Belgian startup Hedera-22 raises €2 million to accelerate progress for a sustainable agriculture

Hedera-22, a spin-off from ULiege and a pioneer in the development of an intelligent platform for the discovery of new biomolecules with bio-pesticide activity, announced that it has raised about €2 million in funding. This financing, including a capital increase by its shareholders – Aravis, Gesval, Noshaq et K&E – combined with subsidies from the Walloon Region, is part of the ambitious biomolecule discovery project to contribute to the European Farm2Fork project to reduce chemical pesticides by 2030.

Hedera-22 was founded in 2015 by a team of scientists, professors at the University of Liège, passionate about the possibilities offered by bioinformatics associated with the understanding of the biomolecular mechanisms of active compound production by soil bacteria. With years, the company specialized in the supply of bioinformatics services then in the discovery of new biomolecules with biopesticide activity. This transition was marked with the entrance of Noshaq and K&E bv (Globachem) in the shareholding structure, and with efforts to demonstrate the viability of its technological solution. Since 2023, Hedera-22 launched the Ab-Initio project, marking a new stage in its development. 

This project is based on the creation of an advanced natural product discovery platform, integrating cutting-edge molecular biology technologies and proprietary predictive bioinformatics tools based on machine learning algorithms. This innovative approach aims to streamline the discovery process, while improving the yield, diversity and maturity of  identified compounds.

Valérie Renard, CEO of Hedera-22, commented: ″The Ab-Initio platform, the first version of which will be available in early 2026, enables Hedera-22 to build up a vast library of molecules, which will be offered to actors in the bio protection sector. This initiative paves the way for  numerous licensing and partnership opportunities, offering bio protection companies  innovative, environmentally-friendly solutions for crop protection. We are pleased to announce that we have already made significant progress on this project, with the recent filing of a patent for our innovative prediction method″.

The €2 million funding round will enable Hedera-22 to continue investing in research and  development, strengthen its team of experts and further develop its bioinformatics tools, with  the aim of positioning Hedera-22 as a world leader in the discovery of novel natural  compounds with bio pesticidal activity and making a significant contribution to scientific  progress in this field.

Éric Brandt, Investment Manager for Noshaq, commented: ″Noshaq is proud to support  Hedera-22 in its ambition to develop new biomolecules. Thanks to its resolutely innovative  approach, the company is successfully tackling many of the challenges facing the agro-industry. The AB-Initio project is showing impressive results that will be rapidly exploitable″.