About Zayndu
Zayndu’s seed treatment and priming process harnesses cold plasma to create ActivatedAir™, the world’s first application of this technology on seeds. It maximises profits for controlled-environment agriculture growers by increasing yields and speeding up growing cycles.
ActivatedAir™ eliminates seed-borne pathogens, stopping them from contaminating growing facilities and reducing seedling diseases like damping off. It also kick-starts the seed’s metabolic processes, effectively priming it for sowing.
The idea for Zayndu came from collaborative work by Dr Felipe Iza’s research group at Loughborough University and industrial partners - who identified a growing unmet need for sustainable seed treatments that delivered increased productivity and plant health.
To exploit this opportunity, Zayndu was formed in 2019, and Ralph Weir was brought in to head up the company as CEO. A proof of concept was tested and established, and now ActivatedAirTM is fully commercially available.
Presently, ActivatedAir™ is being used by some of the biggest and most sophisticated vertical farms in the world, as well as more traditional greenhouses. The most common crops are leafy greens and micro greens, but the team has experience with a wide range of crops beyond these.
The idea for Zayndu came from collaborative work by Dr Felipe Iza’s research group at Loughborough University and industrial partners - who identified a growing unmet need for sustainable seed treatments that delivered increased productivity and plant health.
To exploit this opportunity, Zayndu was formed in 2019, and Ralph Weir was brought in to head up the company as CEO. A proof of concept was tested and established, and now ActivatedAirTM is fully commercially available.
Presently, ActivatedAir™ is being used by some of the biggest and most sophisticated vertical farms in the world, as well as more traditional greenhouses. The most common crops are leafy greens and micro greens, but the team has experience with a wide range of crops beyond these.
The Team
Ralph is a successful growth and early-stage serial entrepreneur, with experience in creating compelling strategies and vision, tracking, evaluating and adapting to shifting markets, building, managing and motivating high performance teams, and leading sales growth domestically and on the global stage. His focus is on building relationships with potential users and future investors.
Felipe is a founder of the business and an internationally-recognised specialist in cold plasma technology. His expertise in high-voltage and high-frequency electronics design spawned the unique plasma systems at the core of the Zayndu products, and will be critical in addressing the static electricity issues. His role will be to guide the overall program at Zayndu, providing input to both the electromechanical and biological development programs.
Alberto is an experienced plant scientist. His Ph.D. (Durham University) investigated molecular responses underpinning plant immune responses. Prior to Zayndu, he held post-doctoral research roles at Durham, investigating the molecular interactions regulating the growth-immunity balance in plants in collaboration with Agritech leaders such as KWS, ADAS, BASF; his role is to co-ordinate the plant science team and lead the development of the seed treatment protocols.
Join the team
Zayndu is a fast-growing, dynamic team, developing exciting technologies. We foster a can-do attitude, and, as a small company growing fast, we offer opportunities – whether that be personal growth, the chance to work in unusual environments – or just the challenge of doing something that’s never been done before, of pushing boundaries, and of course – eliminating toxic chemicals.
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Latest Awards
New Plasma Seed Health Treatment Garners 2023 Award for Manufacturing Innovation
We were thrilled that our cold plasma seed health treatment technology was awarded the “Manufacturing Innovation Award” at Made in the Midlands! We were up against some amazing companies with incredible technologies, but in the end, we triumphed. The judges said “Using only electricity and air Zayndu’s innovations have boosted yields among its indoor farming […]
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Regional recognition for global impact. Zayndu shortlisted second year in a row for innovation award.
Bigger, faster growing crops, better flavour and up to 7x more yield with zero agrichemicals is just a few of the reasons why Zayndu’s unique cold plasma technology has been shortlisted for the Food and Drink section of the upcoming LeicestershireLive Innovation Awards.
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Zayndu’s potential recognised by ICURe awards
Zayndu has won an award for its presentation at the ICURe Investor Pitch and Showcase Event, where it competed against 11 other early-stage companies.
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If you are interested in finding out how our cold plasma seed health treatment systems can help improve your productivity, crop yields and crop success rates, please get in touch with our team or subscribe to our newsletter.
