Wild Bio specialises in crop genetics, and has developed a unique data-driven approach to improve crop productivity, climate resilience, and agricultural sustainability. The Wild Bio platform deciphers hundreds of millions of years of plant evolution to identify promising genetic improvements from wild species. These evolutionary innovations are then used to guide precision breeding strategies for modern elite crop varieties.

The company started life in the University of Oxford with Founders Dr Ross Hendron and Prof. Steve Kelly, who spun-out the business in 2021 to translate their scientific research out of the lab and onto the farm. Since then, the team has grown to 30 in their Oxford-based headquarters and their leading crop projects are in field trialling programmes spanning four countries. With this fresh funding the Wild Bio team are getting ready to expand their R&D and commercial operations, and to turn their early field successes into market-ready seed varieties.

Dr Ross Hendron, Co-Founder and CEO of Wild Bio says: “Advancing agriculture has limitless potential to help people and the planet. So to achieve meaningful, scalable impact, we need the right investors who are truly aligned with that big vision. I’m deeply grateful to EIT and to our current investors for sharing our excitement about what we’ve accomplished so far, and for their united support as we embark on this ambitious growth journey together.”

Professor Steve Kelly, Head of the Plant Biology Institute at EIT and Co-Founder and CSO of Wild Bio, says: “Combining the groundbreaking research at EIT and Wild will create a powerful synergy that could reshape sustainable agriculture on a global scale. Together, we will accelerate our ability to bring new technologies to market and deliver innovative solutions that enhance crop resilience, boost yields, and promote environmental sustainability.”

Larry Ellison, CTO and Chairman of Oracle and Founder of the Ellison Institute of Technology, says: "Wild Bio is using AI to better understand the lessons learned over millions of years of evolution encoded in plant genomes. Those insights combined with precision breeding has enabled Wild Bio to develop new varieties of crops with both higher yields and climate resilience. The ultimate goal is to grow these new crop varieties on a commercial scale and help provide food security around the world. EIT is committed to working with Wild Bio to reach this goal."  

This investment is also a significant milestone for the wider Oxford innovation ecosystem, as it sees EIT and OSE making a venture investment together for the first time.

Ed Bussey, Chief Executive Officer, OSE says: “We’re thrilled to partner with the Ellison Institute of Technology for the first time as co-investors in Wild Bioscience. Ross Hendron was one of OSE’s early Entrepreneurs-in-Residence, and the company is a great example of how our venture-building engine helps Oxford scientists turn breakthrough ideas into world-class businesses. EIT’s investment is a strong endorsement of Wild’s scientific advantage and will accelerate its mission to enhance crop resilience and build a more sustainable food system.”

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