Amatera Biosciences has secured a funding round to accelerate its research and development into climate resilient crops. Amatera Biosciences is a Paris-based startup focused on climate proofing agriculture. By integrating plant cell biology with robotics and AI, they have created a platform that rapidly develops climate resilient non-GMO crops more affordably and faster than traditional breeding methods.
The funding will be used to expand R&D teams, industrialize their proprietary platform and move beyond specialty crops into staple annual crops. The technology lies at the intersection of cell biology, robotics and artificial intelligence. It seeks to automate the discovery and screening of high-performing plant traits at the cellular level. The process is approximately 2x faster and 10x more affordable than traditional industry standards. The platform identifies natural cellular variations to create new varieties without genetic modification.
Amatera’s current priority is on perennial crops such as coffee and grapes. Amatera has developed climate resilient coffee beans that can withstand rising temperatures and pathogens while maintaining flavour. It has also created disease resistant wine grape varieties that require fewer chemical treatments to survive vineyard diseases. Amatera plans to scale its technology to include row crops and vegetables(staple crops) to enhance global food security.
Traditional breeding for crops like coffee can take over 20 years, Amatera plans to significantly reduce this timeline to outpace climate change. The company is collaborating with major seed and agrifood players to integrate its cellular screening into commercial breeding programs. The platform supports various breeding methods including gene editing and mutation breeding, by automating labor intensive processes such as tissue culture and plant regeneration.
Amatera’s innovations is forward thinking and groundbreaking. In a time when climate change threatens crop cycles, Amatera’s technology is a backup plan for the world.