Phytoform Labs
Phytoform Labs is a UK- and US-based agricultural biotechnology company that uses its proprietary CRE.AI.TIVE™ AI platform combined with CRISPR-Cas editing to develop Nature Identical™ crop traits for commercial seed companies, vertical farming operators, and greenhouse growers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersSalisbury, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Phytoform Labs does
Phytoform Labs is a UK- and US-based agricultural biotechnology company that develops AI-powered gene-edited crop traits for commercial seed companies, vertical farming operators, and greenhouse growers. The company's core product is the CRE.AI.TIVE™ platform, which combines a proprietary sequence-to-expression machine learning model trained on DNA from twelve crop species with CRISPR-Cas gene editing and protoplast-based plant transformation to produce Nature Identical™ traits — genetic edits that leave no foreign DNA and are therefore potentially exempt from GMO regulatory regimes. As of late 2024, the platform was upgraded to V4 with integrated wet-lab validation, and the product portfolio spans precision-bred tomato varieties for vertical farms (reportedly yielding up to 400% more fruit in trial settings), gene-edited potato varieties for supply chain applications, corn trait programs in disease resistance and plant architecture with Beck's, RAGT, and Corteva, and a research-stage synthetic potato chromosome programme funded by ARIA.
The business model is exclusively B2B enterprise licensing and co-development. Phytoform does not sell directly to growers or consumers; instead, it negotiates multi-year contracts with seed companies that combine upfront platform access fees, milestone payments tied to trait development stages, and downstream royalties on commercialized seed products. Pricing is contract-specific and not publicly disclosed. Go-to-market relies on direct enterprise field sales to a small set of tier-1 seed company accounts supplemented by channel distribution through partner seed networks spanning the UK, US, continental Europe, South America, and Australia. The company supplements commercial revenue with non-dilutive grant and fellowship funding from ARIA, the UK Farming Innovation Programme, the Manchester Prize, and the IRCAI/AWS Compute for Climate Fellowship.
Founded in 2017 by Dr Will Pelton (CEO) and Dr Nicolas Kral (CTO), Phytoform Labs is headquartered at the Rothamsted Research campus in Harpenden, UK, with a US presence at Greentown Labs in Boston. The company has 22 team members and is privately held, with its disclosed equity funding consisting of a $5.7M seed round in December 2021 led by Eniac Ventures alongside Fine Structure Ventures, FTW Ventures, Pale blue dot, Refactor, Wireframe Ventures, BACKED VC, and Acequia Capital. Revenue and valuation are not publicly disclosed.
Phytoform Labs firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Phytoform Labs
- Legal name
- Phytoform Labs
- Website
- https://phytoformlabs.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Phytoform Labs is a UK- and US-based agricultural biotechnology company that uses its proprietary CRE.AI.TIVE™ AI platform combined with CRISPR-Cas editing to develop Nature Identical™ crop traits for commercial seed companies, vertical farming operators, and greenhouse growers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Phytoform Labs industry classification
Industry- Product category
- No source-supported evidence available in the provided input to assign a product category.
- NAICS
- Lessors of Nonfinancial Intangible Assets (except Copyrighted Works) (5331)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Method Development & Validation (ICH/USP) (HLAGADAB)
Keywords
Where Phytoform Labs is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Salisbury
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Phytoform Labs business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
Revenue model
- Technology Licensing to Seed Companies: Licensing of CRE.AI.TIVE™ gene editing technology and Nature Identical™ trait development services to commercial seed companies. Revenue likely combines upfront access fees, milestone payments tied to trait development stages, and ongoing royalties on commercialized seed products.
- Co-Development and Partnership Revenue: Structured co-development agreements with seed companies (Beck's, RAGT, Corteva) and agricultural groups where Phytoform contributes its AI gene editing platform in exchange for development funding, IP rights, and/or downstream commercialization royalties.
- Grant and Public Funding: Non-dilutive funding from government and foundation grants (ARIA £6M grant, Manchester Prize £100K, Compute for Climate Fellowship) supporting specific R&D programs and technology development.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | B2B enterprise licensing — custom pricing based on trait scope and commercialization rights. |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Phytoform Labs product offering
Product offeringCore offering
No source-supported evidence available in the provided input to describe the company's core offering.
