CapsiBreed, an AgriTech startup, has signed a landmark commercial agreement with Dutch seed company Erma Zaden to apply its proprietary technology for gene-editing elite pepper varieties. This first-of-its-kind partnership positions CapsiBreed for rapid market entry, enabling precise enhancement of high-value traits such as shelf life, flavor, yield, and disease resistance. The deal marks a significant commercial validation of CapsiBreed’s platform and services, and a major step toward scalable, sustainable agricultural innovation.

Hebrew University of Jerusalem, through its technology transfer company Yissum, proudly announces that its portfolio company CapsiBreed has signed a significant commercial agreement with Dutch seed company Erma Zaden. This strategic partnership marks a major milestone in the development and scalability of CapsiBreed’s groundbreaking crop improvement technology.

The agreement will focus on enhancing the genetic qualities of hybrid hot and bell pepper seeds, using CapsiBreed’s proprietary gene editing platform. Under the terms of the agreement, Erma Zaden will provide elite parental seed lines, which CapsiBreed will modify by introducing novel agricultural traits, including improved shelf life, biotic and abiotic stresses, flavor, yield, color, and emerging consumer preferences such as crispiness. In addition to peppers, the agreement gives CapsiBreed access to Erma Zaden's other products: tomatoes, cucumber, melons and watermelons.

“This is a major milestone for CapsiBreed,” said Dr. Oded Skaliter, co-founder and CTO of CapsiBreed. “This agreement marks CapsiBreed’s entry into the big leagues, serving as a testament to the company’s technology and capabilities. It underscores the adoption of advanced molecular breeding techniques and highlights CapsiBreed’s growing impact in the industry. CapsiBreed's proprietary platform allows us to harness the power of molecular tools for breeding of hot and sweet peppers, that unlike other crops from its family, like tomatoes and tobacco, are notoriously known as highly recalcitrant for gene modification techniques. Our technology removes this bottleneck, enabling the efficient application of molecular breeding techniques to rapidly and precisely introduce multiple desirable traits—such as disease resistance and enhanced flavor—that were previously unattainable through traditional pepper breeding. This collaboration will help us bring improved agricultural produce to the global market.”

The collaboration builds upon the time-tested practice of hybrid breeding—crossing two parent seed lines (Parent A and Parent B) to create superior offspring. Yet, introducing new traits into both parental lines by traditional breeding techniques can be laborious, time consuming, costly and is limited to existing genetic pools. By integrating CapsiBreed’s cutting-edge technology will allow to speed up and elevate the process to a new level of precision and innovation.

The result: Hybrid seeds with unmatched combinations of qualities, optimized not only for farmers and food producers but also to the pharma industry and for rapidly evolving consumer trends.

Yissum, the technology transfer company of Hebrew University, played a key role in facilitating the collaboration and bringing CapsiBreed’s research-based innovation to market.

“This partnership embodies Yissum’s mission to transform academic excellence into real-world solutions,” said Alon Natanson, CEO of Yissum. “CapsiBreed’s breakthrough is not just an academic achievement—it’s a significant commercial leap forward for sustainable agriculture.”

As global agriculture grapples with mounting pressures—ranging from the impacts of climate change to the growing demand for healthier, nutritious food and sustainable farming practices—new technological solutions are gaining traction across the industry. The agreement between CapsiBreed and Erma Zaden reflects a broader shift toward the use of advanced gene-editing tools to enhance crop performance and resilience. By focusing on key traits such as yield, disease resistance, shelf life, and flavor, the partnership illustrates how agricultural innovation is increasingly moving from the lab to commercial application. Industry observers note that such collaborations may signal a turning point in how food crops are developed and scaled for future markets.

“This is the future of agriculture,” said Dr. Oded Sagee, co-founder, Chairman and CEO of Capsibreed. “Seed companies that do not adopt gene-editing technologies will fall behind. Meeting the global need for more resilient, high-quality crops requires innovation. This is the next green revolution—and it’s already underway.”

Founded in 2024, CapsiBreed is pioneering the future of pepper breeding by cutting-edge gene-modification techniques. The company’s proprietary technology, developed by Prof. Alexander Vainstein, a plant sciences expert at the Faculty of Agriculture, Food, and Environment at Hebrew University, enables the application of advanced molecular breeding techniques to rapidly modify multiple key traits in hot and sweet peppers (Capsicum annuum), creating peppers with tailored traits for agriculture, food, beverages, and pharma industries.

Yissum is the technology transfer company of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, bridging academia, industry, and investment to fuel a vibrant ecosystem of innovation. We translate scientific excellence into real-world solutions, providing a home and strategic backing for researchers aiming to bring their discoveries to market. Since our founding in 1964, we’ve launched over 260 startups across sectors including pharmaceuticals, agtech, national security, life sciences, and the natural sciences.Learn more: www.yissum.co.il

For a century, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem has been a beacon for visionary minds who challenge norms and shape the future. Founded by luminaries like Albert Einstein, who entrusted his intellectual legacy to the university, it is dedicated to advancing knowledge, fostering leadership, and promoting diversity. Home to over 23,000 students from 90 countries, the Hebrew University drives much of Israel’s civilian scientific research, with over 11,750 patents and groundbreaking contributions recognized by nine Nobel Prizes, two Turing Awards, and a Fields Medal. Ranked 81st globally by the Shanghai Ranking (2024), it celebrates a century of excellence in research, education, and innovation. To learn more visit http://new.huji.ac.il/en.