Mekorot, Israel’s national water corporation, has established a technology support unit, WaTech, to serve as a platform for getting Israeli water-related startups onto the wave of growth in the world water market.

WaTech is a program supporting the expansion of Mekorot's water technology solutions. WaTech offers early stage entrepreneurs beta site and commercial plat-forms, technology analysis and support, access to global markets, and assistance with strategic partnerships and capital. WaTech also offers more mature water technology vendors the opportunity to enter into commercial arrangements and joint projects with Mekorot.

Mekorot, believes in Israeli technology and its ability to tap into the growing demand in the world water technologies market. WaTech has been established by Mekorot to help promote Israel’s water-related technologies.

For investors, the WaTech initiative provides their portfolio companies with a commercial platform, and ongoing business and technical expertise. The relationship with Mekorot - a strong, reputable customer and partner - helps lower the risk profile of water technology companies.

Although most deal flow will come from Israel, Mekorot is actively seeking entrepreneurs worldwide. Mekorot's increasing deal flow includes more than 100 projects, and the company is currently in a process of beta site testing with more than a dozen innovative technologies, aiming to integrate successful ones into its daily operation.

Mekorot believes that WaTech offers a win-win- win situation for VCs and other investors, entrepreneurs and Mekorot.

Developing technological solutions is the only way to cope successfully with the water challenges facing us all. By offering the Mekorot-WaTech platform, Mekorot will serve as a leader in bringing advanced technological solutions to world markets.

Mekorot is offering its 3,000 sites in Israel to water startups for beta testing. The first startup involved in the WaTech program is Atlantium, a company whose water disinfection system treats pathogens that cannot be eliminated by conventional water treatment methods.

While many of us already know the famous forecast of Fortune Magazine that "water promises to be to the 21st century what oil was to the 20th century," Mekorot believes that investing in water technology can be to the next decade what investing in IT was to the last decade. Venture capitalists can count on Mekorot to do its part in advancing tomorrow's water technologies.