Plair

About Plair

Plair SA is a Swiss company that designs, manufactures, and commercializes advanced instruments for real-time monitoring of airborne particles. Founded in August 2014 as a spin-off from the University of Geneva by Dr. Denis Kiselev and Dr. Svetlana Kiseleva (née Afonina), the company leverages proprietary laser-based technology to address environmental monitoring needs. Both founders hold PhDs in Physics from the University of Geneva, specializing in aerosol measurements and fluorescence spectroscopy, and Kiselev is credited as the inventor of Plair's core technology. Dr. Kiselev serves as the CEO, leading strategy and product innovation, while Dr. Kiseleva is the CMO, heading commercial operations.

The company's core business revolves around providing solutions for the instantaneous detection and identification of bioaerosols, allergens like pollen and fungal spores, and microbial contamination. Its technology combines scattered light pattern analysis and fluorescence spectroscopy to create a unique optical fingerprint for each particle, allowing for high-precision identification. This enables continuous, 24/7 monitoring in various weather conditions.

Plair serves high-value, regulated industries such as pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and food & beverage, which require sterile manufacturing environments. It also caters to meteorological services and environmental bodies for applications like real-time pollen counting and air quality monitoring. The business model involves selling its state-of-the-art instruments, which help clients prevent contamination, reduce production waste, and lower risks associated with biocontamination and allergies. The company has established strategic partnerships to expand its global reach, including a collaboration with MBV AG and an investment from bioMérieux, a global leader in in-vitro diagnostics.

Plair's product line includes the Rapid-C+ and Rapid-E+ series. The Rapid-C+ is a biofluorescent particle counter designed for aseptic processing environments, combining real-time viable particle counting with traditional active air sampling on agar media in a single device. The Rapid-E+ is an intelligent bioaerosol sensor for researchers that measures particles from 0.3 to 100 micrometers, including pollen, spores, bacteria, and viruses. Initially focused on outdoor monitoring, where it became a reference in real-time pollen detection, Plair has expanded its technology to indoor contamination control. The company holds over six international patents for its technology.