Startup Greenairy wants to clean office air with smart plant towers
Greenairy is developing plant towers that draw in air, break down toxic gases and release purified air. The first mass-produced towers are planned for Singapore in the first half of 2027.
Startup Greenairy is proposing a new way to improve indoor air quality in offices and other commercial buildings. It was founded by Tanvi Thombre and Lakshya Saraf, who worked in their university makerspace as engineering students. After Thombre's best friend fainted there and was taken to hospital, they began looking into indoor air pollution. The founders see it as an invisible but dangerous health risk, especially in buildings where air conditioning means windows cannot be opened.
The problem air purifiers leave unsolved
Saraf explains that purifiers handle dust and pollen well but are less effective against toxic gases such as carbon dioxide, formaldehyde and benzene. Many of these are volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Thombre says they are linked to chronic disease and so-called sick building syndrome. She also cites Harvard research indicating that better indoor air quality improves cognitive function and productivity.
How the plant towers work
Greenairy's towers draw in air, break down toxic gases and release the cleaned air. According to Saraf, an ordinary potted plant cleans air slowly, but changing the conditions around the plant makes the process much faster. She stresses that some filters remove only a narrow range of VOCs and need frequent replacement, whereas the plant-based approach creates no harmful byproducts and needs no filter changes.
Test results
The company has run short-term pilots in Singapore. In its own testing with RESET-certified air monitors, it compared three offices: one with a Greenairy tower, one with a medical-grade ionizer and one with a HEPA air purifier. Saraf says the tower office had the lowest VOC levels and the fastest removal. Thombre cites a 50% drop in both the daily average and peak VOC levels. German testing and certification firm TÜV SÜD has validated the results, which are to be published soon.
Plans
Once the results are certified, the company intends to begin large-scale manufacturing. Saraf is currently based in Berkeley, California, and Thombre in Singapore. If all goes to plan, both will be in Singapore in the first half of 2027, when the first mass-produced towers are expected to launch and be installed for the first customers. Greenairy will take part in the Startup Battlefield 200 at TechCrunch Disrupt.
