On-site plasma water that protects crops without chemical fungicides.
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Photo credit: VitalFluid / vitalfluid.com
VitalFluid is an Eindhoven University of Technology spin-out that builds machines to produce Plasma Activated Water (PAW) on the farm. Growers run the systems with three inputs—water, air, and electricity, and apply the resulting water through existing spray and irrigation equipment as a residue-free alternative to chemical fungicides.
The company describes PAW as a controlled version of what thunderstorms do in nature: lightning creates reactive oxygen and nitrogen species in water that can suppress fungal disease and also feed plants as those species break down. VitalFluid’s hardware isolates and stabilizes those short-lived compounds so growers can make PAW on site and on demand. Its commercial system, Vidar, is aimed at greenhouse, orchard, and open-field operations and is marketed as comparable in ease of use to conventional crop-protection sprays.
VitalFluid says it has run 30-plus trials on crops including strawberries, cucumbers, and apples, targeting diseases such as mildew, fusarium, and venturia. Earlier commercial deployments have included 24/7 systems with greenhouse growers in the USA, Europe, and Africa, among them names VitalFluid has cited such as Azura, BioSabor, PortaNova, and large U.S. leafy-greens growers. The company reports regulatory approvals and market access in certain countries, with additional approvals in progress, and a next-generation Vidar launch framed around 2025.
Founders Paul Leenders and Polo van Ooij began the PAW research at TU/e; the company (KVK 61141208) is based at High Tech Campus 25-5, Eindhoven. CEO Erik Hertel has led the firm since 2023. The team is described as about 25 people. Funding includes a €5 million seed round in April 2024 (Future Food Fund, Graduate Entrepreneur Fund, Horticoop, Innovation Industries, plus VDL Group and BOM) and a €17.2 million Series A in August 2026 co-led by Invest-NL and Alder Tree Investments, with returning shareholders and a €2.7 million RVO innovation credit.
VitalFluid’s impact case is replacing synthetic fungicides with an on-farm process that leaves no pesticide residue. Chemical fungicides work, the company argues, but they persist in water, soil, and people, VitalFluid cites the claim that over 80% of Europeans now carry pesticide traces in their blood, and tightening rules are shrinking growers’ legal toolbox while food demand keeps rising.
PAW is positioned as effective, cost-competitive, and integrable into existing workflows: foliar spray through current equipment, no new chemistry to mix or dispose of. Because the reactive species are generated from air, water, and electricity and then decay, the company claims crop safety without the biodiversity and residue burden of conventional products. It also pitches a dual effect: pathogen control plus plant nutrition as nitrogen/oxygen species break down. That is a company scientific claim, not a regulatory efficacy label for every market.
Company-stated (not independently verified here): 30+ successful trials on strawberries, cucumbers, apples and other crops against mildew, fusarium, and venturia; systems running 24/7 with commercial greenhouse growers in the USA, Europe, and Africa as of the 2024 seed announcement; ~25 employees; HQ at High Tech Campus Eindhoven.
Capital: €5 million seed (April 2024); €17.2 million Series A (August 2026), including €2.7 million Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) innovation credit. Series A co-leads: Invest-NL (reported €4 million) and Alder Tree Investments; returning shareholders include Horticoop, BOM, Future Food Fund, Graduate Ventures, Innovation Industries, VDL Groep, and Goeie Grutten Impact Fonds.
Product: Vidar PAW generator for greenhouse, orchard, and open field; IP-protected; regulatory approvals in some countries with more pending.
Residue-free crop protection
PAW is produced on site from water, air, and electricity and applied as a spray, so growers are not adding persistent synthetic fungicide residues to fruit, soil, or water.
Fits existing irrigation and spray lines
VitalFluid designs Vidar to plug into greenhouse and orchard infrastructure growers already use, rather than requiring a new chemical handling regime.
Disease control plus plant nutrition
The company says reactive nitrogen and oxygen species suppress fungi such as mildew, fusarium, and venturia, then break down into compounds that support plant health.
Commercial trials, not only lab demos
VitalFluid reports 30-plus crop trials and 24/7 deployments with large greenhouse operators in Europe, the U.S., and Africa as it scales Vidar internationally.
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