VIB forms Rainbow Crops to develop climate-resilient seeds

VIB, a Belgian life sciences institute, has launched Rainbow Crops, a spin-off company focused on developing crop varieties engineered for climate resilience and higher productivity. The startup combines artificial intelligence with genome editing and precision breeding to address traits that have long challenged conventional plant science.

Rainbow Crops is backed by early-stage investors including the Agri Investment Fund, PINC—the venture arm of Finland’s Paulig Group—Qbic, and VIB itself.

The company’s platform, called Trait Foundry, integrates AI models with genome editing techniques and automated crop testing. The system enables researchers to design and test genetic modifications that improve performance under heat and drought conditions, while also optimizing nutrient use and yield.

“Traditional breeding struggles with traits that are controlled by many genes,” said CEO Giacomo Bastianelli, a biotech entrepreneur who is leading the company. “This platform allows us to engineer those traits with greater speed and precision.”

Bastianelli said the firm is seeking partnerships with seed and breeding companies to apply the technology to major crops.

The scientific foundation for Rainbow Crops comes from work at the VIB-UGent Center for Plant Systems Biology. Co-founder Hilde Nelissen, a professor at the center, will serve as a scientific advisor. The underlying research was funded in part by a European Research Council grant awarded to plant biologist Dirk Inzé under the EU’s Horizon 2020 program.

Based at Ghent’s Bio-Incubator, Rainbow Crops will operate within VIB’s agtech innovation hub, which includes research greenhouses and pilot-scale testing facilities.

The launch adds to VIB’s track record of spinning out biotech companies. Its portfolio includes 40 startups in health and agriculture that have attracted about €2 billion in equity funding.

“Rainbow Crops reflects our strategy of translating strong science into practical solutions,” said Jérôme Van Biervliet, managing director at VIB.