Chromatin
Chromatin Inc (DBA "Future Food") is a Chicago-based agricultural research company developing improved sorghum, maize, and wheat varieties through genomics-driven breeding for smallholder farmers and National Agricultural Research Systems in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2001
- HeadquartersChicago, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Chromatin does
Chromatin Inc, operating under the DBA "Future Food," is a Chicago-based agricultural research and plant breeding company founded in 2001 that develops improved seed varieties of sorghum, maize, and wheat for smallholder farmers and National Agricultural Research Systems (NARS) in sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Its core technology, branded as the "Modern Plant Breeding Triangle," integrates genomics, phenomics, and environics — using genome-wide selection, high-throughput field phenotyping, multi-trait Bayesian mixed models, GIS mapping, and high-performance computing — to accelerate traditional breeding cycles and produce stress-tolerant, climate-resilient, and nutritionally improved crop varieties.
The company operates a partnership-driven distribution and revenue model rather than direct-to-farmer sales. Improved varieties are deployed through collaborations with CIMMYT, NARS, international genebanks, and global nursery networks; revenue is generated primarily through technology transfer, seed licensing/royalties, and research grant funding, with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation cited as a key five-year funding partner for climate-resilience gene identification projects. Chromatin has executed 11 disclosed equity funding rounds totaling over $122M between 2002 and 2017, led by investors including Wood Creek Capital Management, BP Ventures, Illinois Ventures, and GE Capital, and acquired Kirkland Seed in 2016 to expand its sorghum distribution capability.
Chromatin firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Chromatin
- Legal name
- Chromatin Inc
- Website
- https://www.chromatininc.com/
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2001
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Chromatin Inc (DBA "Future Food") is a Chicago-based agricultural research company developing improved sorghum, maize, and wheat varieties through genomics-driven breeding for smallholder farmers and National Agricultural Research Systems in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Chromatin industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Agricultural Biotechnology / Plant Breeding
- NAICS
- Oilseed and Grain Farming (1111)
- SIC
- Agricultural Services (700)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Biotechnology & Gene-Edited Trait Development (AFAGAIAG)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Hybrid Seed Production (AFAGAIAD), Genotyping Platforms & Services (SNP arrays, GBS, sequencing) (AFABALAE), Trait Discovery & Functional Genomics (Target ID/Validation) (AFABALAC)
Keywords
Where Chromatin is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Chicago
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Chromatin business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Seed Variety Development and Licensing: Development and distribution of improved seed varieties including maize hybrids and wheat varieties. The company provides thousands of seed packages to partners annually and develops productive farming methods and tools. Revenue is generated through technology transfer and seed distribution partnerships with national agricultural research systems and seed companies.
- Research Grant Funding: Agricultural research investments and grant funding from international organizations such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to develop climate-smart crop varieties and expand the use of biodiversity for smallholder farmers worldwide.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
Chromatin product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Chromatin develops and distributes improved seed varieties for maize, wheat, and sorghum using a proprietary modern plant breeding approach that integrates genomics, phenomics, and environics technologies. The company produces stress-tolerant, high-yielding, and climate-resilient crop varieties through partnerships with national agricultural research systems, international research centers, and global genebank networks, primarily serving smallholder farmers in developing regions of Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
Product overview
Chromatin operates as an agricultural research organization focused on plant breeding and crop improvement. The company's core offerings include dedicated research and breeding programs for maize, wheat, and sorghum crops, delivering improved seed varieties and agricultural technologies to smallholder farmers in developing regions. The Modern Plant Breeding Triangle platform integrates genomics, phenomics, and environics approaches to accelerate breeding pipelines, while specific crop programs provide stress-tolerant, high-yielding, and climate-resilient varieties.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Maize Research and Breeding Program Research and breeding program producing superior maize hybrids with stress tolerance, increased nutritional quality, and nutrient utilization efficiency for smallholder farmers in tropical and subtropical regions of Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
- Wheat Research and Breeding Program Public breeding program developing nutritious, high-yielding, disease-resistant, and climate-resilient wheat varieties suitable for Africa, Latin America, and Asia, delivered through global nursery networks and partnerships with research institutes.
- Grain Sorghum Research Program Agronomic research program providing guidance on grain sorghum cultivation practices including hybrid selection, seed treatments, fertility management, weed control, and harvesting techniques for improved yields.
- Modern Plant Breeding Triangle Integrated breeding platform combining genomics, phenomics, and environics technologies using genomic selection, high-throughput phenotyping, and multi-environment trial analysis to develop improved crop varieties faster than traditional breeding methods.
