Fortissimo Capital is a leading private equity fund in Israel investing primarily in maturing technology and industrial companies. Since our formation in 2004, we have raised $2.7 billion across six funds and have invested in over 60 companies. Current investors include several large international financial institutions, including banks, insurance companies and pension funds. Our unique, proactive approach to private equity investments empowers us to think out of the box to achieve the seemingly impossible, and build long-term, sustainable growth.

Fortissimo Capital

Innovation Industries is a venture capital firm that invests in hightech, medtech and agri-foodtech companies in The Netherlands Innovation Industries maintains a hands-on management style, sharing its experience, knowledge and connections with the entrepreneurs. Portfolio companies are actively supported in order to strengthen the value proposition, improve the time-to- market, identify and realize global strategic partnerships and avoid the typical start-up pitfalls. Innovation Industries sees itself as a partner of the entrepreneurs and the other parties involved; a creator of ventures, rather than merely a financial investor. Innovation Industries focuses primarily on start-ups but will also be able to invest into scale-ups. With this relatively broad spectrum of funding capabilities, emerging breakthroughs in research and technology can be sustained by sufficient venture capital to optimize their chances of success and ultimately provide returns to the Fund’s investors. Once these companies are established with seed funding, the Fund will be able to continue financing the advancement of these businesses and technologies.

Innovation Industries

Solynta

Solynta is a breeding and biotechnology company based in Wageningen, the Netherlands – the home town of one of the leading agricultural research institutions in the world. The company develops and applies new breeding technologies to convert potatoes into a hybrid crop. Hybrid potato varieties with superior traits and performance are being generated at a speed that is vastly greater than what can be achieved by traditional breeding. In addition, hybrid potatoes will allow sexual seed propagation, greatly enhancing the speed of product developments and providing tremendous logistical and phytosanitary advantages to the potato industry.

<div>Netherlands-based breeding and biotech company Solynta develops hybrid potato varieties using its innovative True Potato Seeds (TPS) breeding technology with its patented F1 Hybrid potato breeding technique. As of 2023, Solynta had operations across 40 countries in four continents, which includes North America, Europe, and Africa.</div>

Enhancing seed and crop traits via biotechnology

Crop Biotech

Bayer partners Solynta to distribute true potato seeds in India, Kenya

Incotec Group

Partnered with Solynta to develop and provide seed enhancements, including a new pelletization method and innovative seed priming formula, tailored for Solynta’s true potato seeds

Companies that develop or use biological, physical and chemical agents and techniques to provide protection and improve the quality of a seed. This includes the sale of seed coating, or seed enhancement products as methods to treat seeds.

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 Netherlands-based breeding and biotech company Solynta develops hybrid potato varieties using its innovative True Potato Seeds (TPS) breeding technology with its patented F1 Hybrid potato breeding technique. As of 2023, Solynta had operations across 40 countries in four continents, which includes North America, Europe, and Africa.
 
 
 Solynta&rsquo;s hybrid potatoes provide improved nutrition, have an increased yield and shelf life, are climate-resistant, and are sustainable with reduced water consumption.
 
 
 Solynta uses its non-GMO TPS breeding to produce hybrid potatoes that are much quicker in breeding than conventional potato varieties. The company&rsquo;s technology results in one true potato seed yielding up to 25 million seed copies a year, which supports its objective of providing an increased supply of hybrid potatoes to its customers all year. The true potato seeds are also pest and disease-resistant, which reduces the chemical and pesticide usage for the crops.&nbsp;
 
 
 Following inspection from the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service, Solynta received approval in July 2024 for the distribution of its hybrid potato varieties in Kenya&mdash;the three varieties were the SOLHY007, SOLHY012, and SOLHY015.&nbsp;
 
 
 
 
 
 Key customers and partnerships&nbsp;
 
 
 To expand its development and supply of potato hybrids Solynta partnered with the Rwanda Agriculture Board in December 2019, Dutch seed enhancer Incotec in June 2022, South African seed potato producer RegenZ in November 2022, Kenyan seed tubers producer FreshCrop Limited in February 2023, and PepsiCo&rsquo;s Ethiopian Foods Unit in March 2023.
 
 
 It also partnered with German life sciences company Bayer in June 2024 to distribute its true potato seeds across Kenya and India.
 
