more positive news with you soon.
Best wishes,
Oren, CEO NatureGrowth
Meet Our Growing Team
About
Starting February 2025, we'll have 13 full time staff, plus an external CFO, counsel, and 8 part-time scientific advisors.
Core Leadership
Oren Heiman (Management) and Ben Friedman (Operations)
Our steadfast team who maintained operations this past year
​Dr. Noam Chehanovsky (Science), Dr. Tomer Schvartz (Technology), and an incoming PhD (Labs)
Leading our scientific initiatives
Michal Drayman (Investments)
Heading our investment committee
Business & Operations
Masha Friedman Cohen, Maayan Zweig, Tal Ronen, and Shmulik Swartz
​Driving business development, community engagement, academic partnerships, and sustainability.
Hofit Moshe, Rinat Cohen, Shafrir Godel, Steven Kantor, and Ran Nakel
Managing HR, operations, growth, legal, and finances.
Scientific Committee
Eight distinguished advisors including:
Prof. Oded Shoseyov, Prof. Eyal Shimoni, Ms. Dganit Vered, Dr. Nadav Galon, Dr. Gal Yarden, Dr. Eyal Emmanual, Dr. Eli Even and Prof. Yoram Kapulnik
They will guide our scientific and investment decisions.
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About
Getting Back on Track
Our Sderot facility, is gradually resuming activities to our original model, though some infrastructure like rail service remains paused. We're targeting February 2025, to fully relaunch operations. By then, we plan to have:
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Secured our 10 year financing
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Expanded our team
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Completed lab certification
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Welcomed our first technology cluster
We were recently recognized for our approach to business resilience by CEO in Asia.
You are welcome to read an interview about my personal philosophy in this regard
Team Building Employee Retreat in the Desert
Our team embarked on an enriching two day retreat in the central Negev this November. The trip combined team bonding with hands-on learning about desert agriculture through visits to nine leading facilities, including research centers, academic institutions, and innovative farms.
These visits gave our team valuable insights into the cutting edge developments in desert farming while strengthening our relationships as a group.
About
Our Home Base Update
We moved into our Sderot facility in November 2023 and have completed most lab infrastructure and furnishing. We're pausing additional investments until we secure IIA support (which covers 50-70% of equipment costs) through the tender process we have applied to.
Currently, we're proud to operate as 'SafeSpace,' providing complimentary workspace to 35 local organizations from Sderot and the Otef region. Our building buzzes with 80-120 daily visitors, serving as a vital community hub during these challenging times.
Once the tender is secured, we'll resume facility development to create a state of the art AgTech incubator.
Michal Drayman
Our investment team is actively reviewing hundreds of pre October 7 technologies and new submissions for our initial 3-5 startup cluster launching in February. We're thrilled to welcome Michal Drayman as Co CEO and Chief Investment Officer, bringing decades of Agfood finance and VC expertise.
Our Home Base Update
Expansion & Funding
Partnering with 20+ accelerators and research centers for our network, with LOIs from Hishtil, Fertilizer Research,
and Rimonim Agri
Secured $40M long-term loan from SDG Global Impact Fund, expected early 2025.
Submitted for IIA Deeptech grant (8M NIS/year for 5 years), decision expected February 2025.
Received initial government relief payment, remainder expected mid 2025.
Maintaining investor relationships, considering LP round in 2025-2026.