OlsAro closes €5m seed investment to scale climate-resilient cereal genetics

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• Round led by Industrifonden, with Nordic Foodtech VC as co-lead
• Funding to support SeedAX development, international field trials and first product commercialisation
• New programmes to target drought tolerance and nitrogen-use efficiency

Gothenburg, Sweden, 14 October 2026 – OlsAro, the Swedish AgTech company developing climate-resilient cereal genetics, has raised €5 million in seed funding to develop its SeedAX platform and bring its first salinity-resilient wheat product to market.

The round was led by Industrifonden, with Nordic Foodtech VC joining as co-lead. Existing investors Future Food Fund, PINC (Paulig’s venture arm), AgFunder and GU Ventures also participated. The financing follows OlsAro’s €2.5 million pre-seed round in April 2024, bringing the total raised by the Swedish company to date to approximately €7.5 million.

Salinity already affects around a tenth of the world’s cropland. Heat and drought are also putting pressure on cereal production, increasing the need for varieties that can maintain yields under these conditions.

OlsAro develops cereal traits and varieties, with an initial focus on wheat. Its SeedAX platform combines proprietary genetics and data, AI-driven trait discovery and genetic technologies to identify and validate climate-resilience traits, then integrate them into elite germplasm for commercial seed programmes.

OlsAro’s salinity-resilient wheat has shown an up to 41% yield increase over a moderately salt-tolerant variety under saline conditions in Bangladesh. The wheat is now being field-trialled in several global markets.

The recent funding will support international field trials and commercial work with seed-company partners as OlsAro prepares to bring its first product to market. It will also fund further R&D efforts, AI-driven trait discovery and expand the company’s IP portfolio.

New programmes will target drought tolerance and nitrogen-use efficiency, extending the pipeline beyond salinity and heat tolerance. OlsAro also plans to move into other cereal crops, including rice.

Elén Faxö, CEO, OlsAro said:

"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."

Sara Frykstrand Ångström, Investment Manager and Head of Intelligence, Industrifonden said:

"What convinced us about OlsAro was the scientific work behind the company, together with its field-trial results and existing seed-company partnerships. With SeedAX, OlsAro has the opportunity to turn this into a scalable platform for seed companies looking to develop climate-resilient varieties across multiple traits and markets."

About OlsAro

OlsAro is a Swedish AgTech company developing climate-resilient cereal genetics through SeedAX™, its proprietary seed genetics platform. Rooted in more than 10 years of research, OlsAro works with seed companies to accelerate trait discovery and variety development for cereals exposed to environmental stresses including salinity, heat and drought, with the goal of helping seed companies bring climate-resilient varieties to market faster.

For more information, please visit: https://olsaro.com/

About Industrifonden

Industrifonden is Sweden’s Venture Capital Fund looking for unique, scalable innovation that has a meaningful impact on our society. Industrifonden manages more than SEK 5 billion and invests in early-stage companies, from seed to A-round funding with a reach across the Nordics. The investment focus includes specialized technologies and businesses within Deep Tech, Life Science and Transformative Tech. Industrifonden has an evergreen structure which allows a long-term focus on value creation.

About Nordic Foodtech VC

Nordic Foodtech VC is the first Nordic VC fund focused on solutions for the agriculture and food industries. The company manages two funds: a €42 million fund launched in 2020 and a second fund launched in 2025.

Nordic Foodtech VC invests in pre-seed and seed-stage companies that aim to make a positive impact by solving business-critical challenges, ranging from the farm to space and from new sources of protein to healthier eating habits. Initial investments are up to €2 million, with significant reserves for follow-on investments.

The team is based in Helsinki and Copenhagen and operates across Europe, with a particular focus on research spin-outs in the Nordic and Baltic countries.

About PINC

PINC is Paulig’s venture arm for investments in early-stage startups in and around the future of food. PINC aims to help Paulig renew itself and prosper, as well as contribute to a tastier and more sustainable planet.

About Paulig

Paulig is an international food and beverage company, growing a new, sustainable food culture – one that is good for both people and the planet. Paulig provides Tex Mex, snacks, coffees, world foods and spices. The company's brands include Santa Maria, Paulig, Conimex, Poco Loco and Zanuy, among others. Paulig also manufactures products for its private label and industry customers. In 2025, the company’s sales amounted to approximately EUR 1.39 billion. Paulig was founded in 1876 and is 100% owned by the Paulig family. The company has 2,700 employees in 13 countries united by the purpose "For a life full of flavour".

About Future Food Fund

Future Food Fund is a Netherlands-based venture capital firm investing in Seed and Series A companies across Western Europe that are revolutionizing the food and agriculture value chain. By targeting innovative startups, Future Food Fund aims to address critical sustainability challenges, including greenhouse gas emissions, biodiversity loss, and water demand, fostering a sustainable future within planetary boundaries. Future Food Fund benefits from support from the European Union under the InvestEU Fund.

About AgFunder
AgFunder is a global venture capital firm investing in technologies that address constraints in food, agriculture, human and planetary health. With a readership of millions globally via AgFunderNews, an industry-leading agentic AI platform with a knowledge base of over 50 million startups, and offices in San Francisco, London, and Singapore, AgFunder has unparalleled market intelligence and access.

AgFunder was named as one of America's top 100 VC firms by TIME and Statista.