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VitalFluid raises €5M funding for market introduction of sustainable alternative to agrochemicals
VitalFluid is world leader in development of Plasma Activated Water (PAW) applications, which provides a sustainable alternative to chemical pesticides and fertilizers. VitalFluid cooperates with leading greenhouse growers and has plasma systems running 24/7 on multiple locations in the USA, Europe and Africa. Future Food Fund, Graduate Entrepreneur, Horticoop and Innovation Industries support VitalFluid in a €5M seed funding round. The investment enables VitalFluid to speed up further market introduction.
To secure global food production, chemical pesticides play a crucial role, and at the same time impose an enormous threat to human health, biodiversity and the environment. Governments and industry have set strong targets and recognize that the transition can only be successful when alternatives become available. It is clear that there is an urgent need for sustainable solutions.
In a thunderstorm, lightning causes the natural transformation of water into Plasma Activated Water (PAW). By copying this natural process, VitalFluid creates ‘lightning in a box’. This on-site PAW production provides a natural and sustainable alternative to the pesticides that are currently needed to enhance plant health. VitalFluid PAW has demonstrated to be a safe, effective and scalable solution to safeguard vegetable cultivation without negative side effects.
A wide range of scientific and commercial cultivation trials in greenhouse vegetables, ornamentals and orchards confirm the huge potential of VitalFluid PAW to play a crucial role in a sustainable food production system. The plasma systems developed by VitalFluid allow farmers to produce VitalFluid PAW on site and can be seamlessly integrated in existing greenhouse and orchard infrastructure. Multiple plasma systems are now running 24/7 in greenhouses around the globe, supporting leading growers like world’s largest fresh tomato grower Azura, Europe largest organic tomato grower BioSabor in Spain, US biggest leafy greens growers, leading rose grower PortaNova, and several other vegetable growers from the Netherlands.
Future Food Fund, Graduate Entrepreneur Fund, Horticoop and Innovation Industries, in combination with incumbent investors VDL Group, and BOM have committed the funds that allow VitalFluid to transition into the next stage of growth. The €5M in funding will enable VitalFluid to expand its greenhouse PAW program, further optimize its plasma systems for plant health application, and accelerate commercial activity.
Erik Hertel, CEO VitalFluid:
“We are proud to team up with these strong investors that recognize the potential of plasma technology in agriculture. Their long term vision, extensive knowledge in both deep tech and agriculture and strong network perfectly fit our ambition to make PAW a gamechanger in food production.”
Jeroen Kimmels, managing partner at Future Food Fund:
“We have been following VitalFluid for seven years and decided now is the right time to invest. VitalFluid has proven to be the first company able to transfer PAW from an experimental environment to large scale commercial applications. It fits perfectly in our portfolio of food&agri companies with an ambition to have a significant impact on climate change.”
Auke van den Hout, Managing Partner at Graduate Entrepreneur Fund:
“We firmly belief in VitalFluid’s pivotal role in expediting the imperative shift towards secure and eco-friendly vegetable cultivation. We are excited to support the team as they continue on this promising journey.”
Wilco Schoonderbeek, Investments Director at Horticoop:
“On behalf of some 300 horticultural businesses, Horticoop invests actively in companies that are making a positive contribution to the future of the horticultural industry, and VitalFluid’s innovation dovetails seamlessly with that aim. Thanks to the innovative technology of VitalFluid, growers will have access to more environmentally-friendly fertilizers and crop protection products, so we are delighted to add this company to our portfolio.”
Vincent Kamphorst, Investment Director at Innovation Industries:
“VitalFluid’s plasma solution is unique in its applicability across a large variety of crops and its robust and predictable performance. We are thrilled to support VitalFluid in the upcoming commercial phase and to tackle the ever-increasing challenge of supplying the growing world population with sufficient, sustainably-sourced food.”
About Future Food Fund
Future Food Fund is a specialist agrifoodtech venture capital fund, founded in 2016 in the Netherlands. The first fund has invested in ten Dutch food & agri startups. The second fund, backed by a.o. impact-driven entrepreneurs and EIF, was launched in 2022 as an impact fund (SFDR 9). Future Food Fund invests in companies that change the value chain of the food & agriculture sector with innovative technology and/or disruptive business models. Focus is on companies that are based in Northwestern Europe raising Seed & Serie-A funding. www.futurefoodfund.nl
About Graduate Entrepreneur Fund
Graduate Entrepreneur Fund is a €58 million early-stage fund that partners up with visionary alumni founders from the universities of Delft and Rotterdam. It provides its companies with capital and support from an extensive network of +150 successful entrepreneurs and business leaders. The dedicated fund team of experienced investment professionals has a tech-agnostic focus and is able to effectively mobilize what start-ups need through deep scaling expertise. www.graduate.nl
About Horticoop
Horticoop invests actively in businesses that contribute to the horticultural sector. In this way, the cooperative supports a sector that is meeting the needs of a growing population while at the same time ensuring that the environmental burden is reduced to the minimum.
About Innovation Industries
Innovation Industries is a Dutch deep tech venture capital firm with over €800 million in capital, and a leading player in Western Europe. Innovation Industries invests in deep-tech with the potential to solve global challenges in three focus areas: industrial technology, med-tech, and agri & food technology. Its portfolio companies make impact through breakthroughs in energy-efficient photonic chips, climate-resilient seeds, safer & more efficient batteries, sensing technologies for better care, and more. The current investment was made via the Early Stars Fund, managed by Innovation Industries. www.innovationindsutries.com
About VitalFluid
VitalFluid is a spin off from Eindhoven University with HQ in Eindhoven. Based on a strong fundament of plasma technology research, it specializes in developing Plasma Activated Water (PAW) applications. Its mission is to unlock the potential of PAW for sustainable agriculture, providing alternatives for sustainable plant health and fertilizer. The plasma systems that are developed, delivered and supported by VitalFluid support their mission for sustainable, clean and healthy food production. www.vitalfluid.com