Plair
Plair SA is a Swiss instrumentation company that designs laser-based real-time particle detection systems—Rapid-C+ for pharmaceutical cleanroom monitoring and Rapid-E+ for bioaerosol research—serving pharmaceutical manufacturers, cosmetics, food and beverage, aerospace, and academic research customers globally.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersPlan-les-ouates, Switzerland
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Plair does
Plair SA is a Swiss instrumentation company founded in 2014 as a spin-off from the University of Geneva by PhD physicists Denis Kiselev and Svetlana Kiseleva. The company designs, manufactures, and commercializes laser-based instruments for continuous real-time measurements of fine airborne particles, combining patented light scattering morphology analysis with fluorescence spectroscopy. Its core products are the Rapid-C+ biofluorescent particle counter for pharmaceutical cleanroom monitoring and the Rapid-E+ intelligent bioaerosol sensor with integrated GPU-accelerated AI for research applications, supported by accessories (E-Catch, C-Catch), the PlairGrid model-building software, and a microbiological testing service offered at its Perly facility.
The company generates revenue primarily through hardware sales of analytical instruments and consumables, supplemented by professional microbiological testing and validation services. Distribution combines direct enterprise sales with strategic channel partnerships; the July 2025 Merck collaboration grants access to 100+ countries via Merck's Life Science network, and bioMérieux's March 2026 strategic investment (CHF 1M+) provides industry endorsement and board-level reach into pharmaceutical quality control channels. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed.
The primary customer segment is pharmaceutical manufacturers requiring EU GMP Annex 1-compliant environmental monitoring, with secondary applications in cosmetics, food and beverage, aerospace, and academic/environmental research. Plair holds validation under USP 1223, Ph. Eur. 5.1.6, and PDA TR No. 33 for alternative rapid microbiological methods, and the Rapid-E+ is ISO 21501-4:2018 compliant. The company operates with 1–10 employees from Perly, Switzerland, and has raised over CHF 3.7 million in grants and strategic investments through 2026.
Plair firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Plair
- Legal name
- Plair SA
- Website
- https://plair.ch
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Plair SA is a Swiss instrumentation company that designs laser-based real-time particle detection systems—Rapid-C+ for pharmaceutical cleanroom monitoring and Rapid-E+ for bioaerosol research—serving pharmaceutical manufacturers, cosmetics, food and beverage, aerospace, and academic research customers globally.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Plair industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Air Microbial Monitoring Instruments
- NAICS
- Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing (334516), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)
- SIC
- Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Air & Aerosol Monitoring (Bioaerosols, Mold, Yeast, Airborne Pathogens) (AFALAEAD)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Microbiology & Pathogen Monitoring (Legionella, Coliform, HABs) (EUAHACAI)
Keywords
Where Plair is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Plan-les-ouates
- HQ country
- Switzerland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Plair business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Instrument Sales: Sale of analytical instruments including Rapid-C+ for pharmaceutical cleanroom monitoring and Rapid-E+ for research applications. Includes technical specifications and validation documentation for regulatory compliance.
- Accessories and Consumables: E-Catch sampling units, C-Catch samplers, agar plates, and customized tubing for isolator integration.
- Microbiological Testing Services: Laboratory services including BFPC testing and calibration, equivalence studies for alternative microbiological methods, and agar plate comparison studies. Rental of microbiological testing facility for customer performance qualification.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Plair product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Plair designs, manufactures and commercializes real-time air microbial detection instruments for pharmaceutical cleanroom and bioaerosol research applications. Its core products are the Rapid-C+ biofluorescent particle counter, which combines real-time viable and total particle counting with certified continuous agar media sampling for microbial identification, and the Rapid-E+ intelligent bioaerosol sensor using patented laser-based light scattering and fluorescence spectroscopy with GPU-accelerated AI.
