Israeli company SmarTap acquired by Masco Corporation
SmarTap has developed a smart shower system that monitors and controls the temperature and flow of water. By JERUSALEM POST STAFF 
(photo credit: Courtesy)
 
Israeli startup SmarTap, which makes shower systems for smart homes, has been acquired by Masco Corporation, the companies announced. SmarTap, founded in 2010, has developed a shower system that connects the bathroom to the smart home. The smart shower provides a unique personalized shower experience including pre-set scenarios of temperature, flow, and volume, control via a smartphone app or voice control, bath auto-fill, and enhanced safety features. The patented technology includes proprietary sensors and algorithms. In addition, the SmarTap system enables significant water and energy savings. Masco, a publicly-traded Fortune 500 company, is a global leader in the design, manufacture and distribution of branded home improvement and building products with well-known brands including Hansgrohe, Delta, Behr, and more. Terra Venture Partners, an Israeli venture capital fund that invests in early stage start-ups disrupting traditional industries (including construction-tech, agri-tech, transportation, healthcare and environment) invested in SmarTap’s seed round and in all subsequent investment rounds. “We congratulate Asaf and his team for this great achievement," said Astorre Modena, Managing Partner at Terra Venture Partners. "After many years of intense work, we are convinced that together with the buyer, we will see another first-class technology from Israel becoming a leader in global markets.”

Israeli company SmarTap acquired by Masco Corporation

סכום העסקה המדויק אינו ידוע. המוצר של SmarTap ישולב כחלק משירותיה של מאסקו, שמתמחה במוצרים לשיפור הבית ופועלת גם בתחום ה-IOT (האינטרנט של הדברים). חברת SmarTap גייסה עד היום 7 מיליון דולר ממשקיעים כמו טרה ונצ'ר פרטנרס, שמתמקדת בחברות אימפקט (טכנולוגיות לשיפור הסביבה), קיבוץ אילון ומשקיעים פרטיים. החברה פיתחה מוצר חומרה ותוכנה, שמחבר את הברז במקלחת לאינטרנט ומאפשר שליטה מרחוק על הטמפרטורה ועוצמת המים - וכך גם חסכון במים ובאנרגיה. השליטה בברז מתבצעת באמצעות אפליקציה או דרך פקודות קוליות, וכך ניתן למשל למלא את האמבטיה באופן אוטומטי. לפי החברה, המערכת כוללת תכנית להגנה מפני כוויות, מאפשרת הגבלת של הצריכה ויכולה לזהות פיצוצים ולחצים חריגים בצנרת. SmarTap הוקמה ב-2010 על ידי אסף שאלתיאל, מהנדס אלקטרוניקה בוגר הטכניון. הרעיון להקמת החברה נולד לאחר ששאלתיאל הבחין באחותו, אם לתאומים, שנאלצה מדי יום להתמודד עם משימת מילוי האמבטיה הכפולה, והתקשתה במשימת מילוי המים בטמפרטורה ובכמות הנכונות. המערכת של SmarTapSmarTap
החברה מעסיקה נכון להיום 15 עובדים, שימשיכו לעבוד מישראל, במסגרת מה שיהפוך להיות מרכז פיתוח של מאסקו בישראל - שעד כה לא היתה לה כלל פעילות בארץ. מאסקו חברה ברשימת פורצ'ן 500 (שכוללת את 500 החברות הגדולות בארה"ב), והיא נסחרת בבורסה בניו יורק. החברה הוקמה ב-1929 והתחילה לייצר מוצרים בתחום הרכב, ולאורך השנים עברה להתמקד במוצרים לבית. מלבד תחום מערכות המים לבית, מאסקו מחזיקה בשתי חטיבות נוספות בתחומי הארונות ומוצרי עץ, ומוצרים אדריכליים דקורטיביים לבית. ﻿

