Here are 4 Dutch startups that raised money in August

VitalFluid raises €17.2 million for sustainable crop protection

VitalFluid has raised €17.2 million to further expand its plasma technology for sustainable crop protection internationally. With the investment, VitalFluid plans to expand further in the United Kingdom and take its first step into the US market.

The Eindhoven-based startup develops a solution that allows fruit and vegetable growers to combat fungal diseases. It is produced on-site using water, air and electricity and, according to the company, can significantly reduce the use of chemical crop protection products. The technology is already being used on more than 100 hectares of strawberry cultivation in the United Kingdom.

Kyvvu raises €1 million to secure AI agents

The Bosch-based startup Kyvvu has raised €1 million to make AI agents safer to use in sectors including finance, insurance and healthcare. Kyvvu will use the funding to expand its engineering team, add more integration partners and support implementations across Europe.

The problem Kyvvu addresses has become more urgent as companies increasingly use AI not only to provide suggestions, but also to take actions themselves. Kyvvu is developing a security layer that runs within an AI agent and checks whether every action the agent intends to perform is permitted. The startup is targeting a specific risk associated with AI agents: individual actions may be allowed, but when combined, they can still lead to incidents such as a data breach.

Eurofiber raises €2.2 billion for European digital infrastructure

Eurofiber has secured €2.2 billion in new financing to continue investing in fiber-optic networks and digital infrastructure across Europe. The new financing replaces an earlier €1.5 billion loan. The financing is linked to sustainability targets related to greenhouse gas emissions, circularity and gender diversity, among other areas.

Alongside its existing infrastructure, Eurofiber is working on innovative applications. For example, the company is collaborating with quantum technology company Q*Bird on quantum-secure communication between Amsterdam and Rotterdam.

Ore Energy raises €38 million for iron-air batteries

The Delft-based startup Ore Energy has raised €38 million to build its first factory for iron-air batteries. The company aims to begin producing batteries commercially from 2028 for long-duration energy storage. Ore Energy has not yet announced where the first factory will be located or what its production capacity will be. The full investment will be used to scale up from pilot projects to commercial production.

Ore Energy's batteries use iron, air and water to store energy. During discharge, iron reacts with oxygen from the air. During charging, this process is reversed. Because iron is inexpensive and widely available, the technology could provide an alternative to lithium-ion batteries for large-scale energy storage.