Boarding Pass
Kiinns: “A paradigm shift has to take place” in food safety
The company is looking to raise money for its Seed round to help clean up food production lines
“In order to solve all issues of food safety, environmental impact, and operational costs at the same time, a paradigm shift has to take place,” explained Kiinns CEO Tzvika Furman. The company is at the intersection of Foodtech and Industry 4.0, developing solutions that eliminate cleaning processes in food production lines.
According to Furman, Kiinns' technology prevents foodborne illnesses, saves lives, and makes the environment cleaner and safer. CTech's Startup Boarding Pass, a new series highlighting companies early in their startup journeys, explores what this means for our planet and outlines the journey the company has ahead.
Dr. Ehud Furman (left) and Tzvika Furman. Photo: Colab Square Company Name: Kiinns
Sector: Intersection of Foodtech and Industry 4.0
Product/Service description:
Kiinns is a startup at the intersection of Foodtech and Industry 4.0.
With cleaning processes in the food industry being the source for foodborne illnesses and a huge environmental impact, Kiinns invented a technology that, for the first time ever, completely eliminates cleaning processes in food production lines.
Kiinns' technology prevents foodborne illnesses, saves lives, and makes our environment cleaner and safer while dramatically cutting costs for food producers.
Founder Bios:
Tzvika Furman, CEO, has a B.Sc in Mechanical Engineering. Furman brings 24 years of industry and entrepreneurship experience. He directed R&D and NPI teams and has vast experience with programs and business management in the medical, defense, and semiconductor industries.
Dr. Ehud Furman, CTO, has a Ph.D. in Physics. He is a retired senior executive with 40 years of industry experience directing large R&D teams, programs, a 200-employees production plant, and being a VP for QA and processes.
Year of Founding: 2019
Last Investment Stage: Seed
Total investment to date: $400,000
Investors (leading and all):
Jeremy Coller, i4Valley incubator with the Israeli Innovation Authority
Current number of employees: 3
Open positions: Will be announced soon
Website:
Social Media Links:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/kiinns
Is there anything else you want us to know?
We have just initiated a Seed round and are currently raising funds for it.
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Interview:
How was the idea born?
The idea for Kiinns was initiated a few years ago when I was frustrated with having to clean my coffee machine's milk frother after every time I used it. I decided to do something about it and make sure that my friends and I will be able to just enjoy a cup of coffee without having to go through the hassle of cleaning the milk frother anymore…
It was then that I started the company. Soon I was joined by Dr. (of Physics) Ehud Furman, my father, and from that point also the company's CTO, and soon we were designing solutions that eliminate the need to clean kitchen appliances.
Very soon we realized that the problems associated with cleaning were far greater in the food industry than they are at home, and the company pivoted to designing solutions that will eliminate cleaning processes in food production lines.
What is the need for the product?
Food processing equipment must be regularly cleaned and sanitized to ensure safe manufacturing, reduce chances of food contamination and guarantee the well-being of the public. It is also essential for reducing the risk of recalls that are food producers' biggest threat to profitability, not to mention the potential damage to their reputation.
Nevertheless, each year, 200 million people globally get sick and 150,000 die from foodborne diseases related to cleaning processes.
One in every three FDA-reported food recalls relate to cleaning, sanitation and hygiene issues, and the FDA even states that: "It is recommended that all cleaning methods are evaluated for effectiveness…"
Cleaning also has a huge negative environmental impact as a massive amount of water is wasted in every cleaning cycle, chemicals, and organic waste from the cleaning process pollute the environment and cleaning processes are also a source for greenhouse gasses.
Another negative outcome of the cleaning process is its high costs with resources such as manpower and materials but also with machine downtimes, and the necessity to shut down the food production process - sometimes for many hours - while the equipment and the production line has to be cleaned and sanitized.
As all food producers know, these drawbacks of cleaning from first hand, there is a vast interest in the game-changing solution that Kiinns is developing.
How is it changing the market?
Today, various solutions try to cope with the negative outcomes of cleaning, but there is no alternative to cleaning and no single solution provides a holistic remedy for both food safety, environmental impact, and cost issues. So food producers have to continue with the common practice of cleaning despite all its flaws and drawbacks.
And this is exactly where Kiinns is bringing a complete paradigm shift, developing a patent-pending technology that, for the first time ever, completely eliminates the need to clean food processing equipment after use in food production lines.
Kiinns' technology prevents foodborne illnesses, saves lives and makes our environment cleaner and safer while dramatically cutting costs for food producers.
How big is the market for the product and who are its main customers?
Kiinns' addressable market is over $60 billion with B2B customers such as:
- Food producers: confectionaries, bakeries, producers of dairy products, sweets, meat, salads, etc.
- Food service companies
- Manufacturers of food processing equipment
We are starting with the food industry and then expanding to additional industries such as pharma, cosmetic, biotech and more.
Does the product exist already? If not - at what stage is it and when is it expected to hit the market?
Our product is in the development stage. We just completed the POC successfully and reached an MVP. With the funding we are raising today we expect to hit the market a year from when the raise is completed.
Who are the main competitors in this sector and how big are they?
Today there is no alternative to cleaning.
Partial and insufficient solutions try to solve the big problems associated with cleaning. Solutions such as:
- "Green" cleaning materials
- "Easy-to-clean" food processing equipment
- Optimized cleaning processes
These existing solutions do not solve the problems associated with cleaning processes. They can only minimize some of the problems some of the time.
In order to solve all issues of food-safety, environmental impact, and operational costs at the same time, a paradigm shift has to take place:
Only Kiinns with its revolutionary approach of eliminating cleaning completely can holistically address all issues of food safety, environment, and high costs of cleaning.
Nevertheless, our main competitors are companies providing hygiene and sanitation solutions such as Ecolab or Diversey that make money today from selling cleaning materials and hygiene and sanitation solutions, and equipment manufacturers providing "easy to clean" food processing equipment such as GEA.
What is the added value that the founders bring to the company and the product?
The founders are a father (Ehud) and a son (Tzvika), which makes our collaboration very special, extremely easy, and directed towards the exact same goals.
We bring a vast and proven track record with relevant experience from various industries.
What will the money coming in from the round be used for?
The money from the round will be used to scale up the solution from lab to market scale, finalize a full prototype and complete pilots with the industry. It should put us on the verge of the market.
In the "Startup Boarding Pass" section , CTech will cover the (relatively) small investments made in companies during the early stages of their existence - and the entrepreneurs and startups who have not yet had the opportunity to reveal their stories to the world. Please use the linked form and fill it out according to the guidelines. This form is intended for startups raising between $500,000 and $3 million from venture capital funds, angels, or official grants from Israeli and foreign institutions. If relevant, someone at CTech will be in touch for follow-up questions.
