Munich-based genetic prediction platform provider NoMaze is using AI to help crop breeders develop new varieties and predict the impact climate change will have on plant traits, company CEO Jean-Pascal Lutze told AgTechNavigator at the World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit in London last month.
Founded in 2021, NoMaze provides a web-based platform that blends genetics, environmental modeling, and AI to inform breeding programmes and speed up the development of new crops, the company shared. NoMaze’s technology examines how genes interact with the environment and fills in missing gaps in a crop breeder’s dataset through AI built on public and private data (i.e., customer data), Lutze explained.
Additionally, plant breeders can use NoMaze’s SmartPlot feature to generate scatter plots to analyze various traits, like the relationship between grain moisture and yield or plot weight and yield, the company shared in a LinkedIn post. Additionally, crop breeders can integrate various data from different sources and share via read-only reports, the company added.
Traditional plant breeding programmes can take years to develop a new crop variety and can miss the impact climate change-related events will have on that crop, Lutze explained. Additionally, crop breeders often have to address various trade-offs when developing a specific genetic trait.
“The problem is plant breeding takes a really long time — 5-10 years to develop a new crop. And you have to know which crops you have to select for this specific environment in five years. And we can simulate the environment with our model. We can simulate the behaviour of the plants in five years,” Lutze elaborated.
Looking ahead, NoMaze plans to launch its seed round in the first quarter of 2026, Lutze said. The agtech start-up raised about €1 million in pre-seed funding last year, he added.
Currently, NoMaze has clients in the U.S., Europe, and India and is seeking 10-15 customers in the next year to collect additional feedback to improve their algorithm, he added.
Agtech start-ups spotlighted at World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit
NoMaze was one of several start-ups AgTechNavigator interviewed during the World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit in London last month. Watch the other video interviews by clicking the following stories:
- Uncovering hidden threats: BugBug’s AI tech helps farms detect insects before it’s too late
- Helios AI’s agentic feature is like working with ‘a team of Bloomberg analysts’
- Reducing fertiliser costs: How Canadian start-up ClearCost is providing price transparency to farmers
- Can improving the gut health of livestock reduce feed costs?
