Trendlines to found Chinese agritech incubator

Trendlines Group Ltd. will set up an agritech-biotech incubator in China in collaboration with Anhui Luban Construction Ltd. The incubator will be established in Anhui Province, 500 kilometers north of Shanghai. Trendlines operates the Misgav Venture Accelerator for cleantech ventures and the Trendines Agtech incubator for agritech ventures in the Etzion Bloc,

The companies did not disclose their joint investment in the venture, but said that the budget would be enough to found several companies simultaneously in the second half of 2014. This suggests a budget of at least several million dollars.

Trendlines co-chairman and co-CEO Todd Dollinger said that, in recent years, the company has become very active in two other countries besides Israel - China and Canada. "We began operating in China because it�s a great place to manufacture in, and we also have several companies for which it is a big market, such as respirator developer ET View Medical Ltd. (TASE: ETVW)," he said. "We've been active there for two years, and Chinese investors invested in both Trendlines and in subsidiaries last year."

Dollinger added, "The relations were arranged by commercial attaches in China, experts who know what they are doing, and directly. We now have an office there, with a local manager who finds opportunities for us. I spoke at three conventions in China last year, and Chinese delegations visit us at least once a month."

Trendlines chalked up three exits in 2013, amounting to $10 million, which generated handsome returns for the incubators. "Another, possibly larger, exit is in the pipeline," said Dollinger.

Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on April 29, 2014