Seed gene-editing startup Inari eyes commercialization with $144m round: ‘It puts us in a robust financial position’

• Seed gene-editing startup Inari has completed a $144 million Series G round, bringing its cumulative funding to $720 million.
• New investors include a wholly owned subsidiary of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) and a large financial investor, according to Inari.
• Existing investors including Hanwha Impact, NGS Super, the State of Michigan Retirement System, and company founder Flagship Pioneering also participated.

‘This round of funding underscores investors’ steadfast confidence’

“Today’s news validates our progress across product development and entering commercialization,” Inari spokesperson Cristof Traudes tells AgFunderNews. “It puts us in a robust financial position to further scale up and deliver impactful solutions that benefit both our seed customers and the planet.”

Cambridge, Mass.-based Inari uses what it calls “multiplex gene editing,” which enables the company to make “multiple, concurrent changes to address complex biological pathways such as those underpinning yield,” says Traudes.

It’s SEEDesign platform relies on what the company calls “AI-powered predictive design,” which uses data analytics to discover new genetic pathways and predict where and how to make edits within plants’ DNA to enhance performance. Traudes likens it to a kind of blueprint for gene editing.

This approach aims to provide seeds that can produce more or greater yields while using fewer resources — a critical challenge for farmers in today’s climate change era.

Inari currently works with soybean, corn and wheat, as these crops have the largest footprint globally. The company also says its platform has the potential to work with any crop in any geography.

Traudes says the company is currently working with seed company customers in demonstration plots to further showcase products.

“This round of funding underscores investors’ steadfast confidence in our business and ability to bring truly impactful solutions to market,” Inari CEO Ponsi Trivisvavet said in a statement. “Inari is poised to redefine the seed technology landscape as we work to empower the industry with high-performing products on a global scale. “