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Dutch AgTech startup Gravity Gardens has secured €2.6 million in seed funding to scale its innovative dry, chemical-free seed activation technology. The funding, a combination of equity investment with EFRO regional development financing, was secured from VP Capital, Brightlands Venture Partners (BVP) and Graduate Ventures, along with private investors. This follows previous support from StartLife and a Rabobank innovation loan, raising the startup's total funds raised to over €3 million.

Founded in 2024 by Paulino Valdés, CEO, and Robin Le Vigouroux, CTO, Gravity Gardens' technology uses no water, no chemicals, and leaves no coating on the seed. The company states that its dry seed activation process was developed with support from the European Space Agency Business Incubation Centre (ESA BIC) Noordwijk.

The Dutch startup emphasizes that traditional seed activation methods, which involve hydrating the seed and controlling conditions before drying, introduce handling constraints, capacity limits, and costs. Gravity Gardens claims its dry process changes economics as there is no hydration stage to control or dry off afterward, making it cost-effective and applicable to a broader range of crops.

The technology has undergone seven external trials, including validation experiments by Vertify, and is currently being developed at Gravity Gardens' research, development, and production facility in Nijmegen. The company plans to use the new funding to develop industrial-scale equipment and expand trial programs for new crops, with market readiness expected by 2027.