A new frontier in AI-driven soil regeneration, co-founded by Edge
Oath soil regeneration was officially unveiled at the Impact Ireland Convention 2025, marking a significant milestone for AI-driven, biological approaches to global soil health. Co-founded by U2’s Edge, Oath introduces a scalable solution for degraded soils worldwide.
Oath addresses one of the most urgent challenges of our time: the accelerated degradation of soils worldwide. With an estimated 75 per cent of global soil already damaged or depleted, the loss of productive land is emerging as a direct threat to food security, biodiversity and geopolitical stability. Oath’s response is a science-led, AI-enabled platform that identifies, cultivates and deploys microbial combinations tailored to local geographies, crop systems and climate conditions.
AI, biology and a new model for soil health
Unlike traditional chemical fertilisers, Oath’s solution is biological. The company uses artificial intelligence to analyse soil conditions and determine the optimal mix of bacteria and fungi for a given region. Each formulation is produced locally, utilising indigenous microorganisms, and can be applied simply by mixing it with water as a powder.
This approach delivers a regenerative alternative to chemistry-only models and aims to:
- Increase crop yields and quality
- Improve water retention and drought resilience
- Enhance nutrient cycling and soil structure
- Reduce dependence on expensive imported fertilisers
- Lower nutrient run-off, protecting rivers, lakes and estuaries
Oath already holds regulatory approval to operate in Ireland and intends to use the country as a manufacturing and scaling base for European expansion.
Field trials, global partnerships and first proof points
Much of Oath’s early momentum has come from an ambitious programme of field trials across Africa, Southern Europe and Latin America. Rwanda emerged as the company’s first sovereign-level partner, chosen for its scientific leadership, agricultural priorities and ability to move with speed. The Rwandan sovereign investment fund has since become an investor in Oath, embedding the initiative directly into the country’s long-term development strategy.
Early trials have delivered strong signals, including reported yield increases of thirty to sixty per cent on some crops, alongside meaningful gains in water efficiency and soil structure. For smallholder farmers, many of whom are women, this represents not just improved production but enhanced economic resilience and food security.
“Ireland can lead in this”
Speaking at the launch, Edge described his immediate instinct to get involved:
“As a songwriter, you are trained to recognise a great melody, a great idea when you hear it. This felt like one of those moments.”
He highlighted Ireland’s potential to host and scale a European soil-health platform, underscoring the country’s agricultural base, regulatory approval and capacity for public–private collaboration:
“We could base ourselves here and scale out of Ireland for the rest of Europe, which would be a wonderful thing.”
While acknowledging a “serious bout of imposter syndrome” as he stepped into a science-focused venture, he emphasised the urgency of the soil crisis and the opportunity for Ireland to help lead the global response.
Venturewave Capital, Impact Ireland and the impact investing thesis
The announcement reinforced the Impact Ireland Convention’s role as the flagship forum for impact investment in Ireland. Through the Impact Ireland Fund, Venturewave Capital invests between €1 million and €25 million in “technology for good” companies across healthcare, agriculture, energy, education and the environment.
The fund aligns with international standards set by the Global Impact Investing Network and is recognised for its structured, evidence-based approach to measuring social and environmental outcomes. Portfolio companies operate within a broader ecosystem that encompasses Venturewave Capital’s Impact Portfolio and the firm’s Global Advisory Council (GAC), which convenes global leaders in capital, policy, science, and technology.
U2 members The Edge and Adam Clayton are among the backers of Venturewave’s impact initiatives, reinforcing Ireland’s position as a global innovation hub and underscoring the importance of culture and creativity in driving long-term impact strategies. Their support is acknowledged in Venturewave’s GAC acknowledgements.
A milestone for Ireland’s leadership in impact
Oath’s unveiling is more than the launch of a new company. It signals Ireland’s emergence as a centre of gravity for impact investing and a staging ground for globally relevant innovation. It brings together culture, science, capital and public policy around a solution designed to meet a systemic need: safeguarding the soils that ultimately feed the planet.
The combination of AI, local manufacturing, sovereign partnerships and high integrity science positions Oath as one of the most ambitious global projects to emerge through the Impact Ireland platform to date, exemplifying the kind of systemic, measurable impact Venturewave Capital is committed to supporting.
A new frontier in AI driven soil regeneration, co founded by Edge, is now taking shape through Oath. The initiative represents the convergence of science, creativity and capital, anchored in Ireland and built for global scale. It captures exactly what the Impact Ireland platform exists to accelerate, and it underscores the opportunity for Ireland to lead in a sector that will define the next century of food systems, climate resilience and sustainable development.
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