In a world of rapidly rising temperatures and unstable growing conditions, Potato Improver is reshaping the future of agriculture by empowering one of the world’s most essential food crops—potatoes—to thrive in heat-stressed environments. Founded with a singular mission to safeguard global food security, this Swedish biotech startup has developed a breakthrough CRISPR/Cas-based technology that enables potato crops to tolerate temperatures up to 7°C higher than what is currently possible.
“Our goal is simple: we want to make sure the world doesn’t run out of potatoes,” says Sebastian von Melen Callert, co-founder of Potato Improver. “By future-proofing staple crops, we’re actively engineering resilience into the food systems of tomorrow.”
The innovation stems from a previously undocumented gene regulating heat tolerance in potatoes, discovered by Dr. Aditya Nayak’s team in Paris. This discovery is paired with cutting-edge CRISPR research led by Dr. Mariette Andersson in Lund, Sweden. Together, they form the basis of the company’s proprietary method, which accelerates the development of new potato varieties by up to 80% compared to traditional breeding. The team brings together a global powerhouse of plant scientists, food tech entrepreneurs, and agri-innovation experts who share a commitment to solving one of humanity’s most pressing challenges.
The technology arrives not a moment too soon. In 2024 alone, major potato-growing regions such as India’s Uttar Pradesh experienced devastating yield losses due to extreme heat. Smallholder farmers across the Andean highlands and African uplands are increasingly forced to abandon ancestral potato fields as rising temperatures push cultivation to less viable altitudes.
Potato Improver’s technology directly addresses these problems, offering not only a scientific solution but also a scalable and inclusive path to agricultural stability. The business model is based on a royalty-per-tonne system, making it economically viable for both commercial-scale processors like PepsiCo and HyFun Foods, and for governments seeking to secure national food supplies.
Despite being in early development, the company has already initiated strategic conversations with potential customers and public sector partners. A pilot project in India—designed in collaboration with a leading Indian agriculture research organization—is ready for launch pending external funding. “There’s a strong demand,” explains Dennis Eriksson, co-founder of Potato Improver. “We just need the resources to activate the partnerships that are already taking shape.”
To date, Potato Improver has been fully bootstrapped, without external funding. Still, the team has achieved remarkable traction: it has assembled world-class scientific leadership and attracted global attention from the food security and agri-innovation sectors.
Looking ahead, Potato Improver plans to expand its breeding program to cover over 100 climate-adapted varieties by 2032 and is working toward establishing a state-of-the-art laboratory in southern Sweden. The vision? To increase global potato production by 3% by 2035, countering climate-driven food instability one tuber at a time.
Potato Improver represents more than just agricultural science—it’s a bold leap toward sustainable innovation where biotechnology meets planetary resilience.
