Pairwise
Pairwise is a plant biotechnology company that uses CRISPR and AI to improve crop traits like yield and resilience. It has conducted over 11 million plant transformations with a 72% success rate in targeted edits, and raised $155M in funding.
The growth story
Pairwise grew from 110 to 115 employees between 2021 and 2026, raising $155M along the way, most recently a Series C in September 2024.
About
Pairwise develops non-GMO plant improvements using CRISPR technology combined with AI and a large trait library. Its Fulcrum platform targets traits such as yield, architecture, and resilience across multiple crops, aiming to create products for farmers and consumers.
The company, founded in 2017, has raised $155M, including a Series C in September 2024. It employs 115 people, with a strong focus on research, which makes up 44% of its workforce.
Founders and leadership
Pairwise is led by a team with deep expertise in biotechnology and agriculture. The largest function is research, accounting for 44% of the workforce, reflecting the company's focus on scientific innovation.
The Pairwise org chart
Tom Adams (CEO) leads 36 mapped leaders with 2 direct reports. Click +N to expand a team; names link to the person’s public profile.
- Chief Operating Officer (Formerly Chief Development Officer, EVP Bus Ops and Head of Corp Dev)Executive
Departments, and which ones grew
Headcount by function: Research 53 (+2% YoY), Business Development 16 (-16% YoY), Engineering 11 (+22% YoY), Finance 6 (+20% YoY), Operations 5 (0% YoY).
Talent flow
Pairwise recruits heavily from agricultural and biotech giants like Syngenta, Monsanto, and Bayer, as well as academic institutions such as the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Alumni often move to roles in academia, biotech startups, and research organizations.
Most common previous employers of Pairwise staff: Syngenta (11), Monsanto Company (10), The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (6), Bayer (6), BASF (6), US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS) (5). Former Pairwise employees most often moved to Terrana Biosciences (4), North Carolina State University (3), Duke University (3), The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (2), Envu (2), SAS (2).
Alumni worth knowing
The Pairwise mafia
Pairwise alumni have founded 8 companies, including ALORA, CGETC, and Axial, which collectively employ over 100 people.
8Adam Helms, was Head of Portfolio Management & Collaborations until 2023Keunyoung (Ky) Ma, was Commercialization / GTM until 2022Joshua Elkington, was Consultant until 2016Aabid Shariff, was Head of Data until 2023Megan Thomas, was Vice President, Marketing and Communications until 2024Jerry Sais, was Associate Director Seed Supply Chain until 2024
Mike Mann, was Head of R&D Operations until 2023
Heather Barefoot, was Associate Director, Marketing and Communications until 2024Web traffic
Traffic mix: 59% direct, 29% search, 5% social, 1% paid.
What this company is made of
Most common skills at Pairwise: Research Skills (49), Molecular Biology (44), Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) (39), Microsoft Office (37), Biotechnology (34), Project Management (33), Data Analysis (33), Genetics (31).
Where the team actually sits
Pairwise people are concentrated in North Carolina, United States (55), Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill Area (26), California, United States (4), Florida, United States (1).
Search footprint
Pairwise attracts about 934 organic search visits a month, traffic worth roughly $0K a month if bought through ads. It gained 8 ranking keywords and lost 16 in the last period.
What employees say
- Compensation
- 3.90 / 5
- Career opportunities
- 3.50 / 5
- Senior management
- 3.30 / 5
- Work-life balance
- 3.50 / 5
Frequently asked
Pairwise has 115 employees as of September 2026.
Pairwise has raised $155M in total, most recently a Series C round in September 2024.
Pairwise was founded in 2017 by Keith Joung.
Tom Adams (CEO) sits at the top of Pairwise's reporting structure, with 2 direct reports.
The most common previous employers of current Pairwise staff are Syngenta (11 people), Monsanto Company (10 people), The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (6 people).
Former Pairwise employees most often move to Terrana Biosciences (4), North Carolina State University (3), Duke University (3).
At least 8 companies have a founder who previously worked at Pairwise, including ALORA, CGETC, Axial.
Pairwise attracts about 934 organic search visits a month, worth roughly $0K a month in equivalent ad spend.
The most common skills among Pairwise staff are Research Skills, Molecular Biology, Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), Microsoft Office, Biotechnology.
Pairwise staff are concentrated in North Carolina, United States (55), Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill Area (26), California, United States (4).
Pairwise has about 53 people in Research, up 2% over the past year, as of September 2026.
Pairwise has about 16 people in Business Development, down 16% over the past year, as of September 2026.
Computed from 95 current and 181 former Pairwise profiles, as of September 2026. Source: Crustdata.
Build this for any company
Every number on this page came from the Crustdata API. Point the MCP at a company and get the same org chart, alumni list and talent flow in one prompt.