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 PLANTeDIT is a biotech company that develops agricultural solutions by using advanced genome editing tools, specifically CRISPR/Cas9 ribonucleoproteins (RNPs), to create sustainable food products. One of PLANTeDIT's key projects is the development of non-transgenic high-oleic soybeans, which are created by mutating the FAD2 gene in soybeans, resulting in increased oleic oil content.&nbsp;
 
 
 High oleic oils are valued in the food industry for their stability and shelf life, making them a suitable replacement for hydrogenated oils that contain trans fats. PLANTeDIT's high oleic soybean oil has potential applications in various food products, including packaged baked goods, cereal coatings, crackers, dried fruits, and non-dairy creamers.
 
 
 Key customers and partnerships
 
 
 In October 2017, PLANTeDIT partnered with biotech company ToolGen, Inc., to receive access to ToolGen's CRISPR platform and licenses for other gene-editing tools for the company's R&amp;D in crop improvement areas such as resilience to harsh climates, increased nutrition, and higher yield.
 
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PLANTeDIT

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 Amfora is an agricultural biotech company that uses CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing technology to make plant-based alternatives for animal protein and increase the protein content of staple food crops. The company also uses DNA markers, phenotyping tools such as single-seed near-infrared spectroscopy (NIR), and AI tools for advanced crop breeding methodologies to enhance crop genes affecting the protein, oil, and yield content in feed crops.
 
 
 Amfora is developing a family of feed and food crops, the latter of which includes soybeans wheat, and rice, and provides the suppliers of plant-based meat and dairy alternatives with their primary ingredients. The company is also involved in aquaculture feed with the development of a low-cost plant-based protein for farmed seafood.
 
 
 The company&rsquo;s patented CRISPR technology leverages gene editing to control the balance between protein and carbohydrates, thereby increasing protein in all crops. The CRISPR technology also lowers the glycemic index and starch, optimizes the amino acid profile, and enhances micronutrients in its food crops.
 
 
 In May 2024, Amfora announced it received approval from the US Department of Agriculture&rsquo;s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) for its soybean, with expected commercialization by 2027.
 
 
 
 
 
 Key customers and partnerships&nbsp;
 
 
 Amfora partnered with the Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) in April 2017 and Corteva Agriscience in April 2019 to receive licenses from the two partners to develop oil and protein content in food crops.
 
 
 In March 2021, it partnered with Plastomics to use its trait delivery technology to introduce Amfora&rsquo;s gene-editing constructs into soybean germplasm. The company partnered with McClintock in July 2023 to combine its phenotyping tools with McClintock&rsquo;s AI and machine learning breeding solutions to accelerate efforts of increasing soybean productivity.
 
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Amfora

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 BioHeuris is an Argentine biotech company that combines synthetic biology with CRISPR gene editing to develop hybrid herbicide-resistant crops to reduce the use of herbicides increasing sustainability and reducing development costs and time to market.&nbsp;
 
 
 BioHeuris has two technology platforms&mdash;Heurik and Swap. Heurik is a high-throughput platform that uses directed evolution and designs of herbicide targets to identify mutations that allow herbicide resistance. Heurik can select gene variants and compare their microorganisms' efficiency and anticipate their effect on crops. Swap is a non-genetically modified organism (non-GMO) platform that combines tissue culture with gene editing techniques to precisely introduce changes and confer herbicide resistance in crops.&nbsp;
 
 
 BioHeuris&rsquo; variety of crop developments with partners include soybean, sorghum, rice, cotton, alfalfa, peanut, maize, and sunflower. The company is developing high-yielding resilient crop varieties for soybean, cotton, and alfalfa. For the rest of the crops, BioHeuris is focusing on developing herbicide and climate-resistant hybrid varieties.&nbsp;
 
 
 Key customers and partnerships&nbsp;
 
 
 BioHeuris partnered with Benson Hill in May 2018 and Gensus in May 2021 to apply the company&rsquo;s gene editing technology in developing herbicide-tolerant crops for soybeans, sorghum, and wheat for the former and cotton for the latter. It also partnered with Grupo Don Mario (GDM) in June 2021 for the development of high-yielding soybean varieties using gene editing.&nbsp;
 
 
 In February 2022, BioHeuris partnered with AgIdea to develop a single platform, the Agile Breeding platform, providing genome editing, breeding services, and double haploid tools to seed companies. 
 