SmarTap acquired by Masco Corporation

מקלחת חכמה: הסטארט-אפ הישראלי SmarTap נמכר לחברת פורצ'ן 500

Environment News ,
Technology News Kirk D'Souza, NoCamels  | Nov, 20 2016
Ancient Greek scientist Archimedes had his famous ‘Eureka!’ moment when he stepped into the bathtub. Israeli entrepreneur Asaf Shaltiel had his own ‘Eureka’ moment when he saw his sister bathing her twin babies and was astonished by how difficult it was to get the water temperature just right for them. It was then that Shaltiel, the CEO of Israeli startup SmarTap, realized just how old-fashioned the shower is. “This is a zero-tech industry that hasn’t evolved for centuries,” he tells NoCamels. “Take a look at your shower. What you’re buying is actually a beautifully designed sculpture with a label.”
Spurred by the vision of a new generation of showers, the former Intel engineer founded SmarTap in 2009. The eight-employee company has developed a Wi-Fi-equipped smart-shower system that integrates multiple features, which can be tailored to businesses and individual customers. One such feature is the users’ ability to set the maximum shower temperature, flow rate and even time period, thus allowing them to save water and electricity. Businesses with showers, such as hotels and gyms, can monitor and control water usage and temperature for an entire cluster of showers using a web interface. Individual consumers can easily adjust these settings for their personal showers using a mobile app  (a partnership with shower designer Tissino), which is currently available on Google Play and will be available on Apple’s App Store next month. Users can activate their showers remotely, which means that the bathtub can be filled with rejuvenating warm water while you drive home from work. SmarTap  is also integrated with Amazon Echo, the speaker equipped with Amazon’s voice-controlled robot Alexa. SEE ALSO:  In Face Of Global Shortage, World Leaders Praise Israel’s Water Technologies At WATEC Conference
In addition to monitoring water usage, the app allows users to program pre-set showers like “My Morning Shower” and “My Fun Shower” with varying temperatures, flow rates and time settings. Users can even receive notifications via the app about leaks in the pipes, which are detected by the SmarTap sensors. The system is available in the UK (through Tissino) for 1,700 pounds, and in Israel for 5,500 shekels. In the coming months, SmarTap will be available for $1,500-$2,000 in the US. According to the company, these costs can be recuperated within two to three years, thanks to SmarTap’s water-saving technology. SEE ALSO:  Indian Minister Applauds Israeli Water Technologies: “Israel Is My Guru”
The startup began its journey by installing its system in the Sheraton Hotel in Tel Aviv. It then expanded into the smart-home industry by riding on the Internet of Things (IoT) wave. “To think that we can penetrate the market as a standalone device is a mistake,” Shaltiel says. “We have to be a part of the ecosystem.”
In line with this new strategy, SmarTap has integrated its system with Amazon Echo, the voice-controlled speaker equipped with Amazon’s artificially intelligent personal assistant Alexa. Alexa is already able to control smart lights and smart televisions – and now, it can control SmarTap, too. Weather-based showers 
The company has also applied machine-learning algorithms into the SmarTap system. “Our philosophy is that if you introduce smart devices, those devices need to learn,” Shaltiel says. “They cannot be dumb devices with Wi-Fi.”
For example, the system can now read the weather forecast in order to adjust the shower temperature accordingly. Its pattern-recognition technology also allows it to understand the user’s habits, which means that it can prepare a hot shower five minutes before the phone alarm rings. It can even identify deviations from those habits, which could be useful in eldercare. “If you have a grandfather who lives alone, you would like to know that he is keeping his hygiene patterns regularly,” Shaltiel explains. Asaf Shaltiel
Turning a knob? Not anymore 
By 2013, SmarTap raised $1.2 million; it recently received an undisclosed amount from Israeli clean-tech venture capital firm  Terra Venture Partners . It also won the 2013 Eco Innovations Award and presented at the 2015 Microsoft Think Next Exhibition. Over the years, competing water technologies, such as EvaDrop and the Hydrao Smart Shower, have emerged. But according to Shaltiel, these products don’t have the same breadth of capabilities as SmarTap, which he claims is the world’s first “connected shower.” Moreover, new capabilities can be embedded wirelessly into the SmarTap system through software updates, just like with smartphones. “There is a good chance that our grandchildren will consume water in an entirely different way,” Shaltiel says. “One day, our grandchildren will ask us, ‘Did you really have to turn a knob to get water?’ And when that happens, we want to lead that market.”
Photos and video: SmarTap, Tissino, Medialo Consulting
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Shower Power: SmarTap Taps Into Smart Home Market With Voice-Controlled Shower

