Wild Bio announced the acquisition of wheat breeding firm F1 Seed, positioning the Irish‑co‑founded start‑up as a full‑service seed company in the United Kingdom.
Acquisition expands breeding capabilities
The deal, whose financial terms were not disclosed, adds F1 Seed’s decade‑long germplasm pipeline to Wild Bio’s AI‑driven platform. The merger will let the company design, breed and deliver new wheat varieties under one roof.
The deal adds F1 Seed’s pipeline to Wild Bio.
F1 Seed currently markets six wheat lines in the UK, mostly for animal feed and distilling. The firm expects to launch three additional varieties later this year. In the latest national trials, 10 of the 82 entries – about 12 percent – originated from its pipeline, according to the acquisition announcement.
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“This is the most exciting news for wheat growers since Cambridge University established the Plant Breeding Institute in 1912,” said Bill Angus, founder and director of F1 Seed. “Now over a century later, armed with an array of novel traits, we are well placed to move wheat breeding into a new and exciting era.”
Wild Bio’s strategy relies on evolutionary data
Founded in 2021 by Dr Ross Hendron and Professor Steve Kelly, the firm builds large plant‑biology datasets and applies machine learning to locate evolutionary “signatures” that improve crops. Those signatures are then activated in modern wheat through conventional breeding or gene‑editing techniques.
Hendron, who also serves as chief executive, said the company aims to deliver conventionally bred, optimised wheat varieties to British farmers by 2027, with the first precision‑bred lines entering field trials in 2028.
The UK’s wheat sector faces a convergence of challenges: stagnant yields for three decades, rising input costs, and climate‑related volatility. These pressures create a market for seed companies that can tailor traits to local conditions, a niche Wild Bio hopes to fill by combining breeding expertise with its evolutionary platform.
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The acquisition was largely financed by a $60 million Series A round closed last October. That round was led by the Ellison Institute of Technology, an entity founded by Oracle co‑founder Larry Ellison.
According to a report released in November, one‑third of surveyed UK farmers recorded no profit in the previous year, and more than half are considering leaving the industry. Record‑breaking heatwaves and drought have already cut wheat yields, creating a need for varieties that can withstand a changing climate.
“Wheat is Britain’s biggest crop and feeds a fifth of humanity. But on a changing planet, growing it is only getting harder,” Hendron said. “That’s the challenge we exist to meet.”
