Founded in 2023, Agteria Biotech has quickly emerged as one of Sweden’s most prominent agritech companies. The company has raised more than SEK 70 million from investors, including Industrifonden, Norrsken Launcher, and AgriZeroNZ, to develop new solutions aimed at reducing methane emissions from cattle. Its ambition is to help cut one percent of global greenhouse gas emissions.
Development in collaboration with SLU
A central part of Agteria’s work is conducted in collaboration with the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) in Umeå, where research on the factors influencing methane production in ruminants is led by researcher Mohammad Ramin.
To accelerate its research efforts, the company recruited Madeleine Hollander last autumn, a Master of Science in Engineering in Biotechnology with a background from Umeå University.
“Before I joined, lab experiments were conducted monthly. Now we run them continuously every week, allowing us to move development forward much faster,” she says.
From methane mitigation to AI-driven discovery
The company initially focused on reducing methane emissions from livestock—one of agriculture’s most significant climate challenges. Along the way, additional opportunities were identified, leading to the development of a broader research platform.
Today, Agteria positions itself as an AI-driven discovery company, aiming to help larger animal health and feed companies accelerate the development and testing of innovations.
“We want to be an agile R&D partner that can generate ideas, test them in the lab, and validate what actually works,” says Madeleine Hollander, now based at Umeå Biotech Incubator (UBI).
UBI labs enable next phase
This allows the company to expand its experimental capabilities in Umeå. Previously, its work was limited to experiments conducted within SLU’s lab environments.
“We can now carry out more and different types of experiments. Being able to work with cells and bacteria here is an important part of our upcoming projects,” says Hollander.
Access to UBI’s biosafety level 2 (BSL-2) laboratory is particularly important, enabling work with risk class 2 organisms.
“It really broadens the range of challenges we can address and solve.”
Attracting companies from across the country
UBI’s lab facilities offer advanced equipment and certified environments that few independent players in the region can match. In the Financial Times’ 2024 ranking of Europe’s leading startup hubs, Umeå Biotech Incubator ranked eighth in Europe in the laboratory and office facilities category and was the highest-ranked specialized life science incubator in that category.
For UBI, Agteria is a clear example of how its labs attract companies beyond its incubator program.
“Access to lab facilities is crucial for many startups and smaller companies. The equipment is expensive and difficult to build independently. Our labs make it possible for more companies to develop their ideas, even if they are not affiliated with academia or originally based in Umeå,” says Christin Grundström, Lab & Community Manager at UBI.
“Agteria came to us because of our labs, and the same applies to our incubator companies Cropcision and Boreal Orchards, both active in green biotech,” she continues.
She also highlights that Agteria fits well into the growing ecosystem in the region.
“We’re seeing increasing interest from companies developing sustainable solutions in agriculture and food production. Agteria is a strong addition to that environment.”
Valuable network at UBI
While Agteria is headquartered in Stockholm, its team is currently geographically spread. In the long term, the ambition is to consolidate operations and establish its own lab facilities in the capital, but for now the company sees clear value in being part of the ecosystem in Umeå.
“There’s a strong pool of expertise here, both at the universities and at UBI. After just a few days, you can already tell how valuable the network is—there are people you can turn to for both guidance and hands-on support,” says Madeleine Hollander.
“We have an ambitious vision and know that collaboration will be essential to achieving it. I truly believe the ecosystem and network here can support our growth.”