Product overview
Phytoform Labs operates as an AI-powered agricultural biotechnology company offering a unified platform approach centered on the CRE.AI.TIVE platform, which combines AI-driven gene expression prediction with footprint-free CRISPR-Cas genome editing. The core technology enables rapid development of Nature Identical crop traits in months rather than years at a fraction of conventional costs. The product portfolio includes the CRE.AI.TIVE AI platform as the core enabler, supported by crop-specific products including gene-edited tomato varieties for vertical farming, potato varieties for supply chain efficiency, corn traits for architecture optimization and disease resistance, and an advanced synthetic chromosome research program for potato. All offerings leverage the same foundational AI and precision breeding technology, with traits developed directly in partner germplasm using protoplast-based transformation compliant with emerging precision breeding regulations globally.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Quantifiable outcome
- Crop trait development compressed from years to months
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Phytoform Labs
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments4 records
Phytoform Labs technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability4 records
Feature5 records
Phytoform Labs partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Beck'scoreStrategic collaboration for AI-driven corn trait development using Phytoform's CRE.AI.TIVE™ platform. Beck's, a major US seed company, is working with Phytoform to accelerate the development of improved corn varieties through precision gene editing, leveraging Phytoform's AI prediction capabilities and CRISPR-based editing.
- RAGTcoreStrategic partnership for corn trait development using Phytoform's AI-powered gene editing platform. RAGT, a European seed company, is collaborating with Phytoform to develop improved corn varieties for European and global markets, applying CRE.AI.TIVE™ to precision trait development.
- Bayer / Seed2GrowminorPhytoform was awarded a Golden Ticket to NC State's Seed2Grow agricultural technology incubator, backed by Bayer. The program provides mentorship, industry connections, facilities access, and startup support for early-stage agtech companies.
- CortevacoreCollaboration using AI to boost disease resistance in corn. Corteva, one of the world's largest agricultural seed and crop protection companies, partnered with Phytoform to apply its gene editing technology to enhance disease-resistant traits in corn, combining Corteva's germplasm and market reach with Phytoform's AI platform.
- CambridgeHOKminorPartner in the AutoTom project focused on automating tomato greenhouse growing systems. CambridgeHOK contributes greenhouse design and engineering expertise to the automation and crop optimization initiative involving Phytoform's gene editing capabilities.
- University of LincolnminorAcademic partner in the AutoTom project contributing agricultural robotics and automation research capabilities to the tomato greenhouse optimization initiative, in partnership with Phytoform and other industry collaborators.
- British Tomato Growers' AssociationminorIndustry association partner in the AutoTom project representing UK tomato growers, providing practical growing expertise, grower network access, and end-market perspective for gene-edited tomato variety development.
- APS Produce GroupminorProduce company partner in the AutoTom project contributing commercial horticulture perspective, supply chain access, and market requirements to the automated tomato growing and gene editing collaboration.
- University of CambridgecorePartner institution in the ARIA grant consortium. University of Cambridge contributes research expertise in plant science and AI/ML to the joint program developing precision gene editing technologies for agriculture. Phytoform's co-founder is associated with Cambridge.
- University of Western AustraliacorePartner institution in the ARIA grant consortium contributing plant genetics and breeding research expertise. UWA's involvement brings Southern Hemisphere agricultural perspective and access to diverse crop genetic resources for the joint gene editing research program.
- Macquarie University (Australian Genome Foundry)corePartner institution in the ARIA grant consortium providing advanced genomic infrastructure and capabilities through its Australian Genome Foundry facility. Macquarie contributes high-throughput DNA synthesis and sequencing capabilities to support the precision gene editing research program.
- IRCAIminorInternational Research Center for Applied AI (IRCAI) co-sponsors the Compute for Climate Fellowship, providing climate technology community access, networking, and visibility for Phytoform alongside the AWS technical partnership.
- Harvest LondonminorVertical farming trial partner collaborating with Phytoform to test and validate gene-edited crop varieties in controlled environment agriculture settings. Harvest London provides commercial growing infrastructure and market feedback on variety performance in vertical farm conditions.
