From Negev to Mars: Inhayle wins startup program to shoot for NASA-led space mission
Israeli developer of air and surface disinfection tech wins grant from space accelerator program that helps place it in the Artemis program to land astronauts on the moon and Mars
Sharon Wrobel is a tech reporter for The Times of Israel.
Itai Benartzi’s father died after acquiring an infection following a hospital stay. Years later, the tragic loss drove Benartzi — who left the public sector two years ago after a decade-long career where he last served as the head of policy of the Israel National Cyber Directorate — to create technology that has an impact on real-life problems and health safety.
Last year, Benartzi co-founded Inhayle, an Israeli startup that develops technology to purify and disinfect air and surfaces from bacteria and germs in indoor spaces, from hospitals to space stations. After emerging as the winner of Israel’s space accelerator program Expand earlier this month, the Tel Aviv-based startup is gearing up to be able to deploy its technology for astronauts on deep-space exploration missions led by NASA in the coming years.
Following years of research and development led by its co-founder and director of technology Effy Shaarabany, Inhayle was established in late 2023 by Shaarabany together with Benartzi and Dr. Israel Biran. Then during the October 7 massacre, Shaarabany’s 21-year-old daughter Sivan was murdered by Hamas terrorists at the Nova music festival.
“Sivan was meant to join our operations, and despite facing a profound personal loss with the tragic murder of his daughter, Shaarabany decided to continue in her memory, honoring her spirit,” Benartzi told The Times of Israel. “We are developing while we cry, which is the story of many Israeli startups in these challenging times — it’s hard, but we move forward.”
The startup developed a multi-spectrum disinfection system that generates and emits ozone-free hydroxyl radicals to neutralize volatile organic compounds (VOCs), bacteria, mold, and viruses in enclosed environments.
Hydroxyl radicals are atmospheric oxidants that act as natural air quality detergents, as they can inhibit pollutants. The natural molecules are formed in the atmosphere when sunlight strikes ozone in the presence of water vapor.
“The problem is that they are not found indoors, since there is no sunlight,” said Benartzi. “What our patented technology manages to create are active hydroxyl radicals in the same high concentration found outdoors.”
“We are transforming indoor air quality with a system that mimics the natural outdoor air chemistry,” he added.
Benartzi explained that the chemical-free system developed by Shaarabany uses an electric technique to create a lightning storm that generates ozone only within the startup’s machine and “our patent is to convert the entirety of the ozone into hydroxyl radicals.” The machine is connected to the central air ventilation system and blows out hydroxyl radicals.
“This is not another air purifier that sucks in indoor air and passes it through a filter and pushes clean air back into the room,” said Benartzi. “Our disinfection system transforms the air composition in enclosed environments to resemble the earth’s natural atmosphere’s defense mechanisms to fight bacteria and pollutants accumulating on surfaces in real-time with people present.”
In addition to typical airborne contaminants, Inhayle’s hydroxyl radicals also address pollutants like methane, carbon monoxide, and residual byproducts from for example open-space fires, he added.
Inhayle has trialed its disinfection system at Netanya’s Dorot Geriatric Center, a public hospital that treats many patients with compromised immune systems. The need for constant air and surface purification in high-risk environments such as hospitals, where pollutants like bacteria, viruses, and VOCs accumulate, has become even more pressing amid estimates that by 2050 more people will die from infections than from cancer.
“Months into the proof of concept in a hospital setting in the respiratory care unit and a complex nursery, we achieved a disinfection rate of over 90 percent with our prototype,” said Benartzi.
The startup is now set to do the same for space habitats and lunar bases, which have low concentrations of hydroxyl radicals, Benartzi said.
“This deficiency leaves enclosed spaces vulnerable to the buildup of pollutants like bacteria, VOCs, and other hazardous compounds, creating substantial health risks for astronauts who are 400,000 kilometers [roughly 250,000 miles] away from earth,” said Benartzi.
Over the summer, Inhayle was one of five Israeli startups in the first cohort of the Expand space-tech accelerator, which were selected out of 50 applicants in fields such as construction, robotics, food, and health technologies. The startups received support and mentorship from experts at the Israel Space Agency, including consultants that lead Israel’s collaboration with NASA.
In 2022, Israel officially signed onto the Artemis space program to land astronauts on the lunar surface and establish a long-term human presence on the moon as a precursor for future missions to Mars. The program is led by NASA in partnership with the European Space Agency, US commercial spaceflight operators, and other participating nations’ space agencies.
Expand is the flagship program of Creation-Space run together with startup catalyst for the Negev region Tech7, which raised $1 million from US investment fund CreationsVC. It was launched earlier this year in Mitzpe Ramon, a town in southern Israel’s Negev Desert close to the Ramon Crater, to help integrate early-stage startups into NASA’s Artemis program for exploration and colonization of the moon and Mars. Mitzpe Ramon, chosen for its Mars-like terrain, serves as the accelerator’s base and is part of a broader effort to turn the town into a space innovation hub, boosting the Negev’s economy.
Out of the five startups, Inhayle was handpicked by a panel of space tech executives and investors to receive a NIS 100,000 ($26,000) R&D grant for being a “great fit for the Artemis program and space exploration because its advanced disinfection technology addresses the unique challenges of maintaining air and surface quality in confined environments like lunar bases.”
“The Inhayle team is tackling real-world and space challenges with a solid solution, and I’m confident they will establish a strong presence in both markets,” said Lion David, vice president of ventures at Creation-Space. “Our program is one of the toughest, and companies that succeed here prove they can deliver value on Earth and in space, giving investors confidence in their success.”
Benartzi said that winning the grant “is meant to push forward as much validation as we need from the market and from space experts in order to get into the Artemis program.”
Over the next 24 months, Inhayle is seeking to raise $3 million in seed capital to initiate a space experiment in preparation for its first space-based deployment and complete regulatory approvals to expand to the US market.
“About five years from now on, Inhayle will hopefully be a standard solution for any space vehicle going up,” said Benartzi.
