# Pairwise

**Source:** https://geo.sig.ai/brands/pairwise  
**Vertical:** AgTech  
**Subcategory:** CRISPR Food Crops  
**Tier:** Emerging  
**Website:** pairwise.com  
**Last Updated:** 2026-04-14

## Summary

First company to commercialize CRISPR-edited food in North America; TIME Top GreenTech 2026; Bayer, Corteva, and Mars licensing its Fulcrum CRISPR platform in deals worth hundreds of millions in potential milestone payments.

## Company Overview

Pairwise is the first company to commercialize CRISPR-edited food products in North America, launching its Conscious Foods line (beginning with seedless pitless cherries and baby greens) through Whole Foods and other premium retailers. The company is named to TIME's America's Top GreenTech Companies of 2026 and has executed a series of platform licensing deals with Bayer, Enza Zaden, Mars, Corteva, and multiple universities — monetizing its Fulcrum CRISPR platform as licensed infrastructure for the broader agricultural industry.

The platform licensing model transforms Pairwise from a single-company crop developer into infrastructure for the entire industry: other seed companies pay to use Pairwise's CRISPR delivery methods to edit their own crops, creating royalty revenue that subsidizes Pairwise's internal product development. In 2026, the company has a CRISPR seedless blackberry under field trials and is advancing its first wheat and corn programs.

European regulatory pathways for gene-edited crops are also clearing, which would unlock a major new market for Pairwise's platform licensing model. The EU has historically been hostile to GMOs, but gene-editing (which makes changes possible through natural breeding) is being carved out of GMO restrictions — potentially creating a massive new licensing opportunity for Pairwise's existing corporate partners who have European seed businesses.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### What does Pairwise do?
CRISPR food crop company — launched the first CRISPR-edited food products in North America and licenses the Fulcrum CRISPR platform to Bayer, Corteva, Mars, and others.

### What CRISPR products has Pairwise launched?
Conscious Foods line including seedless pitless cherries and baby greens in Whole Foods. CRISPR seedless blackberry under field trials in 2026.

### How does Pairwise's licensing model work?
Other seed companies pay royalties to use Pairwise's Fulcrum CRISPR platform to edit their own crops — creating recurring revenue independent of Pairwise's own product sales.

### What is notable about Pairwise in 2026?
Named to TIME's Top GreenTech Companies of 2026. New platform licensing deals with Bayer, Enza Zaden, Mars, and Corteva. European regulatory clearing could unlock major new market.

### What other crops is Pairwise developing beyond food products?
Pairwise's Fulcrum platform is being applied by licensees Bayer and Corteva to row crop development including corn, soybeans, and wheat — targeting traits like yield, disease resistance, and climate resilience for commodity agriculture at scale.

### How does CRISPR food regulation work in the United States?
The USDA does not regulate CRISPR-edited crops the same way as transgenic GMOs when no foreign DNA is introduced. Pairwise's consumer products like the Conscious Foods line clear USDA review and can be labeled without the bioengineered disclosure required for traditional GMOs.

### How does Pairwise commercialize consumer products?
Pairwise has created its own consumer brand — Conscious Foods — that sells directly through grocery retail partners including Whole Foods, positioning CRISPR food innovation to health-conscious consumers rather than relying solely on commodity licensing.

### Is Pairwise publicly traded?
No, Pairwise is a privately held plant innovation company headquartered in Durham, North Carolina, backed by agricultural and venture investors including Bayer, Deerfield Management, and Leaps by Bayer.

## Tags

agriculture, saas, b2c

---
*Data from geo.sig.ai Brand Intelligence Database. Updated 2026-04-14.*