Let’s Make Precise Sowing Easy
reduce operational pressure,
and make the entire growing
season predictable.
Less uncertainty
Less input
PROBLEM
Sowing is labour-intensive, unreliable in precision and degrades soil health.
Small variations in soil conditions and timing lead to inconsistent seed placement. Uneven emergence at the start affects the entire season.
SOLUTION
S&dB fixes precision before sowing
With seed embedded tape, S&dB shifts precision from the field to an earlier moment. Seed position and spacing are fixed before planting, not corrected during it. Not to forget that the perfect amounts of input can be placed in there too, and the tape itself holds more water.
RESULT
A uniform start, predictable outcomes
A consistent crop-start reduces corrective inputs, lowers operational pressure and improves predictability for growers and the agricultural value chain.
The problem of today’s sowing practices
Our solution: Seed Tape
Vegetable seed tape for open-field vegetable production. By fixing seed position and spacing before sowing, the seed tape creates a uniform starting point for crop establishment. This allows growers to apply early-stage inputs in a controlled and consistent way and reduces the need for corrective actions later in the season.
vSET is S&dB’s vegetable seed tape for open-field vegetable production. By fixing seed position and spacing before sowing, vSET creates a uniform starting point for crop establishment. This allows growers to apply early-stage inputs in a controlled and consistent way and reduces the need for corrective actions later in the season.
How it works
The solution consists of two components, the seed embedded tape, and the planting tool: designed as one integrated system.
Factory-defined precision is applied directly in the field, reliably and at scale.
A different approach to sowing precision
S&dB rethinks sowing by removing critical variables from the field operation itself.
Precision is no longer created in the field, but defined upfront.
S&dB rethinks sowing by removing critical variables from the field operation itself.
Precision is no longer created in the field, but defined upfront.
Precision is no longer created in the field, but defined upfront.
PROBLEM
Sowing is labour-intensive, unreliable in precision and degrades soil health.
Small variations in soil conditions and timing lead to inconsistent seed placement. Uneven emergence at the start affects the entire season.
SOLUTION
S&dB fixes precision before sowing
With seed embedded tape, S&dB shifts precision from the field to an earlier moment. Seed position and spacing are fixed before planting, not corrected during it. Not to forget that the perfect amounts of input can be placed in there too, and the tape itself holds more water.
RESULT
A uniform start, predictable outcomes
A consistent crop-start reduces corrective inputs, lowers operational pressure and improves predictability for growers and the agricultural value chain.
S&dB is currently in large-scale field validation with professional vegetable growers and industry partners.
The system has been tested across multiple crops and conditions and is being prepared for first commercial deployment from 2026.
Smarter Farming Starts Here
S&dB has a new investor to accelerate growth
S&dB B.V. (Nederweert, the Netherlands) has raised € 1.5 million financing to scale and accelerate the validation of its seed-enhancement platform technology in the coming period. The capital is provided by Brightlands Venture Partners and the new CEO.
Higher yields with lower inputs
S&dB developed a proprietary plant seed-embedding technology (SET) to guarantee an optimal germination environment for any type of plant seed; either in open field cultivation or for indoor farms. This technology combines seeds with bio-based and biodegradable raw materials to support and protect early plant growth. In an unique continuous production process all materials are combined to make either wide seed rolls or small seed tapes.
The company has currently two main product lines: grass seed rolls (gSET) and vegetable seed tapes.The two key target markets for vegetable seed tapes are hydroponics (hSET) and open field (vSET). The wide gSET grass seed rolls will be marketed into the retail channel first. For farmers and other growers the product portfolio of S&dB offers a sustainable growing method that lowers stress on crop establishment and accelerates plant growth to produce higher yields while reducing the use of water, fertilizers, pesticides and labour.
Gaining market traction with strong partners
The SET production line is fully operational. The company also has a pilot manufacturing line that will be used to prepare prototypes and small orders.
