AgTech Startup Gravity Gardens Raises €2.6 Mn to Improve Seed Performance

Gravity Gardens’ technology uses a dry process to activate seeds before planting. It helps seeds grow and establish better without adding water, chemicals, or coatings.

The funding round includes equity investment and EFRO regional development funding. It was supported by VP Capital, Brightlands Venture Partners (BVP), Graduate Ventures, and several private investors.

The new funding follows earlier support from StartLife and a Rabobank innovation loan. With this latest round, Gravity Gardens has now raised more than €3 million in total.

“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

Paulino Valdés, Founder and CEO of Gravity Gardens, said, “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.

“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.

Gravity Gardens was founded in 2024 by Paulino Valdés, the company’s Founder and CEO, and Robin Le Vigouroux, its Co-founder and CTO.

The company’s seed activation process does not use water or chemicals and does not leave any coating on the seeds. The technology was developed with support from the European Space Agency Business Incubation Centre (ESA BIC) Noordwijk.

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