OlsAro raises €5M to advance salinity-resilient wheat trials and develop cereal genetics targeting drought tolerance

OlsAro has raised €5 million (about $5.8 million) in seed funding to develop climate-resilient cereal genetics and prepare its first salinity-resilient wheat product for market. The Gothenburg-based company announced the round on October 14, saying the proceeds will support international field trials, research and development, and commercial work with seed-company partners.

Industrifonden led the financing, with Nordic Foodtech VC as co-lead. Existing investors Future Food Fund, PINC, AgFunder and GU Ventures also participated. The round follows a €2.5 million pre-seed investment in April 2024, bringing OlsAro’s total funding to approximately €7.5 million.

The investment comes as salinity, heat and drought place growing pressure on cereal production. OlsAro says soil salinity already affects about 10% of the world’s cropland, creating demand for varieties that can maintain yields under stressful growing conditions.

OlsAro seed funding targets commercialization

The immediate priority is to move OlsAro’s salinity-resilient wheat from field testing toward commercial availability. The company said the funding will support trials in international markets and cooperation with seed-company partners as it prepares its first product launch. The capital will also finance further research, AI-driven trait discovery and expansion of the company’s intellectual property portfolio.

OlsAro reports that its wheat has delivered up to 41% higher yields than a moderately salt-tolerant variety under saline conditions in Bangladesh. The company is now conducting field trials in several global markets. The reported result is specific to the conditions and comparison described by OlsAro; broader performance will depend on trial results across environments and growing systems.

For seed companies, traits that help crops withstand salinity and other environmental stresses could provide a way to develop varieties for fields where conventional genetics may struggle to maintain productivity. Commercial adoption will depend on repeatable field performance, seed-company partnerships and the ability to integrate the traits into varieties suited to local markets.

SeedAX combines genetics, data and AI

OlsAro’s SeedAX platform combines proprietary genetics and data with AI-driven trait discovery and genetic technologies. The system is designed to identify and validate traits linked to climate resilience, then integrate them into elite germplasm for commercial seed programs.

The platform approach is intended to extend beyond a single wheat product. OlsAro plans to develop new programs targeting drought tolerance and nitrogen-use efficiency, adding to its work on salinity and heat tolerance. It also plans to expand into other cereal crops, including rice.

Nitrogen-use efficiency is relevant to crop production because it concerns how effectively plants use available nitrogen to support growth and yield. The release does not provide performance data or a commercialization timetable for OlsAro’s planned nitrogen-efficiency program, so its potential agronomic and fertilizer-use effects remain to be established.

Investors point to field results and seed partnerships

Elén Faxö, OlsAro’s chief executive, said the financing would help the company turn its research into a platform that seed companies can use across traits and markets.

“We have spent years proving that we can identify and develop genetics that perform under some of the conditions putting the greatest pressure on agriculture. This round is about turning that capability into a platform seed companies can use repeatedly. By expanding SeedAX across more traits and markets, we can help our partners bring climate-resilient cereals to farmers faster and at much greater scale.”

Elén Faxö, CEO of OlsAro

Sara Frykstrand Ångström, investment manager and head of intelligence at Industrifonden, said the investor was persuaded by OlsAro’s scientific work, field-trial results and existing partnerships with seed companies. She said SeedAX could become a platform for developing climate-resilient varieties across multiple traits and markets.

OlsAro’s next milestones will be the results of its international wheat trials, progress with seed-company partners and the timing of its first commercial product. The new drought-tolerance and nitrogen-use-efficiency programs will also show whether the company can extend its approach to additional traits and crops.