Product overview
Plair SA is a Swiss company specializing in real-time air microbial monitoring and bioaerosol detection. The product portfolio centers on three main instrument lines: Rapid-C+ (real-time viable particle counter for pharmaceutical cleanroom monitoring), Rapid-E+ (intelligent bioaerosol sensor for research), and Rapid-E (legacy outdoor pollen monitor). These core instruments are complemented by the E-Catch sampling accessory for Rapid-E+ and C-Catch aseptic sampler for Rapid-C+. The company also offers PlairGrid software for data analysis and provides microbiological testing and validation services through its specialized bioaerosol testing facility. Plair's technology combines laser-based light scattering analysis with fluorescence spectroscopy for particle detection and classification.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Rapid-C+: Advanced biofluorescent particle counter (BFPC) for real-time viable and total particle counting combined with continuous active air sampling for microbial identification. Designed for pharmaceutical environmental monitoring and cleanroom applications.
- Rapid-E+
- E-Catch
- C-Catch
Products and services
- Rapid-C+ Biofluorescent Particle Counter Real-time viable and total particle counter (biofluorescent particle counter / BFPC) that combines patented optical detection of viable and total particles with certified continuous active air sampling on standard agar media for microbial identification. Designed for pharmaceutical cleanroom environmental monitoring under EU GMP Annex 1, with a 5 L/min flow rate and detection from 0.5 µm to 100 µm.
- Rapid-E+ Intelligent Bioaerosol Sensor Intelligent bioaerosol sensor using patented laser technology with GPU-accelerated AI for real-time single-particle analysis from 0.3 to 100 µm, including bacteria, fungal spores, viruses, pollen and particulate matter. Built for research and environmental monitoring applications.
- E-Catch Airborne Particle Sampling Unit Automated accessory for Rapid-E+ providing 10 reusable sampling plates for traditional lab-based analysis of airborne particles. Operates at 5 L/min with low power consumption and independent plate introduction for time-resolved bioaerosol collection.
- Rapid-E Real-Time Pollen Monitor Legacy instrument providing accurate, automatic and real-time pollen monitoring per species using light scattering and fluorescence spectroscopy. Placed Plair as the originator of network-connected, real-time pollen monitoring.
- Rapid-C Real-Time Viable Particle Detector Predecessor of Rapid-C+ providing real-time viable particle detection for indoor air contamination monitoring in cleanrooms, now superseded by the integrated Rapid-C+ but still referenced for existing deployments.
- Microbiological Testing Services State-of-the-art microbiological testing solutions including biofluorescent particle counter (BFPC) testing and calibration, equivalence studies for alternative and rapid microbiological methods, agar plate comparison studies, and rental of a unique bioaerosol testing facility with a 30-cubic-meter aerosol chamber for instrument validation.
Quantifiable outcome
- 46,000 tCO2e potential annual savings in aseptic filling lines, 45,000 tCO2e in nursing/elderly homes, 53,000 tCO2e in shared office spaces
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Plair
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Plair technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability7 records
Feature5 records
Plair partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- MerckcorePlair SA and Merck signed a major collaboration agreement to bring Rapid-C+ to 100+ countries worldwide. This partnership represents a significant expansion of Plair's global reach and enables better serving the growing Life Science demand for real-time monitoring and viable particle counters.
- MBV AGcoreStrategic partnership between Plair SA and MBV AG (Swiss global leader in viable air sampling with MAS-100 series) to develop next-generation automated solutions for microbiology monitoring combining both companies' technologies. NewGen Holding AG (MBV parent) invested in Plair's share capital, and Ronny Zingre (MBV CEO) joined Plair's Board of Directors.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Plair competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Lighthouse Worldwide Solutions: Lighthouse is a direct competitor in pharmaceutical and cleanroom particle counters, offering remote and benchtop counters as well as microbial air samplers. Its Apex and ActiveCount lines overlap with Plair's pharmaceutical environmental monitoring offering.
