Pest control startup Valpas has secured €4 million in Seed funding.
Hotels act as “superspreaders'' for bedbugs, with one in every 33 hotel rooms infected by travellers carrying bed bugs, costing the hospitality industry €15bn annually. Bedbugs travel in luggage, quickly infest rooms and spread further.
Pesticide-based products are also becoming increasingly ineffective - and environmentally unfriendly - with bedbugs only a few years away from full immunity to all currently-available pesticides. Without a pesticide-free solution, bedbugs will create a global public health epidemic within a few years.
Founded in Helsinki in 2017, Valpas’ solution centres on smart anti-bed bug bed legs that free guests from the bed bugs they carry during the first night upon entering a room, before they infect the guest or room, keeping both clean and safe 24/7.
Bed bugs, which are attracted to the CO2 humans exhale while sleeping, are lured into the legs by a unique technological material design. Valpas’ IoT and AI-enabled mobile web app then provides in-app image recognition to identify and dispose of the pests. The solution is completely free from any chemicals.
Check out an earlier interview we did with Valpas.
Already working with over 300 hotels flagged under premium brands including Accor Hotels, The Luxury Collection, Design Hotels, ARP-Hansen and Bob W in over 40 destinations - amongst others across Europe, Mexico and Japan, beginning a revolution by hoteliers to offer guests rooms that are permanently bedbug-safe and pesticide-free via a new ‘hospitality standard’ guarantee.
Martim Gois, CEO and Co-Founder of Valpas said:
“No travel or home insurance covers the cost and pain of a bed bug infestation at home. Nearly every infestation at home comes after a night in a hotel or rental bed.
By staying at a Valpas affiliated hotel, travellers know the room they get is clean and no matter where they go around town the hotel keeps them safe.”
Zenith VC led the funding alongside Icebreaker VC, Finnish Industry Investment, Canon Marketing Japan MIRAI Fund, Activum SG Ventures, Houghton Street Ventures, Rockaway Ventures and Morrow Ventures.
Erik Lindblad, Partner and CEO at Zenith VC said:
“Valpas is addressing a significant and growing industry challenge with a seamless and effective solution. We believe it is a clear leader in this segment and has the potential to become a global category winner."
The investment will primarily be used to ramp up production of Valpas’ tech that ensures rooms are kept bed bug-safe around the clock, ready to meet increased demand ahead of a summer of international sport and travel, headlined by the Paris Olympics and European Football Championship, and beyond.
The funds will also be used to build key partnerships with travel booking agents and platforms making it easier for travellers to identify and choose bed bug-safe hotels.
Lead image: Valpas. Photo: uncredited.
