b"GLOBAL INNOVATIONGLOBAL INNOVATIONGLOBAL INNOVATIONGLOBAL INNOVATION SHOWDOWN SHOWDOWN SHOWDOWN SHOWDOWN1 st 2 nd 3 rd 4 thPLACE PLACE PLACE PLACERevolutionizing Crop Protection: The Science Behind Healthycrops Fungal-Resistant InnovationHealthycrop taps into crops natural defences to cut fungicide use, boost food security, and advance sustainable farming.By Marcel BruinsIN AN ERA WHEREfood security, sustainability, and climate resilience are at the forefront of global agricultural challenges, innovation in plant breeding has never been more critical. The tradi-tional reliance on chemical fungicides is increasingly scrutinized due to environ-mental concerns and rising fungal resist-ance, demanding alternative solutions. Enter Healthycrop, a pioneering agri-biotech startup leveraging cutting-edge molecular biology to enhance natural disease resistance in crops. By harness-ing the power of the crop's own defence, through natural enzymes that disrupts fungal infections at the biochemical level, Healthycrop offers a novel approach to crop protectionone that is durable, scalable, and environmentally sustain-able. This breakthrough not only reduces the need for synthetic fungicides but also supports biodiversity, improves foodPernille Ollendorff Hede, Healthycrop CEO.PHOTO: HEALTHYCROPsafety, and aligns with global sustain-ability goals. As the industry moves towards integrating gene-edited traitsscientific and business acumen to thefood production systems to be more into elite crop varieties, companies likeagri-biotech landscape. With a Ph.Dsustainable demands bold innovation. Healthycrop are redefining the future ofin molecular plant biology and a busi- For Hede, Healthycrop represents an agriculture. But what does it take to scaleness degree from Copenhagen Businessopportunity to make a tangible difference such an innovation? And how is the regu- School, Hedes career began in researchin global agriculture by combining her latory landscape shaping the adoptionbefore transitioning into leadership rolesscientific background with entrepreneurial of these next-generation crops? In thiswithin large Danish corporations. Overdrive.conversation, Pernille Ollendorff Hede,time, she realized her passion for building co-founder and CEO of Healthycrop,impactful venturesones that mergeThe Heart of the Innovationshares insights into the companys mis- technical innovation with commercialAt the heart of Healthycrops innova-sion, technology, and vision for the future. viability. This passion ultimately led her totion is Nepenthesin, a protease enzyme Hede, co-founder and CEO ofco-found and join Healthycrop full-time,that plays a key role in enhancing a Healthycrop, brings a unique blend ofdriven by the belief that transformingplant's natural resistance to fungal INTERNATIONAL EDITION 2025SEEDWORLD.COM /23"