In the past year S&dB made good progress in its three target markets: gSET repeat sales were already made and S&dB is currently in the closing stage of signing a partnership with a retail party for a large scale rollout in Europe. S+dB has important running partnerships and programs with various global seed houses and at field facilities of Wageningen University & Research (program ‘Boerderij van de Toekomst”) to accelerate the validation of the vSET concept. Results of prototype tests in open field and gutter systems for indoor farms (hSET) indicate an attractive business case for farmers and other vegetable growers.
The management team of S&dB has been strengthened with seasoned entrepreneur Harmen Smid in the role of CEO. Together with founder Gerard Otten, Harmen will lead the company into the next stage.
Plans for growth
S&dB has now raised € 1.5 mln to scale and accelerate the validation of its technology platform in the coming period. After that a follow-up investment round is foreseen to accommodate international roll-out of the SET-platform. This investment will primarily be used to gain traction for the vegetable business cases and to further expand the organization.
ECOstyle and S+dB go for long-term cooperation with unique sowing concept
ECOstyle and S+dB signed a multi-year cooperation agreement last week. In the coming years, ECOstyle will be launching an entirely new innovative product concept around grass seeds on an exclusive basis. The intention is to intensify cooperation in the near future with the expansion of new concepts and to work together in more countries.
The concept, gSET (Seed Embedding Technology), is a platform technology developed by S+dB in which seeds are applied in an industrialized process via a coating on a non-woven cloth. This creates a product that enables the consumer to lay or repair a lawn in a relatively simple and sustainable manner.
gSET is a concept based on the patented SET platform technology. This technology was initially developed for grass seeds and has since proven itself. In addition, development processes are underway with renowned parties and institutes, mainly aimed at applications with vegetable seeds, both in the open ground and in indoor farming.
Harmen Smid (CEO S+dB): “For S+dB, the collaboration with a renowned party such as ECOstyle is a wonderful way to serve the consumer market with our unique technology. The ideas and
ambitions of ECOstyle are in perfect harmony with the properties and objectives of our technology. By collaborating with ECOstyle, we can further expand and professionalize our operational processes and make use of ECOstyle’s expertise in the field of retail marketing. The knowledge we gain will also give our other processes a huge boost and take S+dB into the next phase.”
Martine Olijslagers-Kuip (CEO Eurostyle, the parent company of ECOstyle): “The partnership with S+dB fits in well with our mission. We want to make ecological gardening the norm, accessible to everyone. The technological concept of S+dB offers an easy and sustainable alternative to grass seeds and turf rolls. We are convinced that this will add a great concept to our total portfolio.”
About ecostyle
Those who want a better world must take the initiative themselves. That is where the basis of ECOstyle lies, with which it started 55 years ago, in 1967. Restoring and preserving the natural balance of soil and plants, ECOstyle has been doing that with verve all these years. With 100% natural products for the garden and for indoor plants. ECOstyle has been successful in the Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark for years.
S&dB selected for StartLife, the Agrifoodtech Accelerator
StartLife, the Agrifoodtech Accelerator, has selected S&dB and 8 other start-ups to join the tenth cohort of their global acceleration program.
In four months, the selected startups will level up their business development and be investor-ready. StartLife especially selected these startups for their innovative technological solutions that will contribute to a more sustainable system, from farm to fork.
Many current food production systems are unsustainable because they cause significant resource depletion and environmental setbacks. Startups with cutting-edge solutions such as precision agriculture, alternative proteins, and new fermentation technologies help revolutionize the agrifood industry and create a more sustainable food system. The technologies of the selected startups have the potential to increase food production, limit soil depletion, and decrease the carbon footprint of the agrifood industry, leading to a more sustainable future for all.
Over the next four months, the startup founders will focus on product-market discovery, business development, and fundraising. They will be exposed to agrifood investors, leading corporates, Wageningen University & Research experts, and be guided in workshops and one-on-one meetings with high calibre mentors, business coaches, and specialists.
S&dB sees their selection as a clear recognition that their SET, seed-embedding technology, can be a breakthrough in the seed enhancement applications and can have a real impact on sustainable & regenerative agriculture!
More information can be found at : https://start-life.nl/about/
