Chelmsford firm a leader in Bay State-Israel collaboration
Triton Systems, a Chelmsford product development and investment firm, has been tapped to collaborate with an Israeli company to develop cutting-edge water treatment technology that cuts costs to public- and private-sector users.
The collaboration was announced May 28 during Gov. Deval Patrick’s recent trade mission in Israeli. And while Triton President and CEO Ross Haghighat was thrilled that his company was chosen to share $250,000 in funding through a competitive process, collaborating with Israeli firms is practically old hat for Triton.
CEO: Mass. leads in luring Israeli firms
According to Haghighat, Triton has been involved in funding and founding medical device operations in the Israeli city of Haifa on the Mediterranean coast, since 2001, giving the company a strong business tie to the country. Patrick has been pushing for this kind of collaboration between Israel, a hotbed for technology startups, and the Bay State, which was the impetus behind his May trip.
Through his Massachusetts-Israel Innovation Partnership (MIIP), launched in 2011, Patrick is trying to entice Israeli startups to work with Massachusetts companies and ultimately locate here when they’re ready to commercialize their products, Haghighat said.
“I think the brilliance of the governor’s program is to compete for those companies and make the commonwealth the destination to Israeli startups that want a home in the U.S.,” said Haghighat, noting that the typical progression is for tech startups to look outside Israel when they’re ready to launch. He said Massachusetts is probably third in line, behind California and Texas, in attracting Israeli tech startups, given the high level of venture capital available here, and access to a highly educated workforce.
“And we’re a tiny state, so that’s pretty impressive,” Haghighat said.
System will reduce costs by 30%
Triton will share the $250,000, provided by the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) with Israeli firm Applied Cavitation Technologies (ACT). This is the first MIIP water innovation challenge. Patrick said May 28 that “addressing global water challenges required innovation and investment in new technology.”
The two companies are currently piloting a water treatment system that’s highly efficient, using cavitation technology that cleanses water of contaminants through oxygenation.
Haghighat said the system can reduce the cost of running public water treatment facilities, which are significant public expenses, by as much as 30 percent. The private sector will enjoy similar savings by using the system for various applications, according to Haghighat.
The technology has been tested in an Israeli laboratory, but the next step is to pilot it in the U.S. Haghighat said researchers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute will be involved in that process.
Image source: Freedigitalphotos.net
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