- Particle Measuring Systems: Particle Measuring Systems is a leading global manufacturer of cleanroom particle counters and environmental monitoring instruments, directly competing with Plair's Rapid-C+ in pharmaceutical Grade A/B monitoring. Its Lasair III and IsoAir lines overlap with Plair's cleanroom monitoring value proposition.
- TSI Incorporated: TSI manufactures aerosol and particle instrumentation including bioaerosol detectors and optical particle counters used in pharmaceutical, research, and indoor air quality applications. Its products compete with both Plair's Rapid-C+ (cleanroom) and Rapid-E+ (research bioaerosol) lines.
- Bertin Technologies: Bertin Instruments produces the Coriolis Compact and Coriolis Micro bioaerosol samplers used in pharmaceutical and environmental microbial monitoring. Comparable technology focus on air-microbial capture and laboratory analysis for life sciences applications.
- Climet Instruments: Climet is a manufacturer of cleanroom particle counters (CI series) used in pharmaceutical and semiconductor environmental monitoring. Direct competitor in pharmaceutical-grade particle counting hardware.
- MBV AG: MBV AG is the global leader in viable air sampling with its MAS-100 series of impaction air samplers used in pharmaceutical cleanrooms. MBV is both a Plair partner and an investor, and its products are directly adjacent to (and now integrated with) Plair's C-Catch component.
Broad incumbents
- Thermo Fisher Scientific: Thermo Fisher is a broad life sciences tools incumbent offering particle counters, environmental monitoring services, and microbiological testing products. It overlaps with Plair through its pharma QC and laboratory services portfolio rather than as a specialized airborne particle counter.
- bioMérieux: bioMérieux is the global leader in in vitro diagnostics and a major player in industrial microbiology. While not a direct competitor in airborne particle counting, it is Plair's strategic investor and is expanding into pharmaceutical QC adjacent to Plair's monitoring use cases.
- Beckman Coulter Life Sciences: Beckman Coulter offers a broad life sciences instrumentation portfolio including cell and particle analyzers (e.g., MET ONE) used in pharmaceutical QC. It does not specialize exclusively in viable airborne particle counting but competes in adjacent pharma QC workflows.
Emerging players
- Aerosol Devices: Aerosol Devices develops advanced bioaerosol collection technologies (e.g., the Spot Sampler) for research and environmental monitoring. Comparable focus on real-time and high-efficiency airborne bioaerosol capture for life sciences and atmospheric research applications.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Plair social profiles
Digital presencePlair compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance5 records
Plair financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Plair leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Plair funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds5 records
Investors5 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Plair M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Plair
What does Plair do?
Plair designs, manufactures and commercializes real-time air microbial detection instruments for pharmaceutical cleanroom and bioaerosol research applications. Its core products are the Rapid-C+ biofluorescent particle counter, which combines real-time viable and total particle counting with certified continuous agar media sampling for microbial identification, and the Rapid-E+ intelligent bioaerosol sensor using patented laser-based light scattering and fluorescence spectroscopy with GPU-accelerated AI.
Is Plair a public or private company?
Plair is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Plair founded?
Plair was founded in 2014. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Plair based?
Plair is headquartered in Plan-les-ouates, Switzerland, in the Europe region.
How does Plair make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Instrument Sales are the primary driver. The others are accessories and Consumables and microbiological Testing Services.
Who are Plair's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Lighthouse Worldwide Solutions, Particle Measuring Systems, TSI Incorporated, Bertin Technologies, Climet Instruments and MBV AG. Broad incumbents are Thermo Fisher Scientific, bioMérieux and Beckman Coulter Life Sciences. Aerosol Devices is listed as an emerging player.
Does Plair have an API?
No public API is recorded for Plair.
What industry is Plair in?
Plair's product category is Air Microbial Monitoring Instruments. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFALAEAD, Air & Aerosol Monitoring (Bioaerosols, Mold, Yeast, Airborne Pathogens), with a secondary code of EUAHACAI, Microbiology & Pathogen Monitoring (Legionella, Coliform, HABs). Its NAICS code is 334516 and its SIC code is 3826.