Cquesta
Cquesta develops gene-edited root system architecture traits for soybean, canola, sorghum, corn, and CoverCress, licensing them to seed companies and ag-biotech partners to improve yield, drought resilience, and soil carbon storage.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersChicago, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Cquesta does
Cquesta is a private agricultural biotechnology company that develops improved root system architecture (RSA) traits for major commodity and cover crops. Its core technology is built on gene editing and plant transformation workflows that deliver deeper, higher-biomass root systems in soybean, canola, sorghum, corn, and CoverCress, with the goal of improving yield, drought resilience, nutrient-use efficiency, and long-duration soil carbon storage. The company's scientific foundation is the patent-protected gene portfolio of the Salk Institute's Harnessing Plants Initiative (HPI), to which Cquesta holds exclusive access as a spin-out; this is supported by a proprietary discovery engine that has sequenced 900+ genomes and identified 345+ gene candidates, paired with multi-crop transformation capabilities developed in roughly two years.
Cquesta sells through a B2B licensing model rather than directly to growers. It licenses proprietary root-enhancing traits to major seed companies, crop breeding firms, and agricultural biotechnology partners, with revenue generated as recurring royalty income as licensed acreage scales. Co-development agreements with strategic partners share later-stage trial costs and revenues, reducing capital intensity, while soil carbon credit markets and scope 3 climate programs are positioned as an additional high-margin upside layer. The company operates laboratories in St. Louis, Missouri and San Diego, California, and reports scientific collaborations with the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center and the United Soybean Board. As of the most recent disclosed funding event, Cquesta has raised US$5 million in seed capital and employs 1–10 people, placing it firmly in the pre-commercial R&D phase.
Cquesta firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Cquesta
- Legal name
- Cquesta
- Website
- https://cquesta.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Cquesta develops gene-edited root system architecture traits for soybean, canola, sorghum, corn, and CoverCress, licensing them to seed companies and ag-biotech partners to improve yield, drought resilience, and soil carbon storage.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Cquesta industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Agricultural Biotechnology / Crop Trait Licensing
- NAICS
- Soil Preparation, Planting, and Cultivating (115112)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Trait Stacking & Trait Introgression (Backcrossing, pyramiding) (AFABALAG)
Keywords
Where Cquesta is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Chicago
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Cquesta business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel
Revenue model
- Trait Licensing: License proprietary root-enhancing traits to major seed companies, crop breeding companies, and agricultural biotech firms. Recurring revenue as acreage scales with high-margin IP licensing.
- Strategic Partnerships: Co-development agreements where partners fund later-stage trials with shared costs and revenues, reducing capital burn and accelerating scale.
- Carbon Credit Revenue: Participate in soil carbon credit markets, scope 3 climate programs, and climate-linked licensing to create high-margin upside layer.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
Cquesta product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Cquesta improves root system architecture (RSA) of major crops through proprietary gene editing and plant transformation technology. The company develops enhanced root traits for soybean, canola, sorghum, corn, and CoverCress, delivering deeper roots and increased biomass to improve yield, resilience, and soil health. These traits are licensed to seed companies and agricultural biotech firms through co-development agreements and integrated into commercial seed products distributed via existing seed channels.
Product overview
Cquesta offers a single unified product portfolio focused on crops with improved root system architecture (RSA). The core offering consists of proprietary seed traits developed through their transformation platform that enhance root growth in soybean, canola, sorghum, corn, and CoverCress. These improved RSA crops are delivered to farmers through existing seed distribution channels, providing increased yield, stress resilience, more efficient nutrient use, and durable deep soil carbon storage. The product development engine advances validated traits from gene editing through multi-location field trials to deliver commercial-ready seed traits.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Improved Root System Architecture (RSA) Crop Traits Proprietary seed traits developed through Cquesta's transformation platform that enhance root growth in soybean, canola, sorghum, corn, and CoverCress, delivering deeper roots and increased biomass. Licensed to major seed companies and agricultural biotech firms for integration into commercial seed products, providing increased yield, stress resilience, more efficient nutrient use, and durable deep soil carbon storage. Distributed through existing seed channels with no new equipment, inputs, or practices required for farmers.
- Gene Lead 1 - Soybean Root Trait First soybean gene lead from Cquesta's portfolio demonstrating increased root and shoot biomass with potential yield improvement and increased planting density in soybean.
Quantifiable outcome
- Increased yields through improved root biomass and potential yield increase with increased planting density
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Cquesta
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Cquesta technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Cquesta partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- United Soybean Board (USB)corePress release partnership announcing US$5 million seed funding for Cuesta's soybean root improvement research.
