Cibus
Cibus is a San Diego-based agricultural biotechnology company that develops non-transgenic, precision gene-edited plant traits using its proprietary RTDS and Trait Machine platforms, licensing them royalty-based to major global seed companies across rice, canola, soybean, and wheat.
- Company typePublic
- Founded2000
- HeadquartersSan Diego, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Cibus does
Cibus Inc. (NASDAQ: CBUS) is a San Diego-based agricultural biotechnology company founded in 2000 (originally as ValiGen) that develops precision gene-edited plant traits using its proprietary Rapid Trait Development System (RTDS) and Trait Machine platform. The company's core technical differentiator is non-transgenic gene editing—making precise edits to a plant's own DNA without introducing foreign genes—which causes its products to be regulated like conventionally bred crops rather than transgenic GMOs. Cibus operates through two product lines: Stronger Seeds, comprising herbicide tolerance, pod shatter reduction, disease resistance, and nematode resistance traits across rice, canola, soybean, and wheat; and Sustainable Ingredients, including biofragrances and crop-based oils developed using its proprietary gene editing technology.
Cibus monetizes primarily through a B2B royalty-based licensing model, charging seed companies $5-$30 per acre in trait fees tied to farmer cost savings. Its distribution is built on partnerships with major global and regional seed companies including Bayer, Nutrien, Nuseed, GDM, Interoc, FLAR, Fedearroz, Semillano, and Albaugh, who commercialize enhanced seeds through their existing farmer-facing networks. The Sustainable Ingredients line operates as a direct B2B sales channel into fragrance, food, flavor, and personal care markets, generating its first customer payment in Q4 2025. The company has approximately 251-500 employees and offices in San Diego, New York, and a Roseville, Minnesota R&D facility being wound down.
Cibus's commercial trajectory remains pre-revenue at scale: main royalty revenue from rice herbicide tolerance is targeted for 2027 (Latin America) and 2029 (United States). The company is funded by a series of post-IPO public offerings that have raised over $130 million since December 2023, supported by a cash balance of approximately $29.7 million as of Q4 2025 and a market capitalization near $98 million. Recent strategic milestones include the June 2026 EU decision classifying gene-edited crops as equivalent to conventionally bred crops, leadership transition to new CEO Craig Wichner (June 2026), and the wind-down of the Roseville, Minnesota facility with a $9.1 million Q4 2025 impairment charge.
Cibus firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Cibus
- Legal name
- Cibus Inc.
- Website
- https://cibus.com
- Company type
- Public
- Founded year
- 2000
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Cibus is a San Diego-based agricultural biotechnology company that develops non-transgenic, precision gene-edited plant traits using its proprietary RTDS and Trait Machine platforms, licensing them royalty-based to major global seed companies across rice, canola, soybean, and wheat.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Cibus industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Agricultural Biotechnology
- NAICS
- Pesticide and Other Agricultural Chemical Manufacturing (32532)
- SIC
- Agricultural Chemicals (2870)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Gene Editing Trait Development (CRISPR/TALEN/ZFN) (AFABALAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Biotechnology & Gene-Edited Trait Development (AFAGAIAG), Seed Trait Licensing & IP Management (Licensing, freedom-to-operate) (AFABALAJ)
Keywords
Where Cibus is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Diego
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Cibus business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Trait Licensing Royalties: Cibus licenses its advanced gene-edited plant traits to leading seed companies worldwide in exchange for royalty payments. This is a recurring royalty-driven model where trait fees are commensurate with cost savings realized by farmers, ranging from $5 per acre to $30 per acre depending on the trait and crop. The model targets over $200 million in potential annual royalty revenue from rice herbicide tolerance traits alone.
- Sustainable Ingredients: Revenue from developing and supplying sustainable natural ingredient products created using proprietary technology, including biofragrances and crop-based oils. The company received its first Sustainable Ingredients customer payment in Q4 2025.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Annual | Trait licensing to seed companies with royalty-based pricing |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Cibus product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Cibus develops and licenses precision gene-edited plant traits to global seed companies using its proprietary Rapid Trait Development System (RTDS) and Trait Machine, which enable non-transgenic edits to a plant's own DNA in months rather than years. Its Stronger Seeds product line delivers herbicide tolerance, pod shatter reduction, and disease resistance traits across rice, canola, soybean, and wheat. The company also produces sustainable bio-based ingredients such as natural rose oil for fragrance and industrial applications, with first customer revenue recognized in Q4 2025.
