BetterSeeds

BetterSeeds was founded in 2017 (initially as CanBreed) and has developed a unified platform for democratizing CRISPR-based crop improvement. The company's core innovation is combining next-generation CRISPR editors, an engineered virus-based delivery system (EDGE™—Efficient Delivery of Gene Editing), and a validated catalog of agronomic traits into a single integrated platform. This "one-stop-shop" approach removes the traditional barriers to gene editing adoption: companies no longer need to license editors, delivery systems, and trait IP from multiple vendors with complex cross-licensing agreements. Instead, they access a pre-integrated stack under a single licensing agreement with fixed royalties, dramatically reducing cost and deployment timeline for seed companies of any size.

BetterSeeds' technical differentiation centers on three vectors: (1) compact, efficient next-generation CRISPR editors that work across difficult-to-edit crop species; (2) engineered plant virus delivery, bypassing the slow and expensive tissue-culture-based transformation methods traditionally required for plant genetic modification; and (3) a curated suite of validated traits targeting critical agricultural challenges—drought tolerance, heat resilience, pest resistance, disease avoidance, and improved plant architecture for mechanized harvesting. The company emphasizes non-GMO approaches where possible, deleting or silencing endogenous genes rather than introducing foreign DNA, which reduces regulatory friction in major markets and increases public acceptance.

The addressable market for gene-edited crop traits is substantial and growing under climate pressure. Global agriculture faces accelerating volatility: droughts, heat waves, shifting pest ranges, and water scarcity threaten yields in key regions. Traditional breeding takes 8–15 years per trait; gene editing cuts this to 3–5 years. BetterSeeds positions itself at the intersection of this acceleration: enabling seed companies to bring climate-adapted crops to farmers faster than competitors, especially in crops where traditional breeding progress has been slow. Their initial focus areas include high-protein pulses (cowpeas, lentils), nuts (peanuts, cacao), and staple grains—crops with both major food security relevance and significant allergenic or sustainability concerns amenable to genetic solutions.

Commercial validation has begun. In June 2024, the USDA approved PeaMAX, the world's first commercially approved gene-edited cowpea, developed using BetterSeeds' platform. PeaMAX is optimized for mechanized harvesting, shortened growing seasons, and drought/heat tolerance—a direct response to climate-driven crop volatility. Revenue has accelerated from $334,000 in 2024 to $1.4 million in 2025, driven by gene-editing services, technology licensing, and trait deployment partnerships. This revenue trajectory demonstrates market pull beyond R&D investment and validates the platform-as-a-service model.

BetterSeeds' founders bring deep domain expertise: Ido Margalit (CEO) previously held business development roles at Syngenta and led the genomics company Infigo Diagnostics; Dr. Tal Sherman (CTO, Co-founder) holds a PhD in Plant Science from Tel Aviv University and led R&D on abiotic stress tolerance at Syngenta. The team includes a scientific advisory board covering plant virology, molecular breeding, genetics, and crop science. The company raised a Series A of $11.5 million in September 2022 from institutional investors including JITO Incubation & Innovation Foundation and A-Labs Advisory & Finance. As of 2025, the company has deliberately paused Series B fundraising to focus on revenue growth, strategic partnerships, and operational profitability—a shift that signals confidence in market traction despite macroeconomic headwinds.

Strategically, BetterSeeds sits at a critical nexus for Claw & Talon's thesis: food security, resilience, and critical-infrastructure importance. Climate-adapted crops are not just commercial products; they are strategic assets for regional stability, agricultural autonomy, and risk mitigation in fragile food systems. Gene-edited varieties tailored for water scarcity, heat tolerance, and mechanization directly address the material constraints that governments and agribusiness face. The dual-use dimension is implicit: crop resilience is both a commercial opportunity and a national security concern, especially for water-stressed or geopolitically isolated regions. Israel's agricultural innovation leadership, driven by necessity in an arid climate, positions it as a trusted developer of such technologies for both domestic and global adoption.

Key remaining questions center on adoption velocity (how quickly do major seed companies and farmers adopt gene-edited varieties versus traditional breeding alternatives), regulatory landscape (variations in EU, Asia, Africa will affect addressable market), and competitive response from larger agricultural biotechs with incumbent seed portfolios. The company's focus on pragmatic, non-GMO traits and streamlined licensing helps mitigate regulatory and market-adoption risk, but scale-up in manufacturing, seed production, and distribution remain operational execution challenges typical of biotech transitions from R&D to full commercialization.