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BioHeuris

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 UK-based Tropic Biosciences (Tropic) develops genetic innovation for tropical crops to increase crop yield and sustainability. Tropic uses pioneering technologies, including CRISPR gene editing, to increase crop disease and climate resistance, reduce supply chain waste, and reduce dependence on pesticides.&nbsp;
 
 
 Tropic&rsquo;s in-house gene editing platform, Gene Editing-induced Gene Silencing (GEiGS), combines gene editing precision with gene silencing (RNAi) and innovates vast gene editing possibilities in crops to improve their natural traits.
 
 
 The company&rsquo;s tropical crops offered are varieties of bananas, rice, and coffee. The bananas are developed with gene editing to be resistant to the Panama and Black Sigatoka diseases, have an extended shelf life, and reduce food waste and CO2 emissions by over 25%. Using gene silencing, Tropic makes its coffee low in caffeine and increases solubility with gene editing. The company uses gene editing for rice to make them high-yielding and disease-resistant.
 
 
 Key customers and partnerships&nbsp;
 
 
 To use its GEiGS platform for developing crop traits, crop varieties and improving livestock protein feed, Tropic Biosciences partnered with Baden Aniline and Soda Factory (BASF) in July 2020, Genus in October 2020, British Sugar in March 2023, and Corteva Agriscience in October 2023.
 
 
 Tropic Biosciences received a license of access for Pairwise&rsquo;s base editing technologies in February 2022 to accelerate breeding innovation in coffee and banana crops for the former.
 
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Tropic Biosciences

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 Meiogenix is a French agriculture biotech company that partakes in chromosome editing to develop new crops. The varieties of crops, using meiotic recombination, expand the biodiversity available to farmers, which is claimed to overcome climate change and food insecurity challenges. The company&rsquo;s SpiX technology targets homologous recombination in plant genomes, which allows the re-assembly of crop traits during the breeding process. The recombination process is claimed to reduce lengthy breeding cycles from 6&ndash;13 years to 3&ndash;7 years and allows the development of entirely new complex traits.
 
 
 In 2021, Meiogenix was developing three applications: the transfer of gene edits or transgenes into a large number of commercial germplasm; the isolation of useful crop traits from low agronomic performance of wild varieties; and the generation of complex crop traits, such as flavor, drought tolerance, nitrogen, or water use. As of 2021, the company&rsquo;s product focus was on corn, tomato, rice, and soybean, with further plans to develop crop varieties in other fruits and vegetables.
 
 
 Key customers and partnerships&nbsp;
 
 
 The company partnered with the French Centre de coop&eacute;ration Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le D&eacute;veloppement (CIRAD) in February 2011 to research the impact of Meiogenix&rsquo;s SpiX technology on rice genomes.
 
 
 It partnered with Bayer in April 2016, providing Meiogenix&rsquo;s SpiX license for use in crop development. In February 2020, Meiogenix partnered with Bayer again to collaboratively improve its recombination technology.
 
 
 Meiogenix also partnered with Lesaffre in June 2016 to use the former&rsquo;s recombination technology to develop improved industrial yeast strains for Lesaffre&rsquo;s yeast manufacturing. 
 
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Meiogenix

Companies that redesign large clusters of genes and gene parts rather than modifying or engineering a single gene for improving the traits of a plant.

Companies that utilize genetic engineering tools and technologies to use existing and naturally present gene variants in a plant and the natural process of breeding such as inbreeding, and linebreeding to develop better traits for plants.

Companies that use transgenesis processes like tissue culturing to develop transgenic plants or seeds by inserting new genes into them from other plants or in certain instances other organisms like bacteria or even animals.

Companies that offer techniques such as epigenetics, RNA interference (RNAi) to temporarily block a specific gene that would trigger unwanted effect such as a disease on a plant.

Companies that develop a platform to insert, edit, or delete the DNA of a plant itself using approaches such as CRISPR-Cas 9, TALENs, and Zinc Fingers. These approaches help develop plant genes or seeds with traits such as disease-resistant, enhanced-performance, or improve yield.

Offers customization of genes and traits as required by farmers

Biotech solutions to produce crops that are sustainable and offer better traits

Uses AI/machine learning to facilitate their platform/biotech processes like gene editing

Solynta

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