- Salk Institute of Biological Studies - Harnessing Plants Initiative (HPI)coreCuesta was spun out of the Salk Institute's Harnessing Plants Initiative and has exclusive access to its discoveries. HPI was formed in 2017 with the objective of CO2 removal on a planetary scale, assembling a consortium of top root biologists and plant geneticists.
- Donald Danforth Plant Science CentercoreStrategic research partnership providing access to elite research capabilities and collaboration on root biology research.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Cquesta competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Indigo Ag: Indigo Ag develops microbial and digital solutions to improve crop yield and soil health while monetizing agricultural carbon through soil carbon credit programs. Cquesta and Indigo share the same dual thesis: improving on-farm outcomes while generating carbon revenue, and both target the climate-agriculture intersection.
- Sound Agriculture: Sound Agriculture develops on-demand nitrogen and phosphorus efficiency products for row crops, with a sustainability and soil-health value proposition. Cquesta and Sound Agriculture both target improved nutrient efficiency and sustainability outcomes for major crops.
- Pairwise: Pairwise uses gene editing (base and CRISPR) to develop improved crop varieties, including traits for row crops and specialty crops. Cquesta and Pairwise share the trait-development-via-gene-editing playbook and licensing-oriented business model.
- Pivot Bio: Pivot Bio develops microbial nitrogen-fixing solutions that displace synthetic fertilizer and improve soil health. Cquesta and Pivot Bio share the climate-agriculture thesis of reducing input costs and improving sustainability outcomes for major row crops.
- Tropic Biosciences: Tropic Biosciences uses gene editing to develop improved tropical crops (banana, coffee, rice) with traits for disease resistance and consumer quality. Both companies commercialize proprietary gene-edited traits via licensing to seed and breeding partners.
- Inari Agriculture: Inari uses AI and multiplex gene editing to design proprietary seed traits in major row crops like corn and soybean. Cquesta and Inari both pursue transgenic trait development licensed through major seed channels with comparable crop platforms and go-to-market approaches.
Broad incumbents
- Syngenta Group: Syngenta is a global agribusiness major with extensive seed and trait pipelines and growing investments in biologicals and sustainability. As a major seed channel player, Syngenta is a potential licensing partner and competitive threat for Cquesta's root traits.
- Corteva: Corteva is one of the largest seed and crop protection companies with proprietary biotech trait pipelines across corn, soybean, and other row crops. Cquesta's potential licensees/customers are Corteva's seed competitors, and Corteva's own root/soil programs represent the competitive ceiling for Cquesta's trait pipeline.
- Bayer (Crop Science): Bayer's Crop Science division is the world's largest seed and trait company, including the former Monsanto pipeline. Bayer is both the most likely potential licensing customer for Cquesta's traits and the most formidable competitor in agricultural biotechnology.
Emerging players
- Yield10 Bioscience: Yield10 develops trait gene discoveries aimed at improving crop yield, including root and seed traits in canola, soybean, and corn. Yield10 is a smaller, public peer pursuing similar transgenic trait licensing strategies with comparable crop targets.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Cquesta social profiles
Digital presenceCquesta financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Cquesta leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles16 records
Cquesta funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Cquesta 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 Cquesta
What does Cquesta do?
Cquesta improves root system architecture (RSA) of major crops through proprietary gene editing and plant transformation technology. The company develops enhanced root traits for soybean, canola, sorghum, corn, and CoverCress, delivering deeper roots and increased biomass to improve yield, resilience, and soil health. These traits are licensed to seed companies and agricultural biotech firms through co-development agreements and integrated into commercial seed products distributed via existing seed channels.
Is Cquesta a public or private company?
Cquesta is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Cquesta founded?
Cquesta was founded in 2017. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Cquesta based?
Cquesta is headquartered in Chicago, United States, in the North America region.
How does Cquesta make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Trait Licensing is the primary driver. The others are strategic Partnerships and carbon Credit Revenue.
Who are Cquesta's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Indigo Ag, Sound Agriculture, Pairwise, Pivot Bio, Tropic Biosciences and Inari Agriculture. Broad incumbents are Syngenta Group, Corteva and Bayer (Crop Science). Yield10 Bioscience is listed as an emerging player.
Does Cquesta have an API?
No public API is recorded for Cquesta.
What industry is Cquesta in?
Cquesta's product category is Agricultural Biotechnology / Crop Trait Licensing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFABALAG, Trait Stacking & Trait Introgression (Backcrossing, pyramiding). Its NAICS code is 115112.