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Companies

Spearhead Bio

Gene insertion tools for crop genome editing

Raised to date

$1.2M

of $1.8M offered across 1 Form D filing

Still open
$550K
Investors
4
Last filed
Jun 23, 2026

About

Spearhead Bio is a Saint Louis, Missouri agricultural biotechnology company spun out of the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center by the Danforth Technology Company in February 2025. It develops native genome engineering tools that make targeted gene insertion in crops far more efficient, addressing a long-standing bottleneck in CRISPR-based plant editing. Its TAHITI (Transposase Assisted Homology Independent Targeted Insertion) platform integrates genes into both transgenic and non-transgenic crops using the plant's own natural DNA. The technology was developed by founder and Chief Scientific Officer Keith Slotkin, PhD, and the company is led by CEO Mike Bielski.

TAHITI uses the plant's own natural DNA and a transposase-assisted, homology-independent mechanism to insert genes at a target site, sidestepping the low efficiency of homology-directed repair in plants; because no foreign genetic material is required, it can reduce regulatory hurdles and improve consumer acceptance relative to conventional transgenic approaches.

Funding

  • Security to be acquiredFiled Jun 23, 2026Form D
    $1.2M/ $1.8M

Product

TAHITI (Transposase Assisted Homology Independent Targeted Insertion)

Agricultural genome engineering platform

A native genome engineering platform that enables seamless, targeted insertion of genes into crop genomes — in both transgenic and non-transgenic crops — using the plant's own natural DNA rather than foreign sequence.

  • Transposase-assisted, homology-independent targeted insertion
  • Works in both transgenic and non-transgenic crops
  • Uses the plant's natural DNA, avoiding foreign genetic material

Built for

Crop breeders and plant researchers at agricultural biotechnology companies and research institutions

People on file