Wild Bioscience, a University of Oxford spinout using AI‑driven crop design to develop climate‑resilient varieties, has secured £45m ($60m) in Series A funding, marking a major step towards commercialising its first products.
The round was led by the Ellison Institute of Technology (EIT), with continued support from Oxford Science Enterprises (OSE), Braavos and the University of Oxford. The company said the investment is enabling a “step‑change” as it shifts from building core scientific capability to delivering validated crops ready for field trials and, ultimately, market deployment.
The funding is being deployed across infrastructure, talent and technology to accelerate what the company describes as its “engineering loop”, connecting computational crop design with biological validation at scale.
Moving from prediction to product
Founded in 2020, Wild Bioscience combines AI‑driven modelling with molecular biology to identify and harness traits found in wild plant species. The aim is to accelerate the development of crops that can better tolerate increasingly volatile climate conditions while improving yields and reducing carbon intensity.
While early years were focused on developing its technical platform, the company now sees the Series A as a turning point.
“AI is now dramatically accelerating that capability, but to realise its full potential we need to scale pipelines that turn predictions into validated crop products and feed real-world results back to continuously improve our models,” said Ross Hendron, CEO and co‑founder of Wild Bioscience.
The company says its work will initially focus on precision‑bred wheat, the world’s most widely grown crop and a cornerstone of global food security.
Infrastructure scaled to accelerate validation
Central to the push towards market readiness is a significant expansion of Wild Bioscience’s operational footprint at Milton Park, where it has grown organically since 2021.
The business has expanded into 16,000 sq ft of laboratory and office space, including new CL2 gene‑editing facilities and specialist grow environments. The upgraded site now serves as a dedicated crop design and engineering centre.
As a result of the expansion, combined with team growth and technology integration, Wild Bioscience says it has tripled plant output within months, allowing for faster testing and iteration of crop traits under controlled conditions.
Further investment is being used to convert existing office space into bespoke crop growth facilities, increasing controlled‑environment capacity and accelerating seed production ahead of field trials.
Strengthening the commercial pathway
Alongside physical scale‑up, Wild Bioscience is reinforcing its commercial strategy through a growing network of global partnerships.
Recent collaborations include The Traits Company – the strategic biotech arm of GDM – KWS, Dyson Farming and Pairwise Plants. The partnerships are intended to support both development and eventual international deployment of improved crop varieties.
The company says these relationships will be critical in navigating regulatory pathways, scaling seed production and ensuring that improved traits reach farmers efficiently.
Leadership appointments reflect next phase
The Series A has also supported key senior appointments aimed at strengthening execution and commercial focus.
Lisa Flashner, chief operating officer at the Ellison Institute of Technology, has joined Wild Bioscience’s board as a non‑executive director, bringing experience in scaling complex scientific organisations and infrastructure.
Meanwhile, Dr Stuart Harrison has joined as chief business officer, following a 24‑year career in the seeds sector at Syngenta, where he held senior global roles spanning R&D partnerships, product development and venture investment.
The appointments signal a clear shift towards market delivery as well as science.
Laying foundations for scale
Lisa Flashner said Wild Bioscience exemplifies the kind of company EIT aims to support.
“At the Ellison Institute of Technology, we focus on translating breakthrough science into real‑world impact,” she said. “Wild Bioscience combines deep technical expertise with a clear ambition to address food system resilience at scale.”
Wild Bioscience now employs around 40 people and operates within a growing cluster of science and technology companies at Milton Park, where early‑stage ventures can scale through to commercial maturity in a single location.
For Wild Bioscience, the next milestone is clear: demonstrating that AI‑designed, climate‑resilient crops can move efficiently from lab to field and into farmers’ hands.
