Israeli environmental health company Urecsys, which has developed a system for preventing air pollution from infiltrating residential buildings, has announced a $4 million first closing of a new investment round. The company presented results of a field trial in ten towers in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and Haifa in which its system was installed. It says that the system performed better than existing products in protecting the buildings from air pollution.
The fact that people spend most of their time indoors means that it is within buildings that they are mostly exposed to air pollution, even if it comes from outside. Most the threat to health from urban air pollution is in the form of small volatile gas molecules and particulate matter that can penetrate the filters most commonly in use. Urecsys's system is designed to help filter out viruses as well, preventing them from passing from room to room.
According to Urecsys, its system puts a "brain" into ventilation systems, enabling them to work more efficiently. It monitors the building, learns the patterns of air pollution within it and surrounding it, and chooses the best time for allowing in clean and healthy air from outside. When air pollution outside the building rises, Urecsys's system reduces the supply of external air.
The company's approach is based on the know-how of cancer researcher Nir Bassa, biologist Dr. Shimon Amit, and mathematician and computer scientist Dr. Maor Ganz, who are among its founders.
Among Urecsys's shareholders are Dr. Kobi Richter and Dr. Judith Richter, founders of stents company Medinol and of automated inspection company Orbotech, which was sold for $3.4 billion. Existing investors have expanded their investment in the company while new investors include US company MYN Investments, which is active in retail and real estate in the US, and invests in and promotes high-tech and impact companies in Israel, Benny Sivan, founder of IGT Investments; GRG Patents Ltd.; and Moshe Koka, owner of Em Ha'Ita.
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on March 3, 2020
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