Google's X spins out Heritable Agriculture, a startup using AI to improve crop yield

Google’s X "moonshot factory" has announced the graduation of Heritable Agriculture, a startup focused on improving crop growth through data and machine learning. Founded by Brad Zamft, Heritable aims to address the environmental impact of agriculture, which contributes significantly to greenhouse emissions and resource consumption. The company uses AI to analyze plant genomes, optimizing yields while reducing water use and enhancing carbon storage. Although gene editing is not currently part of their strategy, Heritable focuses on traditional breeding methods to meet the demand for better crop development.

The startup is now working on commercializing its technology, having raised a seed round with investors including FTW Ventures, Mythos Ventures, SVG Ventures, and Google. While specific timelines and partners have not been disclosed, Heritable is poised to bring its innovations to market. This move comes as part of Google X's strategy to spin off promising projects, following company-wide layoffs.

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Heritable Agriculture, a graduate of Google's X "moonshot factory," uses data and machine learning to improve crop growth and address environmental issues in agriculture.
The startup focuses on analyzing plant genomes to enhance yields, reduce water usage, and increase carbon storage without using genetic modification or mutagenesis.
Heritable Agriculture is currently focused on commercializing its technology and has raised a seed round with investors including Google, FTW Ventures, Mythos Ventures, and SVG Ventures.
The company conducts research in specialized growth chambers and field sites in California, Nebraska, and Wisconsin, with plans to eventually incorporate CRISPR gene editing.

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Google's X spins out Heritable Agriculture, a startup using AI to improve crop yield | TechCrunch

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