Mycoverse raises €2.4 million pre-seed funding to fight potato late blight in Europe using fungi
- Co-led by Future Food Fund and High-Tech Gründerfonds, with participation from PINC, the venture arm of Paulig.
- Funding enables two years of field trials toward commercial validation.
- Initial focus on potato late blight (an estimated €1.9bn global market), with future applications including grapevines.
Mycoverse, an agri-tech spin-out from the Technical University of Denmark (DTU), developing biological crop protection using fungi, has just raised a fresh €2.4 million in pre-seed equity funding. The round was co-led by Future Food Fund and High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF), with participation from PINC, the venture arm of Paulig. The funding will support the development of Mycoverse’s first solution targeting potato late blight, one of Europe’s most destructive crop diseases, as Europe is facing mounting pressure to reduce chemical pesticide use.
Using its AI-driven discovery platform, Mycoverse identifies promising fungal strains and develops bioactives providing superior crop protection. Combined with Mycoverse’s state-of-the-art fungal production technology, this approach enables scalable biological crop protection solutions designed to fit seamlessly into current farming systems.
Its lead candidates have demonstrated strong performance in greenhouse trials. Svend Petersen, CEO and co-founder of Mycoverse,commented: “This funding allows us to rapidly expand our field trials program, bringing us closer to delivering reliable biological crop protection products that farmers can adopt without changing their existing practices.”
“We are impressed by the scientific depth of the team and the speed with which they are able to identify and screen high-performing biological candidates,” said Christian Kannemeier, Senior Investment Manager at HTGF. “The rapid development of their potato blight candidates, achieved in just five months, demonstrates the strength and efficiency of their platform.”
The crop protection landscape in Europe is evolving in response to regulatory developments and growing demand for more sustainable agricultural practices. At the same time, farmers need reliable and cost-effective solutions to manage persistent disease pressures.
Potato late blight remains a significant challenge and represents an estimated $1.9 billion global market opportunity. This creates clear potential for innovative bio-based solutions that support crop resilience while reducing environmental impact.
“As chemical crop protection products are phased out and growers are increasingly dealing with resistance to products that are still on the market, the need for new solutions has never been clearer,” said Kim Wagenaar, Investment Director at Future Food Fund. “Our investment strategy is guided by the Planetary Boundaries framework, supporting innovations that allow food production to operate within Earth’s safe limits. Mycoverse combines AI-driven discovery with advanced fungal production technology to deliver biological solutions that can match field performance while reducing systemic environmental pressure.”
PINC, the venture arm of Paulig, is focused on accelerating the transition away from chemical inputs in the food system. “As a food company reliant on sustainable agricultural value chains, we see significant potential in technologies that reduce chemical inputs without compromising reliability. Solutions that help maintain yields while supporting soil health, biodiversity and long‑term food security are essential for a resilient food system. Mycoverse’s approach combines strong science with a clear route to scale, making it a compelling addition to our portfolio,” said Rosemari Herrero, Senior Investment Manager at PINC.
Looking ahead, Mycoverse plans to expand its platform to additional crops, including grapevines, as regulatory institutions and agribusiness across Europe accelerate the shift toward biological crop protection.
About Mycoverse
Mycoverse is a Danish biosolutions company developing fungal-based biological crop protection solutions. A spin-out from the Technical University of Denmark (DTU), Mycoverse uses an AI-driven discovery platform and advanced fungal production technology to develop biocontrol solutions that can replace chemical pesticides. The company’s platform is designed to support scalable, data-driven solutions across multiple crops, with an initial focus on potato late blight and future applications including grapevine. Mycoverse has previously been supported by BioInnovation Institute with € 1.9 million, bringing Mycoverse’s total fundraising up to € 4.3 million. Mycoverse on LinkedIn.
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About PINC
PINC is Paulig’s venture arm for investments in early-stage startups in and around the future of food. PINC aims to help Paulig renew itself and prosper, as well as contribute to a tastier and more sustainable planet.
www.pauliggroup.com/this-is-pinc
About Paulig
Paulig is an international food and beverage company, growing a new, sustainable food culture – one that is good for both people and the planet. Paulig provides all things tasty: Tex Mex, Snacks, coffees, World Foods and spices. The company’s brands are Paulig, Santa Maria, Risenta, Poco Loco, Conimex and Zanuy. Paulig also manufactures products for its private label and industry customers. In 2024, the company’s sales amounted to approximately EUR 1.2 billion. Paulig was founded in 1876 and is 100% owned by the Paulig family. The company has 2,400 passionate employees in 13 different countries working on our purpose For a life full of flavour.
www.pauliggroup.com/
About High-Tech Gründerfonds
HTGF is one of the leading and most active early-stage investors in Germany and Europe, financing startups in the fields of Deep Tech, Industrial Tech, Climate Tech, Digital Tech, Life Sciences and Chemistry. With its experienced investment team, HTGF supports startups in all phases of their development into international market leaders. HTGF invests in pre-seed and seed phases and can participate significantly in later-stage financing rounds. Since its inception in 2005, HTGF has financed around 800 startups and achieved 200 successful exits. HTGF has a fund volume of over 2 billion euros.
Fund investors in the public-private partnership include the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, KfW Capital as well as 45 companies and family offices.
For more information, please visit HTGF.de or follow us on LinkedIn.
About Future Food Fund
Future Food Fund is a Netherlands-based venture capital firm investing in Seed and Series A companies across Western Europe that are revolutionizing the food and agriculture value chain. By targeting innovative startups, Future Food Fund aims to address critical sustainability challenges, including greenhouse gas emissions, biodiversity loss, and water demand, fostering a sustainable future within planetary boundaries. Future Food Fund benefits from support from the European Union under the InvestEU Fund.