Product overview
Cibus is a biotechnology company that develops and licenses advanced plant traits to seed companies through two integrated product lines: Stronger Seeds (productivity traits for rice, canola, soybean, and wheat) and Sustainable Ingredients. The core technology platform consists of the Rapid Trait Development System (RTDS) and the Trait Machine, which together enable precision gene editing without introducing foreign DNA. The product portfolio includes herbicide tolerance traits (HT1/HT3 for rice, HT2 for canola), pod shatter reduction for canola, disease resistance traits across multiple crops, nematode resistance for soybean, and nutrient use efficiency traits. Traits are delivered via royalty-bearing licenses to seed company partners, with commercial launches targeted beginning in 2027 for Latin America rice markets and expanding to the US by 2029.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Trait Machine: A stand-alone semi-automated end-to-end precision breeding system that is time-bound and predictable, developed using the RTDS technology.
- Rapid Trait Development System (RTDS)
- Cibus Powered
Products and services
- Rice Herbicide Tolerance Traits (HT1 and HT3) Gene-edited herbicide tolerance traits for rice that enable effective weed control with reduced chemical use, supporting long-term herbicide resistance strategies and improving grower profitability. Targeted at over 69.5 million acres of rice.
- Canola Pod Shatter Reduction Cibus Powered trait product for canola/oilseed rape that reduces yield losses by resisting pod shatter and impacts from harsh weather, improving harvest flexibility and crop management while lowering CO2 emissions.
- Canola Herbicide Tolerance (HT2) Second-generation herbicide resistance trait developed for canola, enabling effective weed management for growers.
- Canola Disease Resistance Gene-edited trait for Sclerotinia (white mold) resistance in canola and winter oilseed rape.
- Soybean Traits Family of gene-edited traits for soybean including herbicide tolerance, disease resistance, and nematode resistance, developed in collaboration with partner GDM across approximately 250 million acres of the North and South American soybean market.
- Wheat Traits Family of gene-edited traits for wheat focusing on disease resistance, herbicide tolerance, and nutrient use efficiency, targeting the approximately 135-million-acre global wheat market.
- Rapid Trait Development System (RTDS) Proprietary technology suite that enables development of specific plant qualities in just months through precision gene editing, making edits to a plant's own genes without adding foreign DNA.
- Trait Machine Stand-alone semi-automated end-to-end precision breeding system that enables time-bound and predictable production of gene-edited traits, allowing partners to specify desired crop improvements with delivery within months.
- Sustainable Ingredients Bio-based products including natural rose oil and other sustainable ingredient replacements for synthetic or high-cost ingredients, created using proprietary gene editing technology to provide lower carbon footprint alternatives for fragrance, food, flavor, and personal care markets.
Companies that use Cibus
Customer profileNamed customers11 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Cibus technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Cibus partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- John Innes CentrecoreCibus was selected as key technology partner in the UK Government-funded LLS-ERASED project to develop gene-edited resistance to Light Leaf Spot disease in oilseed rape. The project is part of Defra's Farming Innovation Programme with £21.5m in funding across 15 innovation projects. If successful, this would deliver the first precision-bred oilseed rape varieties to UK growers under the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act 2023.
- University of HertfordshirecoreAcademic partner in the LLS-ERASED project consortium alongside John Innes Centre and 12 industry and academic partners, working on precision breeding of disease-resistant oilseed rape varieties.
- AgVayācorePartnership to develop and introduce gene editing technologies into India's rice seed industry to enhance crop productivity and resilience. Collaboration aims to accelerate breeding timelines, reduce pesticide dependence, and foster innovation for India's rice industry.
- InteroccoreStrategic partnership for Latin American rice market. Material transfer agreement established in January 2024. Non-binding Letter of Intent signed for commercialization of herbicide-tolerant rice traits across Latin America, with planned market entry in Ecuador and Colombia in 2027, expanding to Peru, Central America, and Caribbean. Interoc received gene-edited herbicide tolerance materials in May 2026 for testing and production.
- GDMcorePartner for soybean gene-edited trait development. GDM is collaborating with Cibus for development of herbicide tolerance trait and follow-on disease resistance trait similar to canola pipeline, as well as future nematode resistance traits.
- NutriencoreMajor agricultural seed company partner receiving gene-edited plant traits for commercialization through their global seed distribution network.
- NuseedcoreMajor agricultural seed company partner receiving gene-edited plant traits for commercialization through their global seed distribution network.
- BayercoreMajor agricultural seed company partner receiving gene-edited plant traits for commercialization through their global seed distribution network.
