Gravity Gardens, a Dutch agricultural technology company developing a dry seed activation process to improve crop establishment without water, chemicals or coatings, has raised €2.6 million in seed funding. The round combines equity investment with EFRO regional development funding and brings total financing since the 2024 launch to more than €3 million. Investors include VP Capital, Brightlands Venture Partners, Graduate Ventures and private investors.
Developing a New Approach to Seed Activation
Gravity Gardens developed technology with support from the European Space Agency Business Incubation Centre Noordwijk. Unlike conventional seed priming, which requires hydration and subsequent drying, the proprietary process operates without water and focuses on improving seed vigour and crop establishment.
The technology has completed seven external trials, including validation by Dutch applied research organisation Vertify. Gravity Gardens operates an R&D and production facility in Nijmegen and works with organisations including Vertify, HLB, Oost NL and Foodvalley.
“What are two of the key elements for human evolution? Agriculture and technology. Gravity Gardens have combined these along with relentless passion to create solutions for the scalable food production of tomorrow. As our planetary needs grow, so does their desire to innovate.” said Jacobo Domingo Gil, ESA BIC Manager, ESA BIC Noordwijk.
“Every seed company in Europe has a seed lot sitting in storage that germinates at grade A quality on the bench and then disappoints in the field. Germination matters, but it is not the number that decides your season. Vigour is, and vigour is the first thing you lose as a lot ages or as the spring turns against you. Priming has been the industry’s answer for forty years and it is a good answer, but it is a wet one, and the cost and complications that come with that are why it only ever made sense for a handful of high-value crops. What we have is dry, which takes those costs out. Cheap enough for field crops, and aimed at the thing that actually decides the season. That combination is what has not existed before.” said Paulino Valdés, Founder and CEO.
Moving Toward Industrial Scale
The new funding will support industrial-scale equipment development with Dutch engineering group Demcon and larger trials across additional crops. Gravity Gardens targets market readiness during 2027.
The dry approach also comes as the European seed industry prepares for restrictions on certain synthetic polymer microparticles used in seed coatings under EU regulation. Gravity Gardens aims to provide an alternative that improves seed performance without adding materials to the seed.
“The seed quality improvement industry has a real need for novel solutions. Gravity Gardens’ technology has the potential to meet that need, and contributing to its success is both a personal and a professional opportunity.” said Benyamin Houshyani, Research Operation Partner.
“The most impactful innovations are often the ones that improve the foundations of a system. Seeds are exactly that foundation. Gravity Gardens has developed a technology that could make stronger crop establishment accessible to many more farmers while using fewer natural resources. That is what makes this investment so compelling.” said Erica van Eeghen, Senior Manager Ventures, VP Capital.
“Germination is the most critical phase in plant development. Gravity Gardens’ platform stimulates the plant’s natural power, and its cost competitive technology can be applied in a wide variety of crops. We believe this is an important step towards less chemical use and the natural strengthening of plant germination.” said Marcel Zijp, Senior Investment Manager, Brightlands Venture Partners.