PATS Nabs €2.7M to Usher in the Next Era of Smart, Sustainable Pest Control

Courtesy: PATS

Dutch startup blends AI, automation, and biology to help growers reduce pesticides and build more resilient food systems

The race to feed a growing population while protecting the planet is pushing agriculture into uncharted territory. Climate change, stricter regulations, labor shortages, and the steady rise of pests are all testing the resilience of food systems. Against this backdrop, Dutch agri-tech startup PATS is betting on a bold proposition: pest management without pesticides.

This month, the company announced it has raised €2.7 million in seed funding to scale up its portfolio of automated, AI-driven pest control technologies. The round was led by Division Q, Percival Participations, Delft Enterprises, and several tech and horticulture investors, giving PATS the momentum to accelerate international expansion and boost production at its Delft headquarters.

“Biology and technology can no longer be seen as separate forces,” said Bram Tijmons, CEO and co-founder of PATS. “Our goal is to make them work in harmony so growers can stay ahead of pests without relying on chemicals.”

The urgency behind PATS’ vision is clear. The EU is tightening pesticide reduction targets as part of its Farm to Fork strategy, and similar measures are gaining ground worldwide. At the same time, climate change is reshaping pest pressures, creating outbreaks that are harder to predict and more damaging to crops. Traditional chemical-based solutions are increasingly unsustainable, both environmentally and economically.

That’s where PATS sees an opening. Its technologies are designed not only to reduce pesticide reliance but to integrate seamlessly with biological control strategies, giving growers a new level of precision and confidence.

PATS has developed a full ecosystem of tools that reimagine how pest control works inside greenhouses and fields:

• PATS-C, a sensor system that tracks flying insects in real time.

• Trap-Eye™, created with biocontrol giant Biobest, automates sticky trap monitoring.

• PATS-Vinder, an algorithm that predicts caterpillar hatching based on moth activity, offers growers the ability to act before crops are damaged.

• PATS-Kalendar, a digital IPM logbook that links pest data to interventions, building a living record of integrated pest management decisions.

• PATS-X, a drone system capable of intercepting moths mid-flight, preventing reproduction and eliminating the need for broad chemical spraying.

Taken together, these tools represent a radical shift: from reactive, chemical-heavy pest control to proactive, data-driven, biology-aligned management.

From Delft to the World

What makes PATS stand out is its commitment to developing and producing all its hardware and software in-house. Its Delft facilities are now capable of manufacturing more than 1,000 sensor systems per month, giving the company the capacity to meet rising demand.

Already present in more than 25 countries, the startup’s technology is being adopted by growers of vegetables, flowers, and plants who are under increasing pressure to prove their sustainability credentials to regulators, retailers, and consumers.

PATS is part of a larger wave of innovation at the intersection of AI, robotics, and sustainable agriculture. From predictive analytics to precision spraying, startups around the globe are rethinking how crops are protected. But where many solutions focus on optimizing chemical use, PATS is pushing further: aiming to make chemicals the last resort, not the default.

This matters for more than just yield. Reducing pesticide reliance supports biodiversity, improves worker safety, and ensures food that is cleaner and safer for consumers. It also reduces the climate footprint of agriculture, an industry responsible for nearly a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions.

For growers, the promise of PATS lies in simplicity: tools that make pest management earlier, faster, and more reliable. For the wider food system, the promise is systemic: a path toward sustainable production that balances productivity with ecological responsibility.

With €2.7 million in fresh funding, PATS now has the resources to accelerate this transformation. “The future of pest control is not about fighting nature,” Tijmons said. “It’s about working with it.”

In an era defined by climate disruption and sustainability imperatives, that vision may be exactly what agriculture needs.