News and commentary on Israel's growing clean technology industry. Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Terra Venture Partners Israel's most active VC in 2009
Terra Venture Partners , a Jerusalem-based venture capital fund focused on seed and early-stage cleantech investments, was recently named Israel's most active venture capital investor for 2009. According to the IVC Research Center , Terra Venture Partners made six first investments in 2009, followed closely by Carmel Ventures , Giza Venture Capital , Jerusalem Venture Partners , Magma Venture Partners , Pitango Venture Capital , Sequoia Capital , which each made five first investments in 2009. Terra Venture Partners has $25 million under management and is headed up by general partners Astorre Modena and Harold Wiener . Its initial investments in 2007 were in wind energy start-up IQWind and energy efficiency start-up Phoebus Energy . Later, Terra Venture Partners invested in Biological Alarm Systems , a start-up developing airborne biological hazards. IVC Research Center reports that in 2009 Terra Venturea Partners invested in:
Linum Systems , a start-up founded in 2009 that is developing an advanced, energy efficient air conditioning technology. Linum Systems was founded by Yuval Berson and Amir Hirshfeld , two veterans of Israeli solar power company Di.S.P
Lithium Force , a start-up focused on providing complete solutions for electric powered transportation fleets (buses, trucks, and taxis)
PV Nanocell, a stealthy start-up apparently focused on the development and production of nanomaterials for the solar photovoltaic industry
Silentium , which is developing innovative noise reduction products and solutions
SmarTap , a company devloping innovative, efficient electronic water faucets
Wi-Charge , a start-up developing technology to enable the safe, reliable and efficient wireless transmission of power. Wi-Charge was founded in 2007 by Ortal Alpert
You can follow this link to access the original report online. Related Posts:

Cleantech Investing in Israel: Terra Venture Partners Israel's most active VC in 2009

Bezeq operates in the telecom services sector. The company and its subsidiaries offer telecommunications services, including domestic and international, fixed and mobile, high-speed Internet, transmission, and others. Bezeq serves the telecommunications industry with various services. It was founded in 1984 and is based in Holon, Israel.

Bezeq

Bezeq , Israel 's leading telecommunications service provider , Has chosen SmarTap as one of its partners in Bhome -- Bezeq home service .

SmarTap to present at Bezeq smart home model

Microsoft focuses on software, hardware, and services. It offers products in business productivity software, cloud computing services, personal computing devices, and gaming consoles. It serves sectors such as business, education, healthcare, and gaming. It was founded in 1975 and is based in Redmond, Washington.

Microsoft

InfluxData focuses on time series data management in the technology sector. It offers a platform, InfluxDB, that allows users to collect, store, and analyze time series data at any scale, providing insights. The platform is used across various industries such as manufacturing, telecommunications, energy, and utilities. It was formerly known as Errplane. It was founded in 2012 and is based in San Francisco, California.

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This Collection includes companies developing smart home devices, wearables, home electronics, and other consumer electronics.

Smart Home & Consumer Electronics

Acquired

SmarTap provides innovative, patented, low-cost solutions to bring intelligence to various water applications at  home. Smartap systems significantly reduce water consumption while optimizing the user experience.

On May 31st, 2020, SmarTap was acquired by Masco Corporation. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Date	Round	Investors	Valuation Valuations are submitted by companies, mined from state filings or news, provided by VentureSource, or based on a comparables valuation model.	Revenue	Sources
5/31/2020	Acquired	Masco	$XXM	0 FY undefined	1
1/1/2018	Series A	Subscribe to see more	$XXM	0 FY undefined	0
1/1/2009	Seed VC	Subscribe to see more	$XXM	0 FY undefined	0

Date	5/31/2020	1/1/2018	1/1/2009
Round	Acquired	Series A	Seed VC
Amount
Investors	Masco	Subscribe to see more	Subscribe to see more
Valuation	$XXM	$XXM	$XXM
Revenue	0 FY undefined	0 FY undefined	0 FY undefined
Sources	1	0	0

First funding	Last Funding	Investor	Rounds	Type	Location
5/31/2020	5/31/2020	Masco	1 Acquired	Corporation	Michigan
00/00/0000	00/00/0000	Champel Capital	Subscribe to see more	Venture Capital	Israel
00/00/0000	00/00/0000	Terra Venture Partners	Subscribe to see more	Venture Capital	Israel

First funding	5/31/2020	00/00/0000	00/00/0000
Last Funding	5/31/2020	00/00/0000	00/00/0000
Investor	Masco	Champel Capital	Terra Venture Partners
Rounds	1 Acquired	Subscribe to see more	Subscribe to see more
Board Seats
Type	Corporation	Venture Capital	Venture Capital
Location	Michigan	Israel	Israel

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