Quantifiable outcome
- Wheat enhancement research benefit-to-cost ratio of 72:1 to 102:1
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Chromatin
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Chromatin technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
Chromatin partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT)coreCIMMYT is a key strategic partner in global agricultural research. Chromatin collaborates with CIMMYT scientists on breeding climate-resilient crop varieties and improving food security. Scientists from CIMMYT contribute to research on wheat blast resistance, maize improvement, and sustainable farming strategies. The partnership involves knowledge exchange and joint efforts to develop improved varieties for smallholder farmers.
- National Agricultural Research SystemscorePartnerships with national agricultural research systems enable deployment of enhanced maize varieties in the tropics. These partners are active participants in the breeding process, receiving seed packages and breeding lines for local adaptation. The partnerships strengthen local maize seed production and delivery systems.
- Research and Breeding Institutes (Global Network)coreChromatin collaborates with research and breeding institutes worldwide through a network of worldwide nurseries. This enables sharing of data and breeding lines to develop quality wheat varieties adapted to different regions, particularly Africa, Latin America, and Asia.
- Genebanks NetworkcoreChromatin is part of a large and frequently accessed network of genebanks that conserve and make available agricultural accessions to scientists and governments. Genebanks hold plant germplasm in trust for humanity and are essential for breeding climate-resilient crop varieties.
Scale indicators5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Chromatin competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Inari Agriculture: Ag-biotech company using AI-driven seed design and multiplex gene editing to develop improved crop varieties. Directly comparable to Chromatin's genomics-driven approach to crop improvement, with a similar mission of accelerating breeding pipelines.
- Pairwise: Plant breeding company using CRISPR-based gene editing to develop improved crop varieties. Comparable to Chromatin as a private ag-biotech applying advanced molecular tools to seed development, though Pairwise has focused initially on fruits and row crops.
- Benson Hill: Crop improvement company combining genomics, phenomics, and AI to develop higher-protein, higher-yield soybean and other crops. Closely comparable to Chromatin's genomics-plus-phenomics platform philosophy for accelerated variety development.
- Arcadia Biosciences: Agricultural trait development company using advanced breeding and genomics to develop crops with improved quality and resilience. Comparable small-cap ag-biotech applying molecular breeding to staple crops.
Emerging players
- CIMMYT (International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center): International non-profit research organization focused on maize and wheat improvement for developing countries. Directly comparable as a Chromatin strategic partner and as a research entity developing improved germplasm for smallholder farmers.
- ICRISAT: International crop research institute for the semi-arid tropics, with a primary focus on sorghum, millet, and other dryland crops. Comparable mission and customer base to Chromatin's sorghum and smallholder focus.
Broad incumbents
- Corteva Agriscience: Global agriculture major with a leading seed and trait portfolio across maize, wheat, and other crops, including climate-resilient and biotech traits. Comparable as a much larger incumbent in the same crop improvement and seed distribution space.
- Bayer Crop Science: Largest global seed and crop protection company, owner of Climate FieldView and the former Monsanto biotech trait portfolio. Comparable broad incumbent investing heavily in hybrid and biotech seed development across major row crops.
- Syngenta Group: Global agribusiness with leading positions in seeds, crop protection, and digital agriculture. Comparable broad incumbent with global hybrid and biotech seed programs across maize, wheat, and cereals.
- BASF Agricultural Solutions: Global agricultural input provider with a seed and trait portfolio including hybrid wheat and other cereals. Comparable broad incumbent operating in the same crop improvement and seed distribution space as Chromatin.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Chromatin social profiles
Digital presenceChromatin financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Chromatin leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Chromatin funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds10 records
Investors11 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Chromatin 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 Chromatin
What does Chromatin do?
Chromatin develops and distributes improved seed varieties for maize, wheat, and sorghum using a proprietary modern plant breeding approach that integrates genomics, phenomics, and environics technologies. The company produces stress-tolerant, high-yielding, and climate-resilient crop varieties through partnerships with national agricultural research systems, international research centers, and global genebank networks, primarily serving smallholder farmers in developing regions of Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
Is Chromatin a public or private company?
Chromatin is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Chromatin founded?
Chromatin was founded in 2001. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Chromatin based?
Chromatin is headquartered in Chicago, United States, in the North America region.
How does Chromatin make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Seed Variety Development and Licensing is the primary driver. The others are research Grant Funding.
Who are Chromatin's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Inari Agriculture, Pairwise, Benson Hill and Arcadia Biosciences. Emerging players are CIMMYT (International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center) and ICRISAT. Broad incumbents are Corteva Agriscience, Bayer Crop Science, Syngenta Group and BASF Agricultural Solutions.
Does Chromatin have an API?
No public API is recorded for Chromatin.
What industry is Chromatin in?
Chromatin's product category is Agricultural Biotechnology / Plant Breeding. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAGAIAG, Biotechnology & Gene-Edited Trait Development, with a secondary code of AFAGAIAD, Hybrid Seed Production. Its NAICS code is 1111 and its SIC code is 700.