About MaxEditas
Precision for a Regenerative Future
MaxEditas is a science-first company built by plant geneticists, tissue culture experts, and visionaries in sustainable agriculture. Our story began in California’s agtech innovation corridor, and today we’re working across continents to unlock the next generation of crop traits through CRISPR-based gene editing.
We are driven by a core belief: plants are the key to solving some of humanity’s most urgent challenges—from climate adaptation to food security. But to harness that potential, we need new tools. That’s why we created CropEditas™, our proprietary platform to rapidly develop precise, stable, and scalable genetic improvements in complex plant species.
Built for Global Agriculture
While our headquarters are rooted in California, our collaborations and impact are international. MaxEditas works closely with growers, breeders, research institutions, and industry players across North America, Latin America, Middle East and North Africa, and Europe.
Through strategic alliances with key partners, we are accelerating trait innovation in complex crops—advancing next-generation plant engineering from lab development to validation, regulatory readiness, and real-world deployment of gene-edited crops with transformational impact.
Passion for Innovation & Sustainability
We are not a service company. We are a deep-tech biotech team reinventing the way traits are discovered, validated, and brought to farmers. Every protocol we build, every variety we design, and every partner we engage with moves us toward one goal: a resilient and regenerative agri-food system powered by plants and science.
Our work focuses on specialty crops that are often overlooked by traditional breeding and biotech.
Our Core Values
We are grounded in scientific excellence. By integrating plant biology, computational design, and advanced tissue culture, we expand the frontier of crop editing to meet the demands of a changing world.
We believe equitable innovation is essential to ensuring global food and nutritional security. Our work is driven by the conviction that advanced agricultural technologies must be accessible and impactful for all communities.
Bold in vision and rigorous in execution, MaxEditas is committed to delivering measurable improvements in crop performance, sustainability, and grower profitability.
We know that solving global challenges requires shared effort. Our approach is rooted in partnership—working alongside innovators, institutions, and producers to create transformative solutions for agriculture worldwide.
Meet the team
Angel Fernández I Marti, PhD
Dr. Angel Fernandez holds a Ph.D. in Plant Genetics and brings over two decades of expertise in genetic engineering and plant biotechnology in entities such as UC Davis and UC Berkeley. His career is marked by pioneering contributions to the use of CRISPR technology in agriculture, leading several successful projects aimed at improving crop trait profiles. Dr. Fernandez’s extensive knowledge of applications of Next-Generation Sequencing and gene-editing in diverse plants make him uniquely qualified to lead the company’s gene-editing initiatives.
Monica Alandete-Saez, PhD
Monica holds a PhD in Plant Molecular Biology and is a certified Patent Agent. She has deep experience in contract negotiation and partnership development and management with global partners, focusing on the Agtech, plant biotech, and energy industries. In her past role as Partnership Developer at Climate Corp, she managed a portfolio of external collaborations to enable digital R&D pipelines, drive growth and execute external partnerships strategy. Prior to that, she worked at the technology transfer and tech commercialization space at UCDavis where she conducted market research, FTOs and patent and technology landscapes to create and execute commercialization and licensing strategies.
Chandrakanth Emani, PhD
Crop Transformation. Dr. Chandrakanth Emani holds a Ph.D. degree in Genetics and Plant Molecular Biology and has been instrumental in the development of the company’s tissue culture and transformation innovations. With an extensive background and over 25 years hands-on experience in genetic transformation in diverse monocot and dicot crops, multiple patents in plant genetic engineering, he has successfully managed multiple projects that have transformed agricultural practices. His role in engineering peanut plants to produce low-cholesterol oils highlights his capability in aligning scientific advancements with market needs.
Arturo Ortega, PhD
Gene Editing. Dr. Arturo Ortega, with a doctorate in Plant Molecular Biology from UC Berkeley as a part of the research team of the Nobel Laureate CRISPR discoverer Jennifer Doudna, has a strong track record in advancing biotechnology for commercial applications. His expertise in
designing transformation constructs utilizing the CRISPR-Cas9 tools drives innovation in plant
biotechnology with a focus on sustainable solutions. His expertise in translating scientific
discoveries into viable product offerings ensures the company’s technologies meet global consumer demands for healthier edible oils.
Let's Build Together
Interested in collaborating with MaxEditas Bioscience?
Contact our Business Development team to explore co-development, licensing, or investment opportunities.