GreenGene

What GreenGene does

GreenGene Inc. is a Seoul-based, privately held biotechnology company founded in 2022 that has developed GREENedit™, a genome base editing platform targeting plant chloroplasts and mitochondria rather than nuclear DNA. The company describes the platform as the first of its kind in plant biotechnology, enabling precise base editing at the organelle level to access biological functions not reachable through conventional nuclear modification, including enhanced photosynthetic efficiency, improved stress tolerance, and disease resistance. The technology stack integrates precision organelle gene editing, stem cell-based plant development, and proprietary transformation methodologies, with peer-reviewed validation in Nature Plants, Nature Communications, and Cell. The company also operates GREENegg™, a duckweed-based sustainable protein sub-brand leveraging the same editing platform.

GreenGene monetizes through a partnership-driven enterprise model spanning licensing and co-development agreements, royalty-driven product partnerships, and system and ingredient extraction capabilities. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and inquiries are routed through a website contact form. The addressable customer base spans six verticals: agriculture and field crops (primary), food and nutrition, feed and animal nutrition, cosmetics and personal care, bio-industrial, and horticulture. The company markets primarily through scientific publications, industry conferences (IAPB 2023, CROP Innovation & Business 2024, BIOplus INTERHEX Korea), earned media in major Korean outlets, and its website Progress Hub. Distribution is described as global in scope for direct enterprise partnerships.

The company is founder-led by Dr. Jin-Soo Kim, a recognized genome editing pioneer and former CEO of ToolGen, with Jungeun Joanna Lee, PhD as CEO and Sunghyun Hong, PhD as Chief Research Officer. Headcount is in the 11-50 range. Funding history is limited to participation in Korea's TIPS Program (a government incubator mechanism) as of July 2024; no institutional venture rounds, revenue figures, named customers, or patent counts are disclosed in available data. The company's central strategic claim, that its non-GMO organelle editing approach delivers regulatory advantages in jurisdictions with strict GMO frameworks, remains a key value driver that has yet to be commercially validated.

Name

GreenGene

Legal name

GreenGene Inc.

Website

https://greengeneinc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

GreenGene Inc. is a Seoul-based plant biotechnology company operating the GREENedit™ platform, a world-first genome base editing system targeting plant chloroplasts and mitochondria, serving agriculture, food, feed, cosmetics, bio-industrial, and horticulture customers through licensing and co-development partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Biotechnology

akta.pro primary industry

Gene Editing Trait Development (CRISPR/TALEN/ZFN) (AFABALAB)

Keywords

• Plant gene editing
• Chloroplast genome editing
• Mitochondrial gene editing
• Agricultural biotechnology
• Plant trait development

Headquarters

HQ city

Seoul

HQ country

South Korea

HQ region

Asia

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Licensing & Co-development: Licensing and co-development of organelle genome editing technologies to partners. Companies can access the GREENedit™ platform for their specific applications.
2. Royalty & Product Sales: Royalty-driven collaboration with product-based partnerships. Revenue generated from successful commercialized products using edited plant traits.
3. System & Ingredient Extraction: Providing systems and ingredient extraction capabilities for partners developing bio-based production platforms.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

GreenGene develops and licenses the GREENedit™ platform, a world-first genome base editing technology that enables precise, targeted gene editing in plant chloroplasts and mitochondria. The company provides trait development services and co-development partnerships for agricultural, food, feed, cosmetics, and bio-industrial applications, including the GREENegg™ duckweed-based sustainable protein line. Revenue is generated through licensing fees, royalties on commercialized products, and collaborative development engagements with enterprise partners.

Product overview

GreenGene operates as a unified platform company offering the GREENedit™ plant organelle gene editing platform as its core technology, complemented by the GREENegg™ duckweed-derived protein product line. The GREENedit™ platform enables precise gene editing in chloroplasts and mitochondria, supporting trait development services for agriculture, food, feed, cosmetics, and bio-industrial applications. The company also provides licensing and co-development partnerships for its proprietary technology.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• GREENedit™: World-first plant organelle gene editing platform enabling precise editing in chloroplasts and mitochondria.
• GREENegg™

Products and services

• GREENedit™ Platform
• GREENegg™
• Trait Development Services
• Licensing & Co-development

Quantifiable outcome

• Non-GMO plants with enhanced stress tolerance and processing resilience

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Corteva Agriscience: Major seed and crop protection company with a leading trait development pipeline. Comparable as the dominant incumbent in agricultural trait licensing — the type of partner (and competitor) GreenGene must navigate to commercialize its platform.
• Caribou Biosciences: Clinical-stage CRISPR genome editing company with foundational CRISPR IP broadly applicable across organisms. Broader incumbent in CRISPR-based gene editing platforms, with adjacent applicability to plant biotech though its primary focus is human therapeutics.
• Benson Hill: Public crop improvement company combining plant genetics with AI/ML to develop higher-protein, more sustainable soybeans and other crops. Broad-incumbent peer operating at the intersection of plant biotechnology and food/feed value chains.
• Bayer Crop Science: Global agricultural input and seed giant with extensive trait development pipeline. Functions as a likely licensing partner and competitive incumbent — any commercial traction GreenGene achieves will be benchmarked against Bayer's scale and pipeline.

Direct peers

• Tropic Biosciences: Plant gene editing company focused on banana, coffee, and rice, leveraging CRISPR to develop novel traits. Direct competitor in gene-editing-based plant trait development with a similar licensing/partnership GTM.
• ToolGen: Korea-based CRISPR gene editing company previously led by GreenGene's founder. Direct peer in plant and mammalian gene editing platform development and is the founder's prior venture — offering a useful precedent for GreenGene's strategic trajectory.
• Pairwise Plants: CRISPR-based plant gene editing company focused on crops for food and agriculture. Closely mirrors GreenGene in using novel gene editing tools to develop commercial plant traits delivered through licensing to seed and food partners.
• Inari Agriculture: AI-powered seed design platform that develops proprietary crop genetics for agriculture. Directly comparable as a venture-backed plant gene editing / trait development company that licenses technology to seed partners — same business model archetype as GreenGene.
• Cibus: Developer of gene editing technologies (including RTDS-based trait development) for major crops such as canola, rice, and wheat. Closely comparable in targeting trait commercialization through partnerships with seed and agricultural input companies.

Emerging players

• Beam Therapeutics: Pioneer of base editing technology for human therapeutics. Closely comparable at the technology layer because GreenGene's core innovation is base editing in plant organelles, making Beam the most analogous base-editing platform peer even though its applications are human-health.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about GreenGene