Heritable’s Brad Zamft learned about breakthrough technologies as a project lead at X, the Moonshot Factory, Google’s innovation lab. He launched Heritable early this year to use artificial intelligence and gene editing to speed the breeding of fruit, vegetables, food crops and trees, technology to make crops more resilient to pathogens and climate change, and to lower costs and boost yields for growers.
“At X, I witnessed firsthand how bold ideas, combined with visionary investment can create game-changing outcomes,” said Zamft. “Heritable channels this ethos, marrying cutting-edge science with scalable impact potential.”
The strategic investment from Miami-based Waterpoint Lane will help Heritable build out a team of biologists, engineers, geneticists and plant breeders. The San Francisco Bay Area company is looking for a project data scientist to help build its genomics platform.
By combining computational biology with advanced genetics, Heritable is fast-tracking “crop improvements, developing varieties that can handle drought, heat, and other climate stresses,” Waterpoint’s Meifan Shi told ImpactAlpha.
“The result is not just stronger crops, but farming that uses less water, fewer chemicals, and keeps yields steady,” she added. “It’s a powerful step toward a more secure, sustainable food system in a changing world.”
Agrifood tech
Waterpoint Lane made the investment via its $6 million food and ag sustainability fund, which writes early-stage checks of around $250,000 for startups working to drive efficiencies and sustainability across the agrifood value chain (see, “Sustainable food and ag investors line up to Make America Healthy Again”).
“Our strategy centers on identifying visionary founders and breakthrough platforms with the capacity to scale and lead entire sectors,” said Shi. “We seek companies with differentiated technology, strong leadership, and a fundamental ability to drive systemic change in all aspects of the food systems.”