- SemillanominorLatin American seed company partner receiving gene-edited plant traits for rice and other crop commercialization.
- FLARminorLatin American rice seed company partner receiving gene-edited plant traits for commercialization in regional markets.
- FedearrozminorLatin American rice seed company partner receiving gene-edited plant traits for commercialization in regional markets.
- AlbaughminorAgricultural partner receiving gene-edited plant traits for commercial development and distribution.
Scale indicators15 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Cibus competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Pairwise: CRISPR-based gene-editing company developing improved seeds and fruits for agriculture. Most directly comparable to Cibus: same non-transgenic CRISPR approach, B2B licensing model, and focus on row-crop and specialty crop traits with major seed/food partners.
- Inari Agriculture: Seed-design company using multiplex gene editing and computational biology to improve crop yields. Highly comparable to Cibus — both apply precision gene editing to row crops and license traits to seed companies rather than selling seeds directly.
- Yield10 Bioscience: Pre-commercial agricultural biotechnology company developing gene-edited yield and input-tolerance traits in canola, soybean, and other crops. Comparable in scale, trait focus, and licensing model, though it has historically also pursued transgenic approaches.
- Benson Hill: Crop-improvement company combining genomics and plant breeding to develop soybean, yellow pea, and other crop ingredients. Comparable in applying advanced breeding/genomics to row crops, though Benson Hill is more vertically integrated into food/feed ingredient supply.
Emerging players
- Tropic Biosciences: Gene-editing company focused on tropical crops (banana, coffee) and row-crop traits; acquired by Syngenta in 2024. Comparable gene-editing methodology and licensing model, but now operating as part of a large incumbent rather than as an independent.
- BioConsortia: Microbial/agricultural biotech developing nitrogen-fixing and yield-enhancing microbial products for row crops. Adjacent — comparable in target customer (seed companies and growers) and input-outcome economics, but uses microbial rather than gene-editing approaches.
Broad incumbents
- Corteva: Global seed and crop protection major (parent of Pioneer Hi-Bred) with large proprietary CRISPR/gene-editing programs and broad row-crop seed distribution. A direct competitor and a partner overlap to Cibus, and the benchmark for incumbent distribution power in the traits Cibus is targeting.
- Bayer Crop Science: Largest global seed and crop protection business, with deep gene-editing R&D and full ownership of seed distribution channels Cibus relies on. Comparable as a buyer/competitor for non-transgenic trait licensing, and already a Cibus partner.
- Syngenta Group: Global agriscience major with a major seed business and recent acquisition of Tropic Biosciences. Comparable as a full-stack incumbent pursuing non-transgenic gene-edited traits and a potential channel partner or competitor for Cibus in row crops.
- BASF Agricultural Solutions: Global agriscience incumbent with both crop protection and a hybrid/seed business, active in gene-editing trait development. Comparable as a broad incumbent competing for trait licensing relationships and seed-channel shelf space.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Cibus social profiles
Digital presenceCibus financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Cibus leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles16 records
Cibus subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Cibus funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds10 records
Investors3 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Cibus M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Cibus
What does Cibus do?
Cibus develops and licenses precision gene-edited plant traits to global seed companies using its proprietary Rapid Trait Development System (RTDS) and Trait Machine, which enable non-transgenic edits to a plant's own DNA in months rather than years. Its Stronger Seeds product line delivers herbicide tolerance, pod shatter reduction, and disease resistance traits across rice, canola, soybean, and wheat. The company also produces sustainable bio-based ingredients such as natural rose oil for fragrance and industrial applications, with first customer revenue recognized in Q4 2025.
Is Cibus a public or private company?
Cibus is a public company. It is classified as public and is currently operating.
When was Cibus founded?
Cibus was founded in 2000. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Cibus based?
Cibus is headquartered in San Diego, United States, in the North America region.
How does Cibus make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Trait Licensing Royalties are the primary driver. The others are sustainable Ingredients.
Who are Cibus's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Pairwise, Inari Agriculture, Yield10 Bioscience and Benson Hill. Emerging players are Tropic Biosciences and BioConsortia. Broad incumbents are Corteva, Bayer Crop Science, Syngenta Group and BASF Agricultural Solutions.
Does Cibus have an API?
No public API is recorded for Cibus.
What industry is Cibus in?
Cibus's product category is Agricultural Biotechnology. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFABALAB, Gene Editing Trait Development (CRISPR/TALEN/ZFN), with a secondary code of AFAGAIAG, Biotechnology & Gene-Edited Trait Development. Its NAICS code is 32532 and its SIC code is 2870.