Heritable Agriculture, a venture that began as a research initiative within Alphabet’s X, the Moonshot Factory, has officially launched as an independent company. With a focus on transforming plant breeding and biotechnology, the company aims to create more resilient food and agricultural systems through artificial intelligence (AI) and cutting-edge genetic research.
Backed by investments from FTW Ventures, Mythos Ventures, and SVG Ventures’ Pioneer and Sunrise funds, Heritable Agriculture is developing an AI-driven platform to enhance crop yields, improve nutritional value, and increase resilience to climate and disease-related stresses.
Tackling Global Food Challenges with AI
The world’s growing population demands smarter and more sustainable food production methods. However, the traditional pace of crop improvement struggles to keep up with these needs. Dr. Brad Zam, CEO and co-founder of Heritable Agriculture, emphasizes the urgency of modernizing agricultural practices.He further added saying, to keep pace with the world’s growing population, we need smart, sustainable ways to increase food production. Yet the current pace and cost of crop improvement puts our global food systems at risk and limits the growth of the agriculture industry.
“Our AI-powered biotechnology platform has the potential to address key challenges faced by the agriculture industry, including lowering the costs of crop improvement, boosting yields, enhancing disease resistance, and accelerating the development of new plant varieties.”
Heritable Agriculture’s platform integrates AI with multi-omics research, predictive breeding techniques and high-throughput gene editing to accelerate the development of stronger, more productive crops. This technology allows scientists to tailor plant traits, optimizing them for specific environments while enhancing qualities such as flavor, color, and nutritional value.
The Science Behind the Innovation
Heritable Agriculture’s approach revolves around three core capabilities: identifying essential plant genes, designing precise genetic modifications, and predicting how plants will perform in various environmental conditions. These capabilities enable agricultural partners to optimize crops for resilience and productivity at an unprecedented pace.
The founding team, which includes machine learning experts and plant biologists such as Dr. Davide Sosso and Professor Tim Beissinger, spent years refining their technology at X, the Moonshot Factory. Their research demonstrated how multi-omics data could predict plant performance even in unpredictable and changing conditions. They later welcomed Dr. Dan Voytas, a pioneer in plant gene editing, to further advance their mission.
Strategic Partnerships and Industry Support
Heritable Agriculture has garnered strong support from investors and industry leaders who recognize the transformative potential of its AI-powered platform. Brian Frank of FTW Ventures, one of the company’s early investors, believes the company is well-positioned to make a meaningful impact.
Brian Frank of FTW Ventures, who led the round, said, “Heritable combines an exceptional team, with industry-leading experience, a huge vision, and breakthrough technology. This aligned perfectly with our fund’s vision to solve the biggest challenges facing our worldwide food system. When we discovered them through our expert network, we were very excited to partner with the team.”
Beyond crop improvement, Heritable Agriculture is also making strides in forestry. In collaboration with ArborGen, a global leader in tree seedling production, the company is applying its AI-driven methods to speed up the development of superior loblolly pine trees. Early research suggests that Heritable’s technology could reduce the time required for tree improvement by half, with both companies now working to integrate this innovation into large-scale seedling production.
Leadership Voices A Vision for a More Resilient Future
Leaders in the agriculture and investment sectors see Heritable Agriculture’s work as a crucial step toward a more sustainable and efficient global food system. John Hartnett, Founder and CEO of SVG Ventures | THRIVE, sees the company’s potential to reshape the industry.
John Hartne, Founder & CEO of SVG Ventures |THRIVE said, “Heritable Agriculture represents exactly the type of visionary innovation that agriculture needs right now. By combining cuing-edge AI with deep expertise in plant biology, they are fundamentally reimagining how we improve crops to meet the growing demands of a changing planet. We invested in Heritable through both our Pioneer and Sunrise Funds because we believe their technology will drive a step-change in productivity, resilience, and sustainability across the entire agri-food system. This is the kind of breakthrough that has the potential to solve some of the biggest challenges facing global agriculture.”
Also read: Bonsai Robotics Secures $15M in Series A Funding to Expand AI Solutions in Agriculture
Dr. Astro Teller, X Captain of Moonshots said, “Agriculture deserves moonshots. Heritable’s mission to make our food systems more resilient is an example of the kind of global challenges we tackle at X. By developing tools to deepen our understanding of the plant world, the Heritable team has the potential to contribute to a more productive and sustainable agriculture industry.”
Jonathan Eng of Mythos Ventures added by saying, “We were impressed by the ambition and expertise of Heritable’s founding team, which is needed to truly revolutionize agriculture with AI. Their ability to generate proprietary data, derive insights across diverse crop species, and build deep industry partnerships will allow them to address one of the most pressing challenges in food production today. The world needs this kind of company more than ever.”
Looking Ahead
As Heritable Agriculture moves forward, the company is focused on expanding its partnerships, refining its technology, and demonstrating the practical benefits of AI-powered crop improvement. By leveraging advanced biotechnology, Heritable Agriculture aims to make farming more efficient, resilient, and capable of meeting the nutritional needs of a growing global population.
With its foundation in scientific innovation and a commitment to real-world agricultural challenges, Heritable Agriculture represents a new chapter in the future of food production—one where AI and biology work together to create a more sustainable and productive planet.