Aardaia, a Wageningen-based startup working on the domestication of wild plants, has raised €5 million in a pre-seed round announced in February 2025.
The round was led by Point Nine, with participation from FoodLabs, Astanor, Grey Silo Ventures, and angel investors Alexander Sainty, Dominic R., Maex Ament, and Nanne Veldhuyzen van Zanten.
Aardaia is developing new crops from untapped plant biodiversity, beginning with aardaker, a native European legume that produces a protein-rich tuber. The company says the funding will be used to speed up the domestication of aardaker and build the capabilities needed to expand into additional crops.
Based in Wageningen, Netherlands, Aardaia is positioning its approach around the search for crops better suited to modern agricultural and food system pressures.
The round was led by Point Nine, with participation from FoodLabs, Astanor, Grey Silo Ventures, and angel investors Alexander Sainty, Dominic R., Maex Ament, and Nanne Veldhuyzen van Zanten.
Aardaia is developing new crops from untapped plant biodiversity, beginning with aardaker, a native European legume that produces a protein-rich tuber. The company says the funding will be used to speed up the domestication of aardaker and build the capabilities needed to expand into additional crops.
Based in Wageningen, Netherlands, Aardaia is positioning its approach around the search for crops better suited to modern agricultural and food system pressures.