Our Company
We are a crop science company committed to unlocking the potential of hemp and dedicated to supporting our environment and our communities.
We bring science and sustainability together with the unique versatility of this amazing plant to positively impact the economy, society, and the environment. Since 2014, we’ve worked to build the infrastructure necessary to support grower success. Hemp will soon be the third largest US agricultural crop. We support our growers with high-quality seeds backed by our team of breeders, data scientists, and agronomists who are on the ground supporting farmers in planting, cultivation, and harvest resources to further mitigate risk in entering a new, frequently changing industry. Learn more about our work in genetic testing products and plant varieties.
Our Mission
Hemp is transforming our economy, our environment and our society—these are our commitments to each of them:
Prosperity
Economic sustainability supports all the rest. We can't accomplish all of these goals if we don't make sure that the farms we work with are healthy and strong. We succeed when our growers are successful.
Environmental Sustainability
We are structuring our research, facilities, plants and outreach around sustainable cultivation methods. Agriculture has been hurting the environment in some ways, but agriculture could be what saves the planet.
Social Justice, Diversity & Inclusion
We are fighting for justice and equity across all the areas we work in, and for the genetic diversity that will keep the hemp industry sustainable and inclusive.
We are a trusted team of over 50 scientists, technicians, and business professionals dedicated to improving hemp through data-driven science.
We’re passionate about creating an inclusive workplace that promotes and values diversity. Companies that are diverse in age, gender identity, race, sexual orientation, physical ability, ethnicity, and perspective are stronger and more innovative companies. More importantly, creating an environment where everyone, from any background, can do their best work is the right thing to do.
Leadership
Alisha Holloway is a data scientist with expertise in genomics and statistical analysis of big data. She was an Assistant Professor at UC San Francisco School of Medicine, and was the founding director of the Gladstone Institutes Bioinformatics Core Facility. She earned a PhD focused on molecular evolution at the University of Texas in Austin.
John McFerson is an accomplished senior management and scientific leader with over 20+ years of experience and comprehensive background in overseeing and directing commercial seed, business intelligence, and product development functions to drive research & development programs for leading global agricultural organizations. He has a PhD in Plant Breeding and Genetics from Iowa State University.
Advisory Board
Legendary NYC Venture Capitalist, and now a central figure in cannabis startup funding. Co-founder of StarVest Partners, member of the Women’s Leadership Board of the Harvard Kennedy School, and an Athena Entrepreneur Fellow for Barnard College. Currently General Partner in the ArcView Venture Fund.