- Jones Food CompanyminorVertical farming trial partner trialing Phytoform's gene-edited crop varieties in large-scale commercial vertical farming operations. Jones Food Company is one of Europe's largest vertical farms, providing real-world validation of edited varieties in commercial CEA settings.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Phytoform Labs competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Syngenta: Syngenta is a major global seed and crop protection company with internal gene editing capabilities and a Cropwise digital platform. Its scale and broad crop portfolio overlap with Phytoform's target customer base, making it both a potential partner for licensing deals and a long-term competitor.
- Corteva: Corteva is one of the world's largest agricultural seed and crop protection companies with significant internal gene editing capabilities. While also a current Phytoform partner, its internal capabilities represent both validation of the gene editing thesis and a competitive threat to Phytoform's platform licensing model.
- Bayer Crop Science: Bayer Crop Science operates one of the largest seed and crop protection businesses globally with internal gene editing capabilities and runs the Seed2Grow incubator that recently awarded Phytoform a Golden Ticket. As a broad incumbent with deep germplasm and global commercial reach, it represents both an investor/partner channel and a competitive threat.
Emerging players
- Sound Agriculture: Sound Agriculture develops on-demand crop solutions using a combination of plant science and AI, addressing crop yield and sustainability. Adjacent in the agricultural biotechnology space with similar B2B seed company sales motion, though with a different (microbial/sensor) technology modality.
- BioConsortia: BioConsortia develops microbial products and uses AI-driven discovery for crop improvement. Adjacent in the agricultural biotechnology space with a similar B2B seed company sales motion targeting major agribusinesses, though focused on microbial rather than gene editing approaches.
Direct peers
- Pairwise: Pairwise uses CRISPR-based gene editing (including base editing) to develop improved crop traits and has partnerships with major seed and produce companies. Its Fulcrum™ platform and trait commercialization model closely mirror Phytoform's Nature Identical™ approach and B2B licensing model.
- Benson Hill: Benson Hill combines AI/ML with crop genetics to develop improved soybean and other crop varieties through its CropOS® platform. Similar AI + crop genetics intersection and trait licensing/seed business model overlap with Phytoform's approach, though with broader crop and downstream food ingredient exposure.
- Tropic Biosciences: Tropic Biosciences applies gene editing to improve tropical crops (banana, coffee, rice) using its GEiGS™ technology platform. It shares Phytoform's B2B platform licensing model and gene editing technology stack, though focused on different crop categories.
- Cibus: Cibus develops gene-edited crop traits using its Rapid Trait Development System (RTDS) for canola, rice, flax, and other crops. Its non-transgenic gene editing approach and trait licensing model are highly comparable to Phytoform's Nature Identical™ platform and similar B2B seed industry GTM.
- Inari Agriculture: Inari is an AI/ML-driven seed design company using predictive modeling and gene editing to develop improved crop varieties. Its SEEDesign™ platform directly parallels Phytoform's CRE.AI.TIVE™ approach and both target overlapping major seed company customers with trait licensing deals.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Phytoform Labs social profiles
Digital presencePhytoform Labs financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Phytoform Labs leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Phytoform Labs funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds6 records
Investors11 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Phytoform Labs M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Phytoform Labs
What does Phytoform Labs do?
No source-supported evidence available in the provided input to describe the company's core offering.
Is Phytoform Labs a public or private company?
Phytoform Labs is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Phytoform Labs founded?
Phytoform Labs was founded in 2017. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Phytoform Labs based?
Phytoform Labs is headquartered in Salisbury, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Phytoform Labs make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Technology Licensing to Seed Companies are the primary driver. The others are co-Development and Partnership Revenue and grant and Public Funding.
Who are Phytoform Labs's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Syngenta, Corteva and Bayer Crop Science. Emerging players are Sound Agriculture and BioConsortia. Direct peers are Pairwise, Benson Hill, Tropic Biosciences, Cibus and Inari Agriculture.
Does Phytoform Labs have an API?
No public API is recorded for Phytoform Labs.
What industry is Phytoform Labs in?
Phytoform Labs's product category is No source-supported evidence available in the provided input to assign a product category.. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAGADAB, Method Development & Validation (ICH/USP). Its